14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Server 2008 is not the only piece of software out there with a robot alter ego. The fact of the matter is that the evolution of the Firefox 3.0 throughout the Beta process is also marked by a robotic character. In case you failed to notice it, ever since the availability of the second beta for the next version of Firefox, Mozilla has provided a different graphic accompanying the growth of the open source browser. The sole beta version that makes an exception to this rule is the first. You will be able to find all the images integrated at the bottom of this article.
Mozilla made available Firefox 3.0 Beta 1 on November 19, 2007. Beta 1 was the ninth developer milestone of Firefox 3.0, a browser that by the end of 2007 should have already been wrapped up with, according to the initial plans. Beta 1 is also the single Beta that doesn't come with a personalized image. With the subsequent release of the open source browser this will change. Firefox 3.0 Beta 2 shipped on December 18, 2007.
It will take well over a month for Mozilla to make available the next Beta. The 11th developer milestone of Firefox 3.0 was released on February 12, 2008. But even at the stage of Beta 3, Firefox 3.0 had serious problems with stability, being affected by numerous and frequent crashes. On March 10, 2008, Firefox 3.0 Beta 4 made it to the testers and Mozilla even deemed the browser version ready for the general public. The most recent build of Firefox 3.0 Beta 5 is up for grabs since April 2, 2008. Mozilla continues to insist that the release is aimed exclusively at web content developers and designers, and is preparing to launch the final version of Firefox 3.0 in June 2008.
For the time being, Firefox 3.0 Beta 5 for Windows is available via this link. Firefox 3.0 Beta 5 for Linux is here. Firefox 3.0 Beta 5 for Mac OS X is here.
