A test version of a new Firefox browser is now available. New features include improved pop-up advertisement blocking and faster back and forward Web navigation features, and added support for Mac OS X.
Firefox 1.5 Release Candidate 1, which came out earlier this week, is a preview of the upcoming version of the browser. The final release is expected later this year, following several delays.
The new release comes at a time when the Firefox browser is gaining more share of the browser market, and thereby proving its mettle against Microsoft Corp. and other deep-pocketed competitors and their proprietary Internet browsers.
It has been made available for testing purposes only, with no end-user support. If that sounds scary, you would probably be better off with the latest version of Firefox 1.0, according to a statement on the Mozilla Foundation Firefox Project’s Web site. The Mozilla Foundation assists in the development of the open-source browser.
The test release includes automated updates and more prominent notice of an available update. In addition, the test release is designed to speed navigation via changes to its back and forward buttons.
Security features include enhancements designed to improve pop-up blocking, as well as the ability to quickly remove personal data through a keyboard shortcut or menu item. Increased support for Mac OS X versions 10.2 or greater includes profile migration from Safari and Mac Internet Explorer.
OneStat.com, a Web traffic analyst, reported that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser is still the most popular of all, with a commanding 85 percent share of global Internet usage. But that percentage is down slightly, about 1 percent, from April. Meanwhile, Mozilla Firefox’s share is 11.51 percent, up about 3 percent from April, OneStat reports.
The global usage share of Mozilla’s browsers is still growing, and it seems that Netscape users and some Internet Explorer users are switching to the Firefox version, the firm reported.
Firefox has been rapidly gaining on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, with the popular open-source browser receiving its 100th million downloads several weeks ago–just short of its anniversary.