While some might view the ongoing browser battle between Microsoft Corp. and the Mozilla Foundation as a distinct case of David shooting peas at Goliath’s tank, that hasn’t stopped the latter from officially opening its Firefox 3 browser for full public consumption.
Firefox 3 (beta version 4) open for public use. Credit: Mozilla.
There’s no denying the uphill battle Firefox has in its relentless pursuit of the dominant Internet Explorer browser, but it does remain the Web’s most popular alternative to Microsoft’s offering, which enjoys its positioning in part because it comes bundled with the Windows operating system.
Mozilla has today told the Reuters news agency that Firefox 3 (version beta 4) is now ready for widespread use following months of evolution and the recent test targeting of those specifically in the field of software development.
“In many ways it is much more stable than anything else out there,” trumpeted Mozilla’s Vice President of Engineering, Mike Schroepfer, regarding the improved security, boosted memory and other features delivered through Firefox 3.
Those Firefox 2 users looking to embrace the free updated version of their favourite Web browser can do so by clicking here, although it is worth noting that Firefox 3 is still in its beta stages and the final version is not expected to arrive earlier than late June of this year.
Mozilla has outlined that Firefox 3 brings with it new enhanced security features, less computer memory usage than its direct predecessor, and also the convenience of running Web site destinations while not being connected to the Net.
Currently, the official Firefox site is still advising visitors that only developers and official testers should download beta version 4 of the popular browser, although Mozilla developers have said the site will be altered to let everyone know that Firefox 3 is now stable enough for anyone and everyone to enjoy.
That being said, beta 4 is not the final test version ahead of the browser’s full launch, with a beta 5 version likely to appear between now and then concentrating on tweaking the visual presentation and overall feel of the software while fine-tuning its stability.
When the final version of Firefox 3 is unveiled in (or around) June, it will have been almost two years since Mozilla’s official unveiling of Firefox 2.
SteveMar 22nd, 2008 - 05:12:56
Using it now.
I downloaded the portable to test with, and its amazingly fast. The add-on manager is a plus too, it had the most common add-ons ready to install for me.
The theme, default, is sharp and clean looking. The search bar with smart searching and caching is nifty too.
So far so good.
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