mozilla

Mozilla has begun notifying Firefox 3.6 users that now is a good time to upgrade to Firefox 8.0.1--and to the browser's new fast-moving ethos.

The change had been planned for at least two other occasions in recent weeks, but Mozilla postponed it. And then yesterday, Mozilla flipped the switch so that when Firefox 3.6 checks with a server to find out if there's an update, it'll find the newest version of the browser.

"It's live, and users should see an update in the next 24 hours," said spokeswoman Erica Jostedt. … Read more

Thunderbird 8 arrived today, a new version of Mozilla's e-mail software that now is linked with the Firefox rapid-release program.

Thunderbird 8 is built using the same Gecko 8 browser engine that's used in Firefox 8, also released today. Notably, the new version is accompanied by Lightning 1.0, an add-on under development for years that gives Thunderbird a calendar module, too.

Thunderbird 8 also includes "improvements to attachment handling and accessibility, updated Search and Find shortcuts, and several security, and stability fixes," according to a blog post by Mozilla's Rafael Ebron.

The Lightning add-on … Read more

Mozilla released Firefox 8 today, a version that weeds out some add-ons and that will shoulder more responsibility for the organization's new fast-development process.

Giving the user control over the Web experience has been a longstanding Mozilla priority, and Firefox 8 (download for Windows | Mac | Linux | Android) takes a new step here. With earlier versions, third-party software could extend Firefox with new features--Skype's tool for highlighting phone numbers for easy online calling, for example. With Firefox 8, though, third-party add-ons will be disabled by default.

"These add-ons installed by third parties present a number of problems: they … Read more

If at first you can't learn your social skills, try, try again. At least, that's what the Mozilla Foundation is doing.

Following the demise of the first Firefox initiative to bring a more modern range of social sharing to the browser, Mozilla has released today its second attempt in early alpha called Firefox Share (download).

Mozilla has lofty plans for Firefox Share. Along the same lines as the Firefox Weave add-on that later became the default-shipping feature known as Sync, Jay Sullivan, Mozilla's vice president of products, told CNET during a meeting at the company's new … Read more

Mozilla wants to diversify its search revenue base from Google. Microsoft's Bing wants more market share. Enter some integration that may move the needle for both parties.

In a short blog post, Microsoft said it worked with Mozilla to launch Firefox with Bing. In a nutshell, this version of Firefox has the default settings for Bing and the user won't have to change anything to use Microsoft's search engine.

Will this effort move the needle for Mozilla and Microsoft goals? It's unclear, but Firefox with Bing certainly can't hurt.

Keep in mind this Firefox with … Read more

Mozilla has postponed its plan to prompt Firefox 3.6 users to upgrade to the latest version of the open-source Web browser to make sure its servers are up to snuff.

The organization had planned to flip a switch so that users of Firefox 3.6 would be prompted to get the latest version, Firefox 7.0.1. That change that would get a large fraction of people onto Mozilla's rapid-release process--Firefox 3.6 was the second most widely used version of the browser in September, and Mozilla expects the upgrade prompt to encourage a lot of people to … Read more

In a move expected to bring a large number of Firefox users onto Mozilla's rapid-release process, people using Firefox 3.6 will be encouraged to update to the current version 7.0.1 today.

Mozilla has moved to the rapid-release process to try to make Firefox more competitive by getting improvements into users' hands sooner. Google's Chrome, which has been increasing in browser usage at Firefox's expense, pioneered the six-week rapid-release cycle that Firefox now uses, too.

When Mozilla releases new major versions of Firefox, the older browsers don't immediately notify users they can upgrade. But … Read more

While some solid changes to JavaScript rendering and other under-the-hood code have landed in the latest Firefox developer's build, the bulk of what's new focuses on the second version of the recently introduced Android version of Aurora. Aurora 9 for Android includes some big interface changes designed to improve its usability on tablets, support for native camera apps, faster start-up times, and broader language support.

Firefox 9 Aurora can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and Android.

Firefox 9 Aurora for Android debuts some sweeping interface improvements. The Back button is now attached to the location bar, … Read more

The bottom line: Firefox 7 is a worthy expression of Mozilla's ideals. The browser is competitively fast, sports a new minimalist look, and includes some excellently executed features. Unfortunately, that describes most of Firefox's competition, too.

Review: The third version of Firefox to come under the new rapid-release aegis, Firefox 7 follows in the footsteps of Google Chrome, which adopted the rapid-release cycle a while ago and is now up to version 14 (at the time this review was written) despite having its first release only in 2008.

Firefox 4 had a massive impact on Firefox 5 and … Read more