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All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only

By | June 10, 2008, 12:12pm PDT

All systems are go for the market launch of Firefox 3 for Windows and Linux but Mozilla plans another minor release candidate for the Mac OSX version due to plug-in problems introduced by Apple’s 10.5.3 update.

That’s the word from Mozilla’s Firefox group, which held today what may be the final pre-release meeting for the much anticipated Firefox 3. Apparently, the Apple update causes the browser to hang. RC3 for Mac OSX  is being built and the update is expected to go live tomorrow, according to Mozilla.

It does not appear likely that the glitch will hold up the mid month launch of Firefox 3. The open source product is the second leading web browser on the market next to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer with roughly 18 percent market share.

“QA will re do tests on OSX builds,” according to meeting notes posted on the site today. “Windows and Linux RC2 builds will be copied over into RC3 folders.”

Overall, Firefox 3 is in good shape and will soon be released, said one of the project’s lead developers. The remaining 17 issues in the web browser update “are pretty well contained,” said Mozilla phenomenologist and lead developer Mike Beltzner. “We’re pretty confident we’ll have them all resolved by the end of the week.”

Last week, the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg said Firefox 3 has recaptured the performance title and gave the browser a solid review.

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Topics

Mozilla Firefox 3.0, Apple Macintosh, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Corp., Open Source Product, Web Browsers, Apple Mac OS X, Internet, Operating Systems, Software, Apple Mac OS, Paula Rooney

Paula Rooney is a Boston-based writer who has followed the tech industry for almost two decades.

Disclosure

Paula Rooney

Paula Rooney owns no stock in the companies that she covers. She holds a 401K that is managed by Morgan Stanley.

Biography

Paula Rooney

Paula Rooney has covered the software and technology industry for more than 20 years, starting with semiconductor design and mini-computer systems at EDN News and later focused on PC software companies including Microsoft, Lotus, Oracle, Red Hat, Novell and other open source and commercial software companies for CRN and PCWeek. She received a silver award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2005 for her profile on Linus Torvalds and edited and co-authored "Partnering With Microsoft," a book about Microsoft's channel published by CMP Publishing in 2004. Rooney graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1997. In her off time, she enjoys scuba diving, sailing, sun worshipping, running, reading, surfing (the net) and hanging out with her family. She resides on the shores of Scituate, Massachusetts.

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Re
ghost_ghost 17th Jun 2008
Thanks, I 'll give it a try !
happy
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0 Votes
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I already using it now
cruggeld 10th Jun 2008
Ubuntu maintainer already released an update that will upgrade all Firefox beta to final version
0 Votes
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I tried it and went back to ff 2.0
IceTheNet@... 11th Jun 2008
it was cool for a few minutes but a lot of the add-ons are not ready for 3. look before you leap. I also don't like the drop down address bar that caches your sites. It doesn't clear and the other day my friend was checking out where I was going while I was surfing. and that just wasn't cool. I hope in the future they make an add or remove feature for this. I like it but now the words are great big and everyone can see when you visited your favorite sites good or bad or very bad. and that just isn't cool.
0 Votes
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You can manually clear it
duchovny 11th Jun 2008
It's annoying but you could just click the pulldown menu scroll down to the sites you don't want to see listed there and press DELETE.

For the Most Visited button, click on the Most Visited, right-click on the item you don't want there and select Delete.

I'm sure at some point there will be a preference offering to clear those, but what it does. Or you go the paranoia route, go to Tools->Tools->Privacy and uncheck Keep My History, uncheck Remember what I downloaded, uncheck Remember what I entered in forms and search bar. Then go further to always clear everything when I close Firefox down at the bottom where it says Privacy Data.
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
asadotzler 10th Jun 2008
"The open source product is the second leading web browser on the market next to Microsoft???s Internet Explorer with almost 18 percent market share"

More than 18% according to Net Applications Market Share report. (18.4% to be precise.)

