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Wednesday, July 12, 2006 12:18 PM PT Posted by Erik Larkin
Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Available for Download
Mozilla released Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 today. According to developer docs, all the new features for version 2.0 should be in this version. But it's by no means finished: Mozilla says you shouldn't expect your 1.x extensions and plugins to work properly, and there are certainly bugs. I had problems installing and running it on a computer with other beta software, for example.In a nutshell, if you've spent time customizing Firefox like I have, and you value a relatively bug-free browsing experience, you probably don't want to install this just yet. Like I mentioned, I installed it on a separate test computer so as to preserve my lovingly customized 1.5 installation.
If you do decide to become a beta tester, this version will install separately from version 1.5. So you'll have both at once - but installing 2.0 will likely muck with extensions installed in previous versions. Here's Mozilla's download page.
On to the new features! Right away, I noticed that there really wasn't much to notice. For the user interface, at least: This version looks very much like version 1.5. Changes are mostly under-the-hood.
Those changes are welcome, though. One new thing is that tabs get their own close button on each tab. There's also a new option to re-open a closed tab. Both features are part of one of my favorite current extensions, Tab Mix Plus.
RSS feed support gets an upgrade, too. When you bring up a feed in the browser, there's now a "Choose a Feed Reader" button that lets you choose between adding the feed as a Live Bookmark; to the Bloglines, iGoogle, or My Yahoo Web readers; or to a standalone feed reader. Once you select a reader the button defaults to adding the feed to that reader. You can change your preference in the Options menu.
And like the new IE 7, version 2.0 has anti-phishing. Amazingly enough, I don't have a phishing e-mail in my inbox right now to give me a link to test, so I can't tell you what the feature looks like. But it sounds like a basic blacklist feature, where you have the option of choosing to compare sites you visit against a locally stored list of known phishing sites or against one maintained by Google. You'll get a privacy notification pop-up if you choose Google that says the option will mean telling Google about all the sites you visit.
Bloggers should welcome a new spell-checker for text boxes. Incorrectly spelled words get a red underline; you can then right-click and choose from suggested spellings. Also, extension and theme management are now combined into one window, with a new option to disable extensions instead of just uninstalling them.
Here's a full list of changes from Mozilla's site:
* Built in Phishing Protection.
* Search suggestions now appear with search history in the search box for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com
* Changes to tabbed browsing behavior
* Ability to re-open accidentally closed tabs
* Better support for previewing and subscribing to web feeds
* Inline spell checking in text boxes
* Search plugin manager for removing and re-ordering search engines
* New microsummaries feature for bookmarks
* Automatic restoration of your browsing session if there is a crash
* New combined and improved Add-Ons manager for extensions and themes
* New Windows installer based on NullSoft Scriptable Install System
* Support for JavaScript 1.7
* Support for client-side session and persistent storage
* Extended search plugin format
* Updates to the extension system to provide enhanced security and to allow for easier localization of extensions
* Support for SVG text using svg:textPath
EDIT: Clarification for the oh-so-polite commenter below. Previous versions don't have a close button on each tab.
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It's fox-tastic!
"with a new option to disable extensions instead of just uninstalling them"
You have always been able to disable extensions if you right click on them...it just hasn't been displayed directly on the UI.
I believe he refers to the close buttons on the actual tabs themselves, which are not standard on firefox. It is possible to close a tab on standard Firefox only with an X icon to the far left of the tab bar, or by right-clicking.
You're downright caustic, aren't you, little troll? Grow up. Trolling the comments on PC World is kind of pathetic, as is your obvious lack of tact and education. And ending with "have a nice day"? Come on, at least try to troll with some subtlety if you're gonna inflict your emotional retardation on the world.
I found the article to be a scintillating look at the bleeding edge and beyond. I'm stunned by the color and depth with which you describe something so typically dull. You made this new version of the browser really come alive for me.
Great article, it's got me interested in beta testing it. Any idea though why firefox is kinda a memory hog compared to IE, and if there's anything they can do about it?
Mikey sure managed to make this comments section more interesting than most. haha
Yummmmmmm
Text box spell check.
Some of the new features sound good, but to me this article has failed to make any mention of a more important issue that I deal with using Firefox on a day to day basis. Something that the "genius" Poaq could have probably pointed out to give a little merit to his worthless rant.
Memory Leaks.
I installed version 1.5 in an attempt to escape the memory leaks of the prior version only to have it act the same way. I still use FireFox and will continue to use it. I'm just curious as to their memory usage in this new version. I suppose I'll have to bite the bullet and install it to see.
Thanks for the article. :)
Memory's a real issue for Firefox users - but I think it's more an issue with loaded extensions than with the base program. At work here I've got 15 extensions loaded, and Firefox is using 218mb of memory. Whereas at home I only have a couple loaded, and the memory footprint is much smaller.
I remember reading in the past about a known issue when two different extensions (sorry I don't recall exactly which two) caused a memory link when loaded together. Given the number of extensions out there, it's functionally impossible to do QA testing on all the different combinations. And of course the amount of QA testing can vary greatly for the extensions themselves. So it didn't surprise me to read about that particular bug/leak.
