Mozilla has unveiled the
third beta release of Firefox 3. The new release isn't quite complete and
bug-free, and it's aimed largely at developers and enthusiasts, but it
nonetheless gives a good idea of what's in store for the final Firefox 3.0
release. Firefox 3 Beta 3 introduces new user interfaces tailored to Windows
Vista, Windows XP, Linux, and Mac OS X. The browser features a different theme
for each operating system, attempting to mirror Internet Explorer 7 on Windows
and Safari on OS X. There's also a new download manager, improved plug-in and
add-on management, one-click site information, better malware protection,
fancier address bar auto-complete, and the promise of improved performance as
well as lower memory utilization. The folks at
Ars Technica have a quick walkthrough of the Beta 3 release here with some
screenshots to show how the browser looks in different OSes. Those interested in
taking Beta 3 for a spin can
download it from this page for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux in more than 30
languages. This being beta software, we suggest that users exercise caution.
Firefox 2 users should probably back up their
profile directory before installing Firefox 3 Beta 3.