14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla has confirmed that the first Release Candidate builds of Firefox 3.0 Beta 3 are now available for download. In this manner, Mozilla is making yet another step further towards the delivery of the next generation of its open source browser. Firefox 3.0 is designed to replace Firefox 2.x, which was released back in October 2006, on the heels of Internet Explorer 7. Although it was initially planned for RTM and availability by the end of 2007, quality concerns have prolonged the development process for Firefox 3.0 into 2008. At this point in time, Mozilla has failed to indicate when the Firefox 3.0 will be finalized.
"The process of building and testing builds which will become Firefox 3 Beta 3 began on Monday at 7:20pm PST when development handed over control to the build team for branching and tagging. Things are moving along well, and release candidates are now being tested by the Quality Assurance team. Anyone who wishes to participate in this effort can join the Firefox 3 Beta 3 Test Day this Friday, February 8th. While we appreciate the attention and devotion of our users, we ask them to wait until we have completed testing. If all goes well during the testing, Firefox 3 Beta 3 will be released on February 12th in the evening, Pacific Standard Time," Mozilla revealed.
Firefox 3.0 Beta 3 Release Candidate is only available for download via Mozilla FTP. But since the full Beta of the browser will drop on February 12, the company indicated that it would be better to skip the RC builds altogether, as they were designed for testing and the final touches. But at the same time, Mozilla has made available for download a security and stability update for Firefox 2.0. Firefox 2.0.0.12 is designed to resolve a total of 10 security vulnerabilities in the browser three of which labeled with a maximum severity rating of Critical, one High and three moderate.
"As part of Mozilla Corporation's ongoing stability and security update process, Firefox 2.0.0.12 is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux for free download. We strongly recommend that all Firefox users upgrade to this latest release. If you already have Firefox 2.x, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting 'Check for Updates?' from the Help menu," Mozilla added.
Firefox 3.0 Beta 2 / 2.0.0.12 can be downloaded via this link.