Mozilla issues first Firefox 3.6 alpha version

Mozilla has released the first alpha version of Firefox 3.6 for Windows, Mac, and Linux, a browser with speed improvements and new features the organization hopes to finalize faster than its predecessor.

"Unlike the year that passed between Firefox 3 and Firefox 3.5, we expect that this 3.6 release will be released in a small number of months," Mozilla evangelist Chris Blizzard said in a blog post Friday.

Firefox 3.6, code-named Namoroka, has a variety of changes, but it's not as dramatic a departure as 3.5 was from 3.0. Among the 3.6 features are faster JavaScript, the Web programming language Firefox executes with its TraceMonkey engine; faster page-rendering speed; some new features for CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) technology for controlling some of the look of a Web site; and a feature called the compositor that handles complicated layout circumstances better.

Performance is a big issue with browsers these days as people spend more time using them and programmers create more sophisticated sites and applications that live on the Web. All major browser makers are emphasizing performance improvements in their newest versions.

Download links for the first Firefox 3.6 alpha are at the Mozilla Developer Center.

[goodspeed8701]

How old is 3.5? now they have 3.6alpha. Well they are confused.

[knowles2]

Get use to it , google release weekly developers versions of chrome, monthly betas, and quarterly stable versions,

[adasha76]

Continuously improving software means they're confused? That's a bizarre rationale

[therealgeeves]

Windows service pack 1 - which version is that?

[renGek]

Well the developers were done with 3.5 a long time ago and probably just needed a handful of them to maintain it. You can't expect the rest of the staff to just sit around and spray windex on their monitors and wipe down their work area for 4 months right. So they have to get busy and work on newer things. Lots more competition out there now. It was kind of easy to out shine IE month quarter after quarter but they have tougher browsers to deal with now.

[firefoxluva95]

3.6 is in development. 3.7 is also in the works, and so is 4.0. 3.6 will come out soon. 3.7 and 4.0 will have a UI refresh according to the concept drawings we've seen so far.

If you are going to grab the Firefox Alpha you would be best of getting Alpha 2 released the same day this article was written http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightly/latest-trunk/firefox-3.6a2pre.en-US.win32.installer.exe

@goodspeed8701 releasing a new Alpha after a final release has nothing to do with being confused, it is a new development cycle and happens to all software. I think it is you who is confused, partially because the author should have explained that Alpha releases are not intended for general download and distribution unless you are interested in helping out with the development process.

Alpha and Beta releases use the latest nightly builds and to quote the mozilla web site 'We make nightly builds for testing only. We write code and post the results right away so people like you can join our testing process and report bugs. You will find bugs, and lots of them. Mozilla might crash on startup. It might delete all your files and cause your computer to burst into flames. Don't bother downloading nightly builds if you're unwilling to put up with problems.'

[quirK]

Read the filename carefully please: 3.6a2pre = 3.6 Alpha 1.

[rmva]

I'm sure all the wiz-bangs at moz know that firefox never checks for updates if you never log in as super-user. Millions of users are permanently vulnerable.

I routinely switched to administrator whenever I heard about an update. Then I decided to heck with it. Too many updates. Too annoying. Let automatic update do it. However, Check for Updates in standard user mode was grayed out and auto-check stopped working.

Not good. Really not good.

[Lerianis3]

Just a question, but how in the WORLD do you expect it to update something that is in the C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) directory (for 64-bit) in non-admin mode? Answer: YOU CANNOT! (sing this with me)
You should simply log in as an administrator every so often (once a month is pretty good) and check for updates.

Or, better yet, get on Vista with UAC and run in Admin mode all the time for your program, since you are a 'techie' user if you even know what Admin mode is.

[jpap93]

XP has an option to run apps as admin too.

[danmd]

Amazing how a little competition can make things move allot faster. Chrome has really had an impact on the speed of development of mozilla, and that is good for all of us :)

Now if only IE would stop being the laggard in the adoption of standards like html5, ogg video, web3d then we really the facilities to start a REAL Web 2.0

[FF2009]

exactly.

competition is always great for every one. Now I cant wait for FF 3.6 :)

[monkeyfun14]

@danmd

HTML5 isn't even standardized yet.