- A
0 Votes
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wow
exxtraz 10th Jun 2008
I didn't know 70% are still using horrible Internet ExpLoder! What happen to competition. I think Mozilla and Apple need to be more aggressive and take some more market share.
Firefox 3 will be great!
0 Votes
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
Steven Rosenberg 10th Jun 2008
So the build of FF in Ubuntu is the final, or is it still the release candidate?
0 Votes
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
Hotdoge3 10th Jun 2008
It's good some place's not work to good may only one in 1000 loot better than old,download help is very good you can stop & go & it pickup from ware left off
0 Votes
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RE:Firefox 3 launch; RC
Hotdoge3 10th Jun 2008
It's good some place's not work bad web to good may only one in 1000 loot better than old,download help is very good you can stop & go & it pickup from ware left off
0 Votes
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So looking forward to yet another browser
tonymcs@... 10th Jun 2008
I mean it's not as if you get a free one with Windows that actually works and looks better than all the FF incarnations. Oh that's right you do.

Nevermind all hands to reinventing the wheel.

Such an incredible waste of talent and time.
0 Votes
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The wheel had fallen off!
FreewheelinFrank 11th Jun 2008
Did you ever use IE6?

The wheel had fallen off the wagon. Even when it was on, it was made from rotten old wood, banded in rusty iron, squeaked atrociously and wobbled abysmally.

MS said 'The wagon still goes, doesn't it?'

Firefox came along with a cast alloy wheel with a pneumatic tyre and cassette bearings that actually goes in the direction it's pointed- for free.

That's the only reason Windows comes with a decent browser today.
0 Votes
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Works and looks better????
ccrashh2@... 11th Jun 2008
Really? IE7's GUI is garbage...nice address bar that takes up the full screen. Nice to shove a bunch of navigation buttons away from other navigation buttons. IE7's GUI looks like something made by retarded monkeys (no offense to the mentally handicapped and/or monkeys intended...I guess they need to be employed somewhere, I am just surprised it's at Microsoft).

As for working better...you are kidding, right?
0 Votes
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Couldn't agree more!
reibertg@... Updated - 11th Jun 2008
Yes, Microsoft's development of Internet Explorer was a waste of time and talent!
0 Votes
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I'd second that
balaknair 11th Jun 2008
if only MS would divert some money, time and resources away from their marketing services and instead spend of it on writing good code... but it looks like MS is sticking to what it knows best.
0 Votes
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Learn about history
fldbryan@... 11th Jun 2008
Someone seems to forget that IE wasn't the first browser offered for free.

Typical response from a MS Employee who likes slow, buggy apps, where javascript programmers have to rewrite code to run on IE's broken interpretor.
0 Votes
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Yes, learn about history.
sqr(cos(180)) 12th Jun 2008
But also remember it too. Remember that is order to be understood, we must first agree on what the word "is" really means.

Whoops, wrong rant! But seriously, how can IE's interpreter be broken if it works exactly as it was designed? If you design in adherence to the addiction of IE, then IE can never be broken. This is why if Firefox can't render a page that IE can render, I consider the Web site to be a virus factory! I get out of it as soon as I can and never return.
0 Votes
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This is competition in a free market
Uncle Caleb 11th Jun 2008
Whether you like FF or IE, this is the benefit of free market economics.

If Novell had not put so much into DR-DOS, we would probably still be running DOS 3.1 today.

Comptetition brought us the cheap Internet bandwidth we have today. Yes, I know that outside the USA gets more for less money.
0 Votes
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awesome, can't wait...I hardly ever use IE anymore
GeiselS@... 11th Jun 2008
I'm a huge Microsoft supporter and for years I've used IE without issue. But since IE7 was released I started using Firefox and everytime I use IE now I find it is just a matter of time before it locks up, hangs or crashes so I end up with firefox open.