My post here was of course a quickie to let people know right away about the new beta and some of the new features. Memory usage is an important issue, though, and I'll spend some time looking at it for follow-up coverage.
By the by, speaking of extensions, the commenter above is right: you can disable extensions with a right-click in version 1.5. Only the button is new in 2.0. I stand corrected.
Erik,
Nice preview. Couple questions:
1. What customizations have you done to the 1.5 version?
2. Do you know if there have been memory-leak improvements in this new version?
--Bala
Here's a choice site if you're interested in Firefox memory usage: http://plugindoc.mozdev.org/faqs/memusage.html
It lists current fixes for the Gecko 1.8 branch of code, which I _believe_ is what's used for Firefox 2.0.
And my current set of extensions is:
Adblock
Adblock Filterset.G Updater
All-in-One Gestures
All-in-One Sidebar
Disable Targets For Downloads
Forecastfox
Google Browser Sync (new, and very very nice)
IE View
McAfee SiteAdvisor Firefox Extension
netcrafttoolbar
NoScript
PDF Download
Tab Mix Plus
Talkback (Included by default)
Update Notifier
Hope it improves on 1.5, which has been a disaster for me, constantly freezing up and then closing itself.
A appologize for my abrupt comment in the first post. I was trying to point out an in-accuracy in the article and appologize that I did not do it more tactfully. I believe that you interpreted my orginal statement incorrectly. If was refering to the sentence towards the end of the article that says: "Also, extension and theme management are now combined into one window, with a new option to disable extensions instead of just uninstalling them." This does not refer being able to close an individual tab, but rather the issue of being able to disable extentions. I am trying to point out that disabling an extention is not a new feature to Firefox. Try in your current 1.5.x version going to Tools->Extensions and then right click on an extension of your choice. One of the options there will be to disable that extension. Therefore, this is not a new feature, per-se, but rather simply an addition to the main Extension UI. This is not meant as an insult to the author. I think this is a great article covering the new features of FF 2.0. I simply wanted to point out this clarification for future readers. Once again sorry for the not-so-polite initial post.
I downloaded and installed the Firefox 2.0 Beta, but when I discovered that many of my favorite Themes and Extensions would not work with this version, I quickly did a Windows XP System Restore and got back to my old 1.5.0.4 version which works great. I will wait on the 2.0 version until it is released and the Themes and extensions that I want to use work with this version. This has happened on previous versions of Firefox and Thunderbird, so Users should be wary of installing these betas. I have never had any other program that caused these kind of problems.
If you use quite a few different extensions and themes, you might want to wait before installing Firefox 2.0 even after it has gotten out of Beta.
For the anonymous poster on disabling extensions: Don't worry, you're not the person I and others were referring to. That commenter's posts were removed, which does makes things a bit confusing.
And you're right about disabling extensions, as I mention in a comment above.
Larkin, you mention a mcafeesiteadvisor firefox extention. I searched the site and couldn't find one. where did you find it? Thanks!
rkin, you mention a mcafee site advisor firefox extention. I searched the site and couldn't find one. where did you find it? Thanks!
I removed Firefox 2.0 because it didn't work with some of my Themes and extensions, but I notice above that someone is having trouble with Firefox 1.5. I have had a number of previous versions of Firefox installed, and they have all be relatively problem free. I have 1.5.0.4 installed now. I also have a 3 gig hyperthreading Intel processor and 2 gig of fast DDR2 ram, and maybe that helps to prevent hangups. I also do a registry cleanup frequently, and use Diskeeper to do hard drive defrags on a regular basis.
Make sure your computer is properly maintained to help prevent hangups. I only have a couple of hangups a month now, and attribute that to keeping the computer cleaned up. Occasionally I have to do a restart which takes a few minutes, but it will come back working perfectly.
I have Windows XP Pro with all the latest updates from the Microsoft web site.
Re: Ffox 1.5+
I recently installed McAfee Site Advisor and it totally murdered Ffox. Couldn't get it (Ffox) to load, Add/Remove Programs would freeze my computer.
Finally discovered Ffox Safe Mode, managed to uninstall for Ffox, all returned to normal.
Appealed to McAfee, got the usual non-support.
Have others of you had this experience?
Re: Ffox 1.5+
I recently installed McAfee Site Advisor and it totally murdered Ffox. Couldn't get it (Ffox) to load, Add/Remove Programs would freeze my computer.
Finally discovered Ffox Safe Mode, managed to uninstall SiteAdvisor, all returned to normal.
Appealed to McAfee, got the usual non-support.
Have others of you had this experience?
help, can I have firefox and Internet Xplorer and choose which one to use?
thanks
I use both FF andIE and have both running at the same time on occations. There is no trick to it, just open the other one when you want to use it.
Also use the IE view extension alot. Especially when I want to view a video or such on msn.
RE: For using both FF and IE.
The IE Tab extension works great - I like it better than IE View since it runs IE in a tab.
RE: For using both FF and IE.
The IE Tab extension works great - I like it better than IE View since it runs IE in a tab.
Version 2.0 beta 1.
The inbuilt spell checker is great. I managed to get the en-NZ dictionary to work after I found the download (in wrong folder) and moved it. Then I did about:config, searched for dict then edited the en-US field to en-NZ