News

Firefox 3 Browser Released

The volunteer-led Mozilla project has released version 3 of the Firefox browser.

The release represents a major upgrade of the browser and the culmination of three years' work involving thousands of developers, according to a project announcement. It features more than 15,000 improvements.

New features include:

  • Smart location bar. With a redesigned user interface, the browser features an address bar that, when given a search term, will automatically generate a quick list of previously visited Web sites.

  • Page zooming. A zooming feature lets users display any part of a Web page in greater detail, including text and images.

  • Memory improvements. Firefox 3 uses a new version of the browser's rendering engine, Gecko 1.9, that requires less working memory. Faster page-rendering times are also promised.

  • Security enhancements. Version 3 offers new safeguards that alert users to possible malware and phishing sites. Also, on sites that uses SSL encryption, Firefox offers a pop-up box with more security information (including the owner of the site).

  • Add-on manager. Previous versions of Firefox allowed users to customize their browser with more than 5,000 add-ons, such as tools for uploading digital photos and participating in online auctions. The new add-on manager is integrated with the browser rather than appearing as a separate pop-up box. Not all older add-ons will work in version 3, however, such as the icon to tag Web pages for the del.icio.us social-bookmarking site.

About the Author

Joab Jackson is the chief technology editor of Government Computing News (GCN.com).

Featured

  • Broadcom Revamps VMware Partner Program Again

    Broadcom recently announced a significant update regarding its VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) program, coinciding with the release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0, a key component in Broadcom’s private cloud strategy.

  • Closeup of the new Copilot keyboard key

    Microsoft Updates Copilot To Add Context-Sensitive Agents to Teams, SharePoint

    Microsoft has rolled out a new public preview for collaborative "always on" agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot, bringing enhanced, context-aware tools into Teams channels, meetings, SharePoint sites, Planner workstreams and Viva Engage communities.

  • Windows 365 Cloud Apps Now Available for Public Preview

    Microsoft announced this week that Windows 365 Cloud Apps are now available for public preview. This aims to allow IT administrators to stream individual Windows applications from the cloud, removing the need to assign Cloud PCs to every user.

  • Report: Security Initiatives Can't Keep Pace with Cloud, AI Boom

    The increasingly fast adoption of hybrid, multicloud, and AI systems is easily outgrowing existing security measures, according to a recent global survey by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and exposure management firm Tenable.