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Firefox 3.0 beta released

We're still waiting for word on the next version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but Mozilla today released the first beta test of Firefox 3.0, previewing the features to be included in the next version of the open-source browser. The preliminary version is available to anyone, but for now, Mozilla recommends that only developers and testers use it.

Still, I'm giving it a try -- and writing this blog post in it, in fact. The first thing I noticed was the new information bar, asking if I wanted to save my user name and password upon logging into our Web-based blogging software. As explained in this Mozilla Links post, one major difference is that it appeared after I logged in, not before, so I wouldn't have been saving mistaken log-in information if I had gotten it wrong.

But at this point in the evolution of Web browsers, is there really room for dramatic improvement? Something that would do for Firefox 3 what tabbed browsing and security did for the original Firefox? See this page for details on the changes and additions being made in the new Firefox version, in areas including security, personalization and user interface.

Because it's an open-source project, the features haven't been secret. But now that it has reached the stage of a public beta, it's interesting to ask what, if anything, Firefox 3 will mean for the browser competition, particularly given the relative silence out of the IE team.

Posted by at November 20, 2007 12:15 p.m.
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#68576

Posted by unregistered user at 11/20/07 1:00 p.m.

But at this point in the evolution of Web browsers, is there really room for dramatic improvement? Something that would do for Firefox 3 what tabbed browsing and security did for the original Firefox?

Opera is secure, and had tabbed browsing before Firefox or IE. FireFox just had a food fanbase.

#68578

Posted by unregistered user at 11/20/07 1:03 p.m.

and Opera wasn't a free browser, therefore wasn't a player in the browser wars

#68616

Posted by unregistered user at 11/20/07 2:51 p.m.

Opera ROCKS!

#68774

Posted by White Rose at 11/21/07 7:45 a.m.

When I switched to Mac, I tried and tried to like Firefox since Safari is too simplistic. But Firefox just seemed clunky. (And I was using beta3)

Indeed I tried Opera again, after having tried it a year ago when it seemed primitive, but now it is the most advanced browser available. It has all the features built-in which you must add plugins to Firefox to get.

Opera's UI is different, but if you give it a chance it is better. Don't try 9.5 beta yet though... too buggy. 9.24 is quite good. I lke the lix4m skin.

#69544

Posted by unregistered user at 11/25/07 2:45 a.m.

Personally really enjoying Maxthon at the moment, it's a brilliant package right out the box with enough customisability to match nearly any feature of any browser. That said I have a soft spot for all of them, I think the IE7 developers have done a good job and if it were a new player to the market it would have got much better reception, the MS stigma is to blame for a lot of the Firefox converts. FF and Opera both have a lot to offer-I just wish they could all be combined.

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