14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla is crawling forward with the development of Firefox 3.1 Beta 3, as the browser version should, by all accounts, have already been available for download. While struggling to resolve the blockers preventing the release of the third Beta for codename Shiretoko, Mozilla is, at this point in time, no longer offering any estimates for the delivery of the development milestone. However, for users that are dying for a taste of Firefox 3.1 Beta 3, Mozilla is offering a pre-release build for download via its FTP servers
In parallel with Firefox, the company is also developing Fennec, namely the flavor of the open source Firefox browser tailored to mobile phones. Earlier this week, an Alpha release of Fennec became available for download. But, while being designed for mobile platforms, Mozilla is also serving versions of Fennec that install and run on desktop platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
“This alpha release is available for the OS2008 ('Maemo') software platforms that runs on the Nokia N810 Internet Tablets,” Mozilla revealed. “Don't have an N810? Don't worry, you can still experiment with Fennec, provide feedback, write add-ons, and get involved by installing a version of Fennec for your desktop PC: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The idea behind releasing the package for PCs is to give people who don't have a Nokia Internet Tablet the ability to localize, experiment and build add-ons. The desktop version of Fennec is not a supported product.”
Just as Microsoft is offering emulators of its Windows Mobile operating system for Windows, so Mozilla is making available desktop versions of Fennec, in an effort not only to attract developers, but also to simplify and streamline the development of add-ons for the browser. However, availability on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux also points to Fennec's expansion capabilities in terms of support, as the company needs to grow the mobile flavor of Firefox beyond N810.
Fennec for Windows is available for download here.