Firefox is without a doubt a superior browser...now if I could just rid of the google crap that seems to keep popping up in it. I am looking forward to version 3.
0 Votes
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Google crap
balaknair 11th Jun 2008
I'm not sure what Google crap you're talking about, since I've never had any such issues in around 6 years using FF. The only possibility I can think about is you have Google toolbar installed(which can be uninstalled from Tools> Addons> Extensions).
0 Votes
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huh?
duchovny 11th Jun 2008
Are you talking about the Google toolbar? It sounds like you might have updated something else like Java and while updating you didn't uncheck "Install Google toolbar". Firefox doesn't have anything google on it but it's search bar in the top right corner and as someone said, you don't have to use it as your default search bar and it's easily removed.

Just be aware that Java, Flash and other plugin type software these days sometimes will "innocently" ask you if you want to also install (insert product here, openoffice, google toolbar, yahoo toolbar, etc.). You have to be diligent and read and not just quickly click the NEXT button because you are in a hurry.
0 Votes
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Sadly shipping with all the nsapi bugs still in it
Johnny Vegas 11th Jun 2008
I guess now that they've been completely googlized they just dont care about plugin developers at all anymore. Such a shame and a very sad fall to witness...
0 Votes
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by design, but...
Mitch 74 11th Jun 2008
...those will probably be sorted out by Firefox 4's release: Gecko 2's aim is to remove most of the crust left from Gecko 1's 10-years existence. they couldn't remove this stuff from nsapi due to backward compatibility reasons: major features can hardly be backed out from minor releases (Gecko 1.9 in Ff3), but that's a different matter with major releases.

No, going straight from Gecko 1.8 to 2.0 was not possible: there was too much work to be done on Gecko (1.8 came out in 2006) to keep it "as-is".
0 Votes
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
sirwriter 11th Jun 2008
I believe, as many others have said, that MS only moves when the cattle prod, being the competition, is used on their rear. I've been using PCs since Dos. I've seen MS do some nearly brilliant things, and some incredibly dumb ones. But then, everyone's in it for the $$$ and we all know MS does that best. I liked FF better when they were completely independent. They were more responsive to glitches and much more innovative in a timelier manner.
0 Votes
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If you don't like it, don't use it
esteckis@... 11th Jun 2008
I am just a home computer user. But ever since FF came out, I hardly ever used IE (because of the banking web sites). The add ons were a nice touch for customizing your web experience. As a FREEBIE, what are you griping about. Now I am using UBUNTU and FF3. I still have XP on my systems, but when the choice comes to booting up, 5 out of 6 times I choose UBUNTU and FF3.
0 Votes
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IE is free too...
CreepinJesus 11th Jun 2008
You all seem to forget this.
0 Votes
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LOL!
ejhonda 11th Jun 2008
Funniest post I've read all day...
0 Votes
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Free ?? Really ???
handy@... 11th Jun 2008
Last time I checked I paid around $200 for Vista to come with a "special" looking OS. That dosent sound free too me.
0 Votes
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updates only for new versions of Windows
Randalllind 11th Jun 2008
The upgrades are also $200+. That how they try to get people to upgrade.

Refuse to give xp uses new wmp and IE in hope you buy Vista.
0 Votes
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Right! Now if I could just find the download site for it ...
OButterball 11th Jun 2008
... for my openSUSE and Ubuntu machines ...
0 Votes
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
retiredgeezergeek 11th Jun 2008
So far, so good. Only minor problems and they have been taken care of. It is fast!
0 Votes
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
KingmanRoss 11th Jun 2008
It may be faster,which i love,but I will wait till all addons ie: zooms,image toolbar,fasterfox,1-click weather,download mgr tweaks n others are avail for Fox3.
0 Votes
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Not working for me
Ashtonian 11th Jun 2008
try lambwatch.co.uk knocks out FF 3.0 on all my systems. Anyone know where I can get version 2.0
Consequently I'm using IE but boy oh boy do I miss Flashblock.
0 Votes
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Works for me
bandersnatch42vt 11th Jun 2008
I'm currently using Firefox 3 RC2 and Lamb Watch works fine for me. Didn't see any lambs though. grin

