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Mozilla releases Firefox 3.0 beta 4

New test version includes more than 900 enhancements to stability, performance, and memory, the maker of the open-source browser says.

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The fourth beta of the Firefox 3.0 browser (download Firefox 3 beta 4 for Windows or Mac, (English-US) from Download.com) was released Monday and includes more than 900 enhancements over the previous beta, Mozilla announced.

The creator of the open-source browser said the new beta includes improvements to performance and memory usage, fixes for stability, and platform-specific enhancements. Some of the enhancements include a new download manager to make locating downloads easier; a full page zoom feature that allows you to zoom in and out of pages more easily; and integration for Vista, Mac OS X, and Linux that features platform-specific icons, buttons, and other user interface elements.

The current beta of Firefox 3.0, which is expected to get its final release later this year, is available for download now at Mozilla.com.

Firefox, which has been slowly chipping away at the lead held by Microsoft's Internet Explorer, recently announced that it had passed the 500 million download milestone.

Firefox accounted for more than 17 percent of all browsers used last month, while IE accounted for nearly 75 percent, according to research conducted by Net Applications, a Web measurement company. However, IE's share stood at more than 79 percent a year ago, and use has been dropping steadily over the past eight months, the company said.