September 9, 2009 6:29 PM PDT

Mozilla patches holes in Firefox 3.5, 3.0

by Stephen Shankland
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Mozilla on Wednesday released two new versions of its browser, Firefox 3.5.3 and 3.0.14, that patch three critical security holes and fix assorted other bugs.

The updates can be fetched through the Help menu's Check for Updates option, or can be downloaded directly.

Although Mozilla still supports the 3.0 version, it's pushing people to the 3.5 version, and support for the 3.0 series will end in a few months. Version 3.5, released in June, supports a variety of new Web page technologies and includes a faster JavaScript engine for running Web-based programs.

Interested folks can read the release notes.

Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank.
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by JesseThe September 9, 2009 7:18 PM PDT
Is Mr. Stephen Shankland a paid writer? Very lazy indeed just to say "Hey something changed in Firefox, go llok at their web site for news!" :-(
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by SeizeCTRL September 9, 2009 7:50 PM PDT
Well it was news... it let me know that there was a new update to Firefox which I was unaware of yet due to a busy day at work... and I did the check and install and it was already there waiting for me.

Every time you update, you have the option on the update tab to see the release notes, what's new, bug fixes etc... so reposting that would be kind of silly because you will have it at your finger tips the moment you restart Firefox after the update.
by menon.nrk September 10, 2009 2:33 PM PDT
Columnists should write with clarity and purpose. They may be tech guru, but readers should find their words trustworthy.
by JesseThe September 9, 2009 7:18 PM PDT
Is Mr. Stephen Shankland a paid writer? Very lazy indeed just to say "Hey something changed in Firefox, go llok at their web site for news!" :-(
Reply to this comment
by Pishkado September 9, 2009 7:47 PM PDT
Is Mr. or Ms. JesseThe paid by the post? Very lazy to get two posts by posting the same thing twice, verbatim - including the typo.
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by pcrepairdude September 9, 2009 8:50 PM PDT
While I am glad to see they are continuing to patch the 3.0.x branch, I'm having to start search for a replacement to Firefox for when they kill the 3.0.x branch. Most folks don't know but Firefox 3.5.x is totally horrible on dialup, and living in a rural area I still have many customers on dialup. So while I have quite enjoyed Firefox, and will probably stay with it myself, I will be switching my customers away from Firefox in the coming months. It is a real shame, as I like the 3.5.x branch, but its performance on dialup is beyond abysmal.
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by G-Skaf September 10, 2009 1:40 AM PDT
You may want to try setting network.prefetch-next to "false". I don't know if many sites use this prefetching mechanism, but for those that do, you may see an increase in speed. Also, consider disabling the phishing and malware site filters. They may work well on broadband, but I imagine that having to query for every visited site's status can lead to delays on dial-up. You can also increase the browser's disk cache size, so less stuff will have to be reloaded from the net.
by menon.nrk September 10, 2009 2:34 PM PDT
Prejudiced
by Shankland September 10, 2009 10:07 PM PDT
You might try Opera 10. Its Turbo mode is designed for dialup and other slow connections.
by sadchild September 10, 2009 5:44 AM PDT
"Firefox 3.5.3 and 3.0.14 fix three critical vulnerabilities that could make a computer insecure."

now that you mention it, my PC has been acting a bit odd lately - bragging about stuff it hasn't actually done and asking for bigger ram chips.
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by menon.nrk September 10, 2009 2:35 PM PDT
Rather funny remarks. Suspect.
by Timetogetill7 September 10, 2009 8:13 AM PDT
If the future it would be great if the story actually mention the three critical security holes and some of the other assorted bugs.
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by ittesi259 September 10, 2009 11:08 AM PDT
Yeah I know, its absolutely horrible that direct links that require just 1 mouse click were provided instead of wasting time reproducing already existing work. How dare the author use common internet technology!
by Timetogetill7 September 10, 2009 3:04 PM PDT
Then he would actually be reporting something other than "three security holes and assorted bugs" as opposed to wasting time like you ittesi259.
by Peppina1 September 10, 2009 2:12 PM PDT
Does the Firefox 3.5 version allow for Coupon printing? I know that version 3 did not, therefore, I went back to Version 2.0 and I am not having any problems with it. There was mention that future versions were going to be doing some updating to more options but I'm not willing to download again until I know for sure. I don't want to install and then have to uninstall 3.5 and then reinstall 2.0 again. Do you have any answers to this information? Thanks.
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by menon.nrk September 10, 2009 2:38 PM PDT
Firefox new update was done well, thank you. With Chromix Extreme 3 addon, you've the option to make your Firefox look attractive, rearrange tools to get more real estate and alongwith Chrome and Safari net surfing is today a pleasure. Try.
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by Roglet September 15, 2009 6:25 AM PDT
I've liked Firefox since I first started using it quite a few years ago, but currently I'm being driven mad by the constant crashes when trying to use Google search, first with version 3.5.2 (about 40 times) and now with 3.5.3. I'm not counting any more, but at least ten so far. Apart from that it's quick (I use the preloader) and easy. I've installed Opera, which is a very nice browser, but prefer FF.
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by phoyazar October 7, 2009 3:09 AM PDT
today I installed free AVG,then can not access to firefox previously installed on my laptop.So I delete firefox and download 3.5 version of firefox.Problem comes on final process of download,it reads:

Residence Shield Alert:Accessed file is infected.
Threat Alert!
File name firefox+setup+3(1).5.3 exe
Threat name Trojan hoarse downloader.bandload.APJF


WHAT'S THAT? I COULDNT INSTALL MY FAVORITE BROWSER BACK.

PLEASE ADVISE.

Phoyazar
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About Deep Tech

Stephen Shankland, who's covered the computing industry since 1998 and was a science reporter before that, here delves into a wide range of technology trends and offers hands-on tests. His particular interests include Web browsers, cameras, standards, research, science, and start-ups.

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