14 DAY TRIAL // With Firefox 4.0 already released, Mozilla is working on future of its open source browser. As far as new major iterations of Firefox are concerned, users can expect Firefox 5.0 to be offered to them in mid-2011.
However, there will also be other releases of the open source browser ahead of v5.0, and one of them is Macaw.
Firefox 4.0 Macaw is part of the normal evolution of the browser, and essentially refers to an update for the successor of Firefox 3.6. The current plan is to release Firefox 4.0 Macaw on April 26th, 2011.
According to Mozilla: “Firefox 4 Macaw is a regular security and stability update to Firefox 4.”
Softpedia readers might remember that I have already told them about Macaw back in March 2011.
Almost a month ago, Christian Legnitto, Firefox release manager was talking about two possible post-Firefox 4.0 releases, namely Macaw and Anteater.
As Mozilla put it: “Anteater was a name reserved for a quick-turnaround update if problems were found with Firefox 4).”
And it appears that the open source browser vendor will go straight to Macaw, which is bound to be Firefox 4.0.1, or something of the sorts.
“While working on Macaw, if a bad security issue comes up we would create an update with a name relating to the rainforest starting with B up to M. Because the name Macaw is independent of the version it will eventually ship as all the issues above are mitigated,” Mozilla explained.
“If we were doing point releases for Firefox 5, the codenames would have a different theme (such as colors, city names, etc) and would be organized alphabetically over time as well.”
Firefox 5.0 is planned as the first of many forthcoming releases which will be provided by Mozilla until the end of 2011. In fact, if all goes well, Firefox 6.0 and Firefox 7.0 will also be wrapped up and offered to testers later this year.
Firefox 4.0 Final for Windows is available for download here.
Firefox 4.0 Final for Linux is available for download here.
Firefox 4.0 Final for Mac is available for download here.