Firefox 2.0 to make its debut

Mozilla will today launch Firefox 2.0, the updated version of its browser software.

There was confusion yesterday as the release was apparently accidentally posted on the Mozilla.org website. It was withdrawn and will now reportedly be released on Tuesday 24 October at 1700 PST (0100 BST 25 October).

Hot on the heels of the launch of Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2.0 presents the biggest challenge to the software giant's domination of this market.

Figures from NetApplications suggest that Microsoft is losing ground in the browser battle. The company said that Microsoft's share of the market had slipped from 84.4 per cent in June to 82.1 per cent in September.

However, Microsoft is still very much in the box seat, and even security company Secunia's claim that it had found a flaw in IE7 just hours after its release shouldn't affect it too badly. Microsoft was quick to point out that the flaw actually lay within Outlook Express in any case.

However, Firefox's popularity shouldn't be underestimated and has much to do with its open-source ethos. The Mozilla Project was launched in 1998 by Netscape to "preserve choice and promote innovation on the internet," according to Mozilla's website.

"The Mozilla Foundation was incorporated as a California not-for-profit corporation to ensure that the Mozilla project continues to exist beyond the participation of individual volunteers... in open-source software projects," it continues.

Firefox 2.0 offers a host of new features including built-in phishing protection, spell-checking, and support for JavaScript 1.7. Mozilla sent out three release candidates over the last three weeks to iron out all the bugs and glitches in the program and will be hoping no flaws are found early enough to overshadow the launch.

http://getfirefox.com

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