Mozilla today released Firefox 3, a major update to its free, open source Web browser. According to Mozilla, Firefox 3 is the culmination of three years of efforts from thousands of developers, security experts, localization and support communities, and testers from around the globe.
Available today in approximately 50 languages, “Firefox 3 is two to three times faster than its predecessor and offers more than 15,000 improvements,” including the smart location bar, malware protection, and extensive under the hood work to improve the speed and performance of the browser.
“We’re really proud of Firefox 3 and it just shows what a committed, energized global community can do when they work together,” said John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla, in the press release.
What’s New in Firefox 3:
• User Experience. The new Firefox 3 smart location bar, affectionately known as the “Awesome Bar,” learns as people use it, adapting to user preferences and offering better fitting matches over time. The Firefox 3 Library archives browsing history, bookmarks, and tags, where they can be easily searched and organized. One-click bookmarking and tagging make it easy to remember, search and organize Web sites. The new full-page zoom displays any part of a Web page, up close and readable, in seconds.
• Performance. Firefox 3 is built on top of the Gecko 1.9 platform, resulting in a safer, easier to use and more personal product. Firefox 3 now uses less memory while it’s running, and its redesigned page rendering and layout engine means users see Web pages two to three times faster than Firefox 2.
• Security. Firefox 3 offers new malware and phishing protection helps protect from viruses, worms, trojans and spyware to keep people safe on the Web. Firefox 3’s one-click site ID information allows users to verify that a site is what it claims to be. Mozilla’s open source process leverages the experience of thousands of security experts around the globe.
• Customization. Everyone uses the Web differently, and Firefox 3 lets users customize their browser with more than 5,000 add-ons. Firefox Add-ons allow users to manage tasks like participating in online auctions, uploading digital photos, seeing the weather forecasts, and listening to music, all from the convenience of the browser. The new Add-ons Manager helps users to find and install add-ons directly from the browser.
More information about Mozilla Firefox 3 features here.
Mozilla Firefox 3 is available now for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows as a free download here.
ooooh snappy
It’s fast! Or maybe I just expect it to be fast so I think it is.
doing my part as we speak to help Firefox break download records. Not sure why, but doing it just the same…
using it to write this comment…
Same here, WriterGuy.
Can anyone give me some real-world examples why I should care if my browser is Safari vs. Firefox? Assume I’m not the type of guy to worry about fancy extensions or third-party plug-ins.
@ WriterGuy: I’d say the most important thing is the speed and security of the browser. I just like Safari because its easy to use, and it works with my other applications better. It shows webpages the way I like. (I’m downloading Firefox 3 as I type this, I haven’t used it yet, I don’t know wether its any different to Firefox 2) I also think safari in leopard just looks better.
Whoah! This new Firefox app is so damn speedy! it even makes MDN seem to load up quickly (which is unworldly LOL!)
Kudos to the Mozilla group! Cheers! Thank you.
I didn’t think I’d switch from Safari, but this is too good.
Yeah, FF3 seems to cut through a lot of crap quickly. I’d call it . . . snippier. Snappish?
It’s 2 or 3 times faster. And man is it web complaint! The new interface and font rendering engine are cool too.