[dburr13]

The pace of development for Firefox is the same as it's always been...They are working on the next Firefox all the time...They are already planning beyond FF 3.6...Firefox has always had a tough fight against an embedded competitor (IE)...The arrival of Chrome did not change that...There are always new nightly builds available for the next Firefox....If you dare....

[al-madni]

thank you for all, my regards.

[Piperapk]

I've just tried it and the page rendering is very vast.

[Mr. Dee]

Might as well just stick with Firefox 3.0.x until 3.6 comes out and even then I am at least waiting until 3.6.5, maybe by then 4.0 will be ready and I can just wait for 4.0.2, but maybe by then Mozilla will be working on 4.1, so might as well wait for 4.1.5, oh wait, 4.5 will be in the works, might as well wait. Oh no, I think I better wait for 4.6.2, wait a minute, 5.0 is not too far away...

Oh well.

[linhlh]

What the hell are you talking about ?

[A41202813]

@Mr. Dee August 9, 2009 8:41 AM PDT

I Did Not Have Such A Great Laugh In A Very Long Long Time.
Thank You.

Addons I Use:
http://forums.pcworld.com/message/207117#207117

[FF2009]

some people are ridiculous. Crying whining babies. Not happy with everything.

[Freedomstarfox]

.... What?

[Mr. Dee]

censorshipblows Takes one to know one.

[firefoxluva95]

Or you could realize that things need to be updated to keep up with new technology? And I can't believe that such rudimentary comebacks are even on this site.

[TechSlap]

If you didn't get it... He's joking. You know, "something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or a prankish act." Yeah, get a life people.

[codynews]

Since when is "ogg video" a standard?

[benjwah]

It's not. It's in fact, less of a "standard" than Flash video, because no one uses it.

[EvanSei]

I must say firefox is getting to a point were they are like IE behind the game and to self praising only difference is that mozilla is doing something about it

[knowles2]

Yep they saw competition and instead of ******** about it like Microsoft would, they just saw it as a challenge, they not of met the challenge or beaten the challenger but at least they are trying.

[tipoo_]

Is it too much to ask for them to make a 64 bit browser? Or one that uses all of my processor cores efficiently?

[tm_anon]

http://www.favbrowser.com/firefox-32-bit-x86-vs-firefox-64-bit-x64/

One search on google. Since I don't have a 64-bit system, I can't test it for you too. Sorry about that.

[firefoxluva95]

Here's the problem. No 64-bit Flash, no 64-bit Shockwave, some popular plugins are not 64-bit and will not work. That's basically why i'm holding out.

[Neal_Saferstein]

I just downloaded this, seems so much faster on the OS/X.

Neal Saferstein
http://nealsaferstein.com

[gidstelios]

Wait a sec! Is the Electrolysis feature not going to be implemented on this Firefox version? Too bad....

[rshimizu12]

Mozilla releases a lot of code for a small organization.

[Mr. Dee]

Maybe its something they ate.

[A41202813]

@Mr. Dee August 10, 2009 2:02 PM PDT

As I Said In My Comment, Your First Comment Was Awesome.

This One Is Not.

Do You Have An Itch ?

[albertsoler]

My interest in Firefox development has plateaued.

I use Firefox. It is the browser I use to -- browse. That's all. I will continue to update as updates become available. But, there just isn't the same excitement about new releases as there used to be. Don't get me wrong. Mozilla should definitely continue to work on improving the product. Just don't expect me to get too excited over it.

New Firefox releases are simply routine. Not news really.

[doingstuffwell]

Dear Mozilla...

please make Firefox stop being a memory HOG and have it easier to install plugins for Windows Media and other streaming forms. I really like you guys, but Google Chrome is now my default browser on my netbook :(


Sincerely,

Everyone who downgraded to Firefox 2.0


PS: You have everyone beat hands down with the AD BLOCk plugin

[stockyjoe]

Im glad to hear with 3.6 the focus is in speedin g up the js engine and optimizing speed in general. Thats my only gripe with FF these days. Chrome is so fast and smooth its like butta but I prefer Firefox features and UI.

[chronoboi001]

Hoping for less crashes, especially when with many tabs.

[solblack]

I've never had a browser that crash as much as FF. Not even IE!
I miss my google toolbar with my bookmarks.
I really like Chrome!

[tm_anon]

Was that a haiku?

[lee_frank]

very intresting