ReferenceThe desktop Firefox 7.0, which runs on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux systems, also brings the following:
- Improved memory management: The JavaScript garbage collector works more frequently to free up memory and improve performance when you have many tabs open or keep Firefox running for a long time
- Azure Direct2D for Canvas: Helps Firefox speed up HTML5 Canvas-based animation rendering
- Web timing spec: Enables developers to measure page load time and site navigation so they can identify how to make website performance improvements
- CSS 3 Text-Overflow: ