14 DAY TRIAL // Firefox 3.0.9 is available for download, with Mozilla hard at work to wrap up Firefox 3.5 Beta 4. On April 21, 2009, Mozilla delivered the latest security and stability update for Firefox 3.0. In this regard, the latest refresh to the open-source browser resolves an issue where Firefox would lose its stored cookies due to a corrupt local database. At the same time, users will be able to now see inline image attachments in emails. Additional issues fixed involve increasing performance when submitting large forms and a problem related to new windows failing to properly come into focus.
“We strongly recommend that all Firefox users upgrade to this latest release. If you already have Firefox 3, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the Help menu,” revealed Samuel Sidler, Quality Assurance engineer at Mozilla. “If you’re still using Firefox 2.0.0.x, this version is no longer supported and contains known security vulnerabilities. Please upgrade to Firefox 3.”
At the same time, Firefox 3.0.9 brings to the table patches for no less than nine critical vulnerabilities. Still, out of the whole nine, only one flaw was rated as Critical, in relation to crashes associated with memory corruption. Two out of the remaining vulnerabilities are considered as posing a High level of risk to end users, with another two just Moderate, and the rest being Low-level threats.
According to Mozilla, Firefox 3.5 Beta 4, the successor of Firefox 3.1 Beta 3, is scheduled to drop by the end of this week. On April 24, 2009, Mozilla has planned a test day for Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 and, in this regard, the next iteration of codename Shiretoko could be made available over the weekend. “Late in the week of April 20” is the only official deadline provided.
The initial announcement from Mozilla was that “we have 69 locales participating in beta 4. The number is huge, but it was the effort and patience from our localizers that was most impressive,” explained Seth Bindernagel, director of the Mozilla Localization team. “In the end 70 of our 71 localizations made it into the beta process, making this our most successful localized beta ever.”
According to Mozilla, at this point in time there are still seven blockers preventing the signing-off of Firefox 3.5 Beta 4. Testers can get the latest nightly build of Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 here.
Firefox 3.0.9 for Windows is available here.
Firefox 3.0.9 for Linux is available here.
Firefox 3.0.9 for Mac OS X is available here.