Make sure you're running RC2 and the most recent Windows Media Player plugin (version 11).
0 Votes
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
richardmitnick 11th Jun 2008
The only tech writer who likes FF3 is Mossberg in the WSJ.
0 Votes
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The Max OS X Version really needs some lovin'
anogee 11th Jun 2008
Since the last ver. 2 versions, the Mac version has been sick, and up to the very last ver. 3 RC2, the problems have not been fixed. There are crashes, and the print function is almost always grayed out. A browser that can't print isn't very useful to me. Even when it does print, it does a poor job, and not a quarter as good as safari.
0 Votes
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
ghost_ghost 11th Jun 2008
I don't know about you, but I really prefer using Opera ! My opinion is that Opera is MUCH better than FireFox. Opera is just not so popular...

Personally, I have all the 3 browsers on my PC and my next favourite browser after Opera is ... InternetExplorer 7 with IEPro installed!

Firefox is too slow, too memory consuming and too ... Java-looking-style for me ...
On the other hand, IE7 crashes on my PC from times to times.

So, take my advice and try Opera !
Once you get used to Opera, you ll never use FireFox again !
0 Votes
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Obviously you haven't tried...
bandersnatch42vt Updated - 11th Jun 2008
...RC2 of Firefox 3. Aesthetic differences aside, the new browser is faster than either IE 7.0 or Opera and memory consumption is now well under control. I also have IE 7.0, Opera 9.5 (although not by much) and Firefox 3 RC2 installed on my PC (XP Pro SP3) and have been testing Firefox 3 trunk builds since the late alpha versions. It's definitely faster and the XPCOM memory recycler works like a charm.

What you said is very true for Firefox 2 and 1.5 but version 3.0 is a whole new ballgame. And although I'm a firm believer in "use whatever you prefer", I suggest you run some speed tests with Firefox 3 RC2 or the final when it hits the streets and see what you think then.
0 Votes
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re: Obviously you haven't tried...
TroyW 11th Jun 2008
Agreed, FF3 is a HUGE improvement over earlier versions and well worth a look!
0 Votes
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Re
ghost_ghost 17th Jun 2008
Thanks, I 'll give it a try !
happy
0 Votes
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Keep FF2 by installing FF2 to another directory
chaz15 11th Jun 2008
Reinstall FF2 to a separate directory, then install FF3 to default directory.

Some web sites not yet compatible with FF3 or do not save correctly with FF3.

This is a site issue, NOT FF3's fault.

You can then run FF2 or FF3. Remember too that FF3 saves history to a secure database, FF2 saves history as a file (may be an issue with a notating file system ie NTFS).

With either, if you are in a hurry, you can save FF2 or FF3 status and reload to present browsing sites by copying sessionstore.js from docs/settings/user/apps data/mozilla/firefox/profiles/default directory to another location and subsequently restoring to this location, and using ctrl alt del to close firefox process. On restart, your sites will be reloaded (at their current state of course). V useful!!!!

Hope they will include clearing the drop-down history URGENTLY!!!!
0 Votes
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RE: All systems are go for Firefox 3 launch; RC3 needed for Mac OSX only
CZ52_98@... 12th Jun 2008
Firefox iterations prior to three all crashed in use here. VERY unstable and unusable.

Firefox 3 beta is stable, fast and dependable.

I await plug-in fixes as it doesn't like many of my plug-ins

Yodar
0 Votes
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FYI: Unlike its predecessor, Firefox 3 doesn't like Livemarks
DeepFreeze3 16th Jun 2008
Firefox 3 has a problem with handling Livemarks (RSS feeds) if you have 25 or more of them, causing the browser to take up to 5 minutes to load up. The same thing happens multiple times during a browsing session. It never was like this with its predecessor, Firefox 2. And, amazingly, the bunch over at Mozilla couldn't give two f*cks about it! They were like "Use Google Reader, or some other 3rd party RSS reader!" I guess they could care less if their "upgrade" ends up being...anything but???!!! That's unbelievable to me!!!

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