Second Firefox 3.1 beta due 'very shortly'
Update 6:15 p.m. PST: An earlier version of this story said the second beta version of Firefox 3.1 would likely be the last. Firefox is planning a third beta version. Also, added a comment from Paul Rouget about when the second beta version will likely be released.
The second beta version of Firefox 3.1 is "due out very shortly," Mozilla programmer Ben Turner said Thursday.
One big change in the 3.1b2 is the addition of "Web workers," a feature that lets the browser process tasks in the background. That feature, part of the still-evolving HTML 5 specification, adds another level of sophistication for programmers writing Web applications and gives multicore computers a better way to use their processors' abilities.
"We've been hard at work with folks from Google, Apple, and others to get this new spec nailed down," Turner said of the Web workers work.
Google and Apple also build their own browsers, as does market-leading Microsoft and ever-scrappy Opera. With the browser wars back in full force, those organizations are racing to outdo each other on features and performance.
He gave one illustration of Web workers in action running a JavaScript program that emulates a decades-old processor design, the 8080. One thread emulates the processor in the background while another handles user interaction such as checking for typing on the keyboard.
In a post on the Mozilla Add-ons Blog, Paul Rouget said: "Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 will likely be released the first week of December." He added: "We have added a Beta 3 to our schedule."
Stephen Shankland covers Google, Yahoo, search, online advertising, portals, digital photography, and related subjects. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered servers, supercomputing, open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen.
No script and ad-block are a must for web browsing. As is a customizable menu-bar. My Firefox only uses 1 row for navigation, address, search-box, etc. Also, the default function of the address bar in IE SUCKS! If I type "google" and hit enter, take me to http://www.google.com damn it, not crappy live-search results for google!
I have never use a chrome and i dont think i will do that till i see the final version of IE i think chrome can be a good alternative. But firefox well i used it and i dont like it. It does not display pages faster. i like opera its kool. i dont need widget or plugin i browse almost normaly so i dont need any addon. By the way IE has loads of addons and i only choose to install cooliris.
Almost all browsers are based on the original Mozilla code from Netscape. Microsoft copied it and used it in IE.
Anti-monopoly rulings have proven to be correct, the innovation coming from Opera/google/firefox/camino etc prove that the user deserves a better experience and also judge for themselves the best software - not the OS.
The IE hostility is thick here. I have all three (IE, Chrome, and Firefox), and Firefox and IE are the only serious contenders. I checked out Opera and Safari, too. The are not ready. Nor is Chrome. IE is the best, but you already know that. What browser are you using to read this?
IE8. Seriously; MSFT may be many bad things, but it did invent the way we interact with the world through computers. Give Gates his due.
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by cyberdesingnz16
December 22, 2008 12:05 AM PST
- the new version of fire fox 3.1 beta2 has the addition of new feature for web workers that lets the browser process tasks in the background. That feature, part of the still-evolving HTML 5 specification, its is very good feature you can get more feedback from this.
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