Mozilla Changing Firefox 3.1 to Firefox 3.5

Update: It’s a go. Mozilla has approved the proposal to make the change.

Mozilla’s frequently delayed Firefox 3.1 release may now become Firefox 3.5, the company has revealed. Engineers are considering renaming the next major Firefox update to reflect the significant changes within the program.

Firefox 3.5 Discussions

The idea for skipping ahead to the Firefox 3.5 designation came up at Mozilla meeting Wednesday. The proposal would leave the upcoming beta 3 under the 3.1 name, then bring in the 3.5 branding beginning with the (apparently now definite) fourth beta.

“The increase in scope represented by TraceMonkey and Private Browsing, plus the sheer volume of work that’s gone into everything from video and layout to places and the plugin service make it a larger increment than we believe is reasonable to label ‘.1,’ Mozilla’s Mike Shaver writes in a company discussion forum.

“3.5 will help set expectations better about the amount of awesome that’s packed into Shiretoko, and we expect uptake help from that as well,” he says.

The new numbering, Shaver notes, would not indicate plans for additional features to be added into the upcoming release; rather, it would simply better represent the work that has already been done.

As of now, Firefox 3.1 Beta 3 is expected to be made publicly available late next week, on March 12. That date, however, has been set and changed before, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Firefox 3.0.7–a minor security and stability update–was released this week. It is available for download at the official GetFirefox.com Web site.