firefox 3.6

Mozilla has begun notifying Firefox 3.6 users that now is a good time to upgrade to Firefox 8.0.1--and to the browser's new fast-moving ethos.

The change had been planned for at least two other occasions in recent weeks, but Mozilla postponed it. And then yesterday, Mozilla flipped the switch so that when Firefox 3.6 checks with a server to find out if there's an update, it'll find the newest version of the browser.

"It's live, and users should see an update in the next 24 hours," said spokeswoman Erica Jostedt. … Read more

X-Firefox is a totally portable version of Firefox, Mozilla's popular open-source Web browser. Mozilla's core underpins many Firefox rivals, offering Firefox-like functionality with individual touches. But X-Firefox isn't a Firefox clone or wannabee; it's Firefox, the whole kit and caboodle, just rendered portable. It functions in nearly every way like the installed version of Firefox, only it runs from a different location, one that can be a USB drive or other external storage device. With X-Firefox, you can carry your personalized browser with you and run it on different machines without having to customize each Firefox … Read more

In this First Look video, take a tour of the tweaks debuting in Firefox 3.6. It's not all small potatoes, as Mozilla lays the foundation for Firefox's future. Users can expect to see native support for the new skinning tech called Personas, as well as further development of HTML5 support. Oh, and one more thing: Mozilla says that it should be about 20 percent faster than Firefox 3.5.

Firefox 3.6 is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Mozilla, determined to release Firefox 3.6 before year's end, is also determined to squeeze as many features as possible into the new browser.

The latest example: support for the File interface that adds more sophistication to uploading and some other chores.

Support for the feature is one of the 133 changes that arrived in Firefox 3.6 beta 4, which the Mozilla project released Thursday for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

The File API (application programming interface), a draft standard at the World Wide Web consortium, lets browsers handle files better. Among its abilities are uploading multiple files at … Read more

Those keen to try out Mozilla's latest browser--and its new process to update the software more frequently--now can try Firefox 3.6 beta 1 for Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Among the features in the new version, according to Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's director of Firefox, and Mozilla evangelist Chris Blizzard:

• Personas, which lets people customize the browser appearance. Personas has been available as an add-on, so there are plenty of Personas skins to choose from.

• Faster execution of Web-based JavaScript programs, better browser responsiveness, and faster startup time. Mozilla has been working on JavaScript performance for many months, … Read more

Mozilla hopes to classify the upcoming Firefox 3.6 as a minor update, a move that may sound inconsequential but that in fact might have significant repercussions with Firefox users and the speed the open-source browser is developed.

Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's director of Firefox, in a mailing list discussion that he'd like to call the new version a minor release "to quickly migrate our user base to Firefox 3.6." Minor releases in the past typically have been steps from, for example, 3.5.3 to 3.5.4, but Mozilla is trying to speed up … Read more

Yes, Nokia launched a new Netbook, and yes, Twitter fought the law and won. But it wasn't until the end of today's show that we finally get to the bottom of a long-running controversy: MP3s don't do what they promise. Jason and Brian explain why.

Nokia launches a Netbook http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10373747-1.html

Power of Twitter overturns court injunction http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8304908.stm

Latest on Sidekick outage — will some data … Read more