14 DAY TRIAL // The first Firefox 6 builds have hit the Aurora channel so the most adventurous users can start testing the upcoming release. Firefox 6 Aurora introduces several new features, certainly more than Firefox 5, which is now in beta.
The big new feature for regular users is the Data Management Window which will enable them to have more control over websites permissions.
Web developers have a lot to love about Firefox 6, there is now a Web Developer menu with several new tools that should come in rather handy.
Firefox 6 Aurora comes after Firefox 5 hit the Beta channel. The stable Firefox 5 will be released about a month from now after which Firefox 6 should be upgraded to the Beta channel and Firefox 7, now in active development in the Nightly channel, will graduate to Aurora.
The Data Management Window makes its debut in Firefox 6 Aurora, the new tool will enable users to control the permissions of any website. Users can choose to allow or block websites from storing passwords, retrieving their location, setting cookies, creating offline storage and so on.
Custom settings can be set for each site, default settings can be either "allow," "block," and "always ask." The feature is still in testing, you can check it out by typing "about:permissions."
Another new feature in Firefox 6 Aurora is the possibility of checking add-on compatibility directly from the Add-on Manager.
There is also a new Web Developer menu item in the main Firefox menu. It contains all of the existing tools, but also adds several new ones.
The Scratchpad is one such new tool which enables devs to write JavaScript snippets from the browser to make it easier and faster to test small changes.
The Web Console can now be moved to the part of the window that suits your needs and can also be pulled out into its own window.
Firefox 6 Aurora and Firefox 5 Beta for Windows are available for download here. Firefox 6 Aurora and Firefox 5 Beta for Mac are available for download here. Firefox 6 Aurora and Firefox 5 Beta for Linux are available for download here.