14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla is preparing to offer early adopters a second Firefox 7 Beta release for testing. In this regard, a preview Build of Firefox 7.0b2 is available for download from the browser vendor’s FTP servers. Testers that go ahead and grab Firefox 7.0b2-candidates need to understand that this is not the fully fledged Beta release, but rather a preview.
I’ll make sure to provide an update when Firefox 7 Beta Refresh 2 becomes available for download, so keep your eyes on this space.
End users should be aware of the fact that Firefox 7 is in Beta development stage at this point in time, and as such, not yet ready for everyday browsing. Instead, Firefox 7 Beta should only be deployed in testing environments.
As I mentioned before, Mozilla is no longer numbering the Beta releases of its open source browser, and thus this upcoming Beta Channel update should not be labeled Firefox 7 Beta 2.
Instead, the Build is an update to the existing Beta, of a Firefox 7 Beta Refresh if you will. The numerical designation is just to help early adopters keep track of the refreshes that Mozilla offers.
There’s no telling just when the browser vendor will officially launch Firefox 7 Beta Refresh 2, but it should not be too long. My bet is that testers will get the bits sometime by the end of this week.
Beta is the last development stage ahead of release for Firefox 7. If all goes well, the plan is for Firefox 7 Final to be offered to end users in late September 2011, approximately a month from now.
As Mozilla wraps up Firefox 7, Firefox 8 Beta will become available for download, and so will Firefox 9 Aurora, both versions being planned for release by the end of 2011.
Firefox 7 Beta and Firefox 6 for Windows are available for download here. Firefox 7 Beta and Firefox 6 for Linux are available for download here. Firefox 7 Beta and Firefox 6 for Mac are available for download here.