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Firefox 6 final posts ahead of schedule

updated 02:45 pm EDT, Sat August 13, 2011

Firefox 6 finished, ready to download


Mozilla has preempted its own official launch with finished versions of Firefox 6 on its FTP server (Linux, Mac OS X, released on Tuesday but, as is becoming the case in Firefox releases, is already online to help coordinate the release. The interval between the FTP posting and the public debut may be to catch any last-minute bugs.

Many of the changes in Firefox 6 are security-focused and reflect Mozilla's new, Chrome-like focus on minor but quick releases over monolithic updates. It now has a permissions manager to more easily control what sites are allowed to track and highlights the root domain to help prevent phishing scams. Deeper HTML5 support, better plugin version checking, and a scratchpad to test small Javascript code segments in-browser are all part of the update.

Firefox 7 is expected to show as soon as six weeks from the release of version 6, with a beta arriving a few weeks before then. [via TechnoBolt]


By Electronista Staff

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security, software, Google, Firefox, mozilla, Linux, Chrome, HTML5

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Previous Comments

  1. snork

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2008

    +16
    08/13, 08:35pm | report spam | (1 reply) | reply

    I don't get the...

    ...this need to have full version numbers? Why can't these just be point releases? They're basically just security patches for kripes sake.


  1. noibs

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2007

    +1
    08/14, 10:27am | report spam | (1 reply) | reply

    Neither do I....

    Flash forward to 2012: Firefox version 27 to be released, with versions 28, 29, 30 following in the next several weeks. This is dumb and thumbs its nose at the generally accepted meaning of full integer releases vs. point releases. It also makes is difficult to judge "real" new releases from trivial releases. I want to stay compatible with a number of extensions I use and generally waited a while before installing full integer releases but always installed point releases immediately. I can't do that any more.


  1. SierraDragon

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Mar 2004

    +1
    08/14, 11:52am | report spam | reply

    Only numbers

    It is fine with me if the Mozilla folks find more frequent full version numbers to be appropriate. Maybe they do not consider the releases "trivial." Given the frequency of system attacks through browsers, "just security patches" may be quite important. Those who want to ignore upgrades can still do so, whatever the nomenclature.


  1. The Vicar

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2009

    -1
    08/14, 02:32pm | report spam | (1 reply) | reply

    Copy, Copy, Copy...

    Mozilla is so jealous of the way Chrome has captured the FOSS crowd's admiration that they want Firefox to be Chrome. First they changed the interface, now they're pushing up the version number. Next we'll see Firefox OS, a Linux variant which does nothing but run Firefox.

    By that time, the "rapid release" strategy will have reduced Firefox's marketshare to about 0.1% -- it's already falling dramatically among businesses because of the way they keep breaking plugins and their bad attitude towards business usage, but it hasn't yet had a chance to alienate home users. Give it time, though.


  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    +1
    08/15, 04:24pm | report spam | reply

    Re: Neither do I....

    This is dumb and thumbs its nose at the generally accepted meaning of full integer releases vs. point releases. It also makes is difficult to judge "real" new releases from trivial releases.

    Sorry, but Apple thumbed their own nose at that back in 2002 with 10.1, and all the way now through 10.7.

    And how many idiots have said over the years "WTF, Apple? $129 for a point release of an OS? That's ridiculous!". And Apple has done this with other products (like iTunes), changing the number to satisfy some marketing or concept push rather than just when a major change was made.

    I want to stay compatible with a number of extensions I use and generally waited a while before installing full integer releases but always installed point releases immediately. I can't do that any more.

    Why not?


  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    +1
    08/15, 04:28pm | report spam | reply

    Re: Copy, Copy, Copy...

    Mozilla is so jealous of the way Chrome has captured the FOSS crowd's admiration that they want Firefox to be Chrome.

    Yeah, that's it. It's jealousy. You do realize that Firefox is also FOSS, right?

    First they changed the interface, now they're pushing up the version number.

    Yeah, how dare they change the interface. Don't they know they should just insist on remaining exactly the same regardless of how people respond to the changes made by others? Listening to users is stupid!

    And they're pushing the release numbers for the same reason Google does their release numbers. Users (that's you all) don't want to wait a year+ for some new feature because some guy has a schedule that says "This is what the next release will contain".


  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    +1
    08/15, 04:32pm | report spam | reply

    Re: I don't get the...

    ...this need to have full version numbers? Why can't these just be point releases? They're basically just security patches for kripes sake.

    But they're not.

    Neither do I....

    This is dumb and thumbs its nose at the generally accepted meaning of full integer releases vs. point releases.

    It actually doesn't thumb it's nose, but instead keeps the accepted meaning. This isn't just a security patch. Those are released as updates. This adds several new features. By definition, even minor software updates should not be adding new features. Thus the need for a full version number.

    Heck, if they released this as 6.1, there'd be a whole other set of version number idiots yelling about how they're breaking the code of what version numbers mean and it should be a full point release.


  1. UmarOMC

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    +3
    08/16, 02:36pm | report spam | reply

    Why is any Firefox news...

    ...followed by a bunch of the SAME, SOPHOMORIC WASTE-OF-TIME COMPLAINTS about version numbering!?!?!? It CAN'T be news at this point!!! Do you people work for Apple or Google!? Are you getting paid for the anti-Firefox campaign? It's God damned useless- why don't you cry about it on your Facebook pages and leave the commentary area for people whom, I don't know, want to make posts regarding actual, comparative experience(s) with the software?

    Uh oh, Firefox news... and THERE'S the useless drivel about VERSION NUMBERING! IT'S OLD NEWS! Mozilla announced the faster development cycle MONTHS AGO!!! It's not anonymous posters- you have accounts, you READ tech news, WE. READ. TECH NEWS... try to break this worthless modus operandi when you run into news about Firefox!


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