14 DAY TRIAL // Firefox 4 has reached 'Final' status. Although its authors are yet to make the proper introductions, fans of the open source web browser are downloading the most stable build of Firefox 4 from Mozilla’s FTP servers as you are reading these lines.
Firefox 4 sports, among many enhancements, an adjusted tab location which gives them top visual priority for more efficient and intuitive browsing, according to Mozilla.
The updated interface applies to platforms, including Mac OS X.
[admark=1]Users now have the ability to synchronize their settings, passwords, bookmarks, history, open tabs and other alterations across a flurry of devices that support Firefox.
In Firefox 4, it’s easier to organize tabs via intuitive drag and drop functions. These can be arranged in manageable groups that can even be assigned a name.
Easier ways to manage add-ons and to discover new options for personalizing your browsing are also implemented in Firefox 4.
Best of all, “Firefox 4 contains huge performance enhancements, including our brand new JägerMonkey JavaScript engine,” according to Mozilla.
“From faster start up times and graphics rendering to improved page load speed, you'll notice the difference instantly,” the developers claim.
Other under-the-hood enhancements include:
· WebM and HD Video support; · WebGL support for 3D graphics, “opening the door for developers to create vivid games and new kinds of visualizations and experiences for the Web”; · fast scrolling on complex web pages; · integrated Form features like list attributes and HTML5 validation; · full hardware acceleration; · a new HTML5 parser and full support for web video, audio, drag & drop, and file handling · crash protection (uninterrupted browsing when there is a crash in the Adobe Flash, Apple QuickTime or Microsoft Silverlight plugins).
The latter addition should do well to reduce some of the frustration experienced by Mac owners using Mozilla’s Firefox to visit content-rich web sites. Mozilla Firefox 4 works with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and requires a Macintosh computer with an Intel x86 processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 200 MB hard drive space.