Mozilla launches Firefox 3 Beta 4

Mozilla has launched an updated beta version of the next Firefox browser.

Firefox 3 Beta 4 is available to download immediately and includes more than 900 enhancements.

The creators of the open-source browser say that Beta 4 brings improvements in performance and memory usage.

Enhancements include a revamped download manager to make it easier to find downloaded files; a full-page zoom feature that lets you zoom in and out of pages; and integration for Vista, Mac OS X and Linux that features platform-specific icons, buttons and other user interface elements.

Mozilla is encouraging surfers to download Beta 4 and test it against the sites they would normally visit. Feedback about Beta 4 can be left on the Mozilla website.

"Web applications like Google Mail and Zoho Office run much faster, and continued improvements to memory usage drastically reduce the amount of memory consumed over long browsing sessions," said Mike Beltzner, Mozilla’s interface designer.

However, Mozilla has already announced that it plans to release a fifth beta version of Firefox 3 before launching the finished product as Beta 4 still has many bugs in it.

Firefox, which has been growing in popularity, recently announced that it had passed the 500 million download milestone.

The open source browser accounted for more than 17 per cent of the browser market last month, while Internet Explorer accounted for nearly 75 per cent, according to research conducted by Net Applications.

However, IE's share stood at more than 79 per cent a year ago and use has been dropping steadily over the past eight months, the company said.

www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html
www.feedback.mozilla.org
www.netapplications.com