14 DAY TRIAL // Following the release of Firefox 4, Mozilla is moving to a more rapid release development cycle to deliver an overall better web browser to Mac, Windows, and Linux users alike.
A new beta version will soon be available with new features, performance enhancements, security updates and stability improvements. Why? Because Mozilla wants to upgrade users from Firefox 3.5 as the branch is getting discontinued.
“We need a plan to obsolete Firefox 3.5 as we can’t support it into perpetuity. We have been frustrated with our efforts to move users off of old releases and are worried too many people do not upgrade and are on vulnerable and unsupported versions of Firefox,” reads a post on the MozillaWiki site.
A new pre-release channel has been set up for those who aren’t shy of experimental Firefox builds before they reach Beta status.
Aurora, as the new channel has been dubbed, lets users “experience the newest innovations in an unstable environment that’s not for the faint of heart [and] provide feedback on features and performance to help determine what makes the final release,” Mozilla says.
Mac users can now visit the Aurora channel and download Firefox 5.0a2. The build is also available for Windows and Linux users.
Aurora hopes to make a change by giving users more opportunities to participate in building Firefox, Mozilla said in an April 13 blog post.
According to the software company, the launch of the Aurora channel is part of “a broader initiative to create channels which deliver features to users at various levels of quality and polish.”
Aurora is an alpha-grade channel where users get a glimpse at the latest features.
Aurora builds may, or may not be as stable as beta or final releases, Mozilla said, but “users can expect an increase in polish from the raw, cutting edge features in our nightly builds,” according to the company.