14 DAY TRIAL // Mac OS X users worldwide can now download the latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox, an alternative to the built-in Safari web browser.
Firefox 4 Beta 8 is based on the Gecko 2.0 Web platform and is considered to be stable and safe to use for daily web browsing, though the features and content may change before the final product release, Mozilla claims.
Additionally, the add-ons you rely on with Firefox may or may not work as expected, as they may not yet have been tested by their authors to ensure that they are compatible with this release, the software company notes.
Those who wish to help test add-on compatibility can do so by installing the Add-on Compatibility Reporter. According to Mozilla, “your favorite Add-on author will appreciate it!”
“Check out what’s new, the known issues and frequently asked questions about the latest version of Firefox,” Mozilla states. “Please tell us what you think using the feedback tools provided as part of the beta. We appreciate your input!”
The official changelog reveals that the Firefox Sync setup experience has been greatly improved across both desktop and mobile devices.
Speed, functionality, and compatibility improvements have been implemented in WebGL, while Mozilla was also keen on further polishing up the Firefox Add-ons Manager.
As with every Firefox beta release, there are some yet-unaddressed issues to look out for.
On Mac OS X, the 32bit Microsoft Silverlight plugin fails to load when using a 64bit version of Firefox on Mac OS X 10.6, Mozilla notes. Sites that depend on the plugin (such as Netflix) will fail to work, the company says.
Also, Firefox 4 Beta 8 will not work on PowerPC-based Macs. The build does work on OS X 10.4 (Tiger) though, but only so long as the OS is running on Intel hardware.
In addition to these specs, this beta of Firefox also requires 128 MB of RAM (Recommended: 256 MB RAM or greater), and roughly 200 MB of hard drive space.
Note: This is a beta release of Mozilla’s Firefox web browser. Those who rely on Firefox to do important (work) stuff should avoid employing beta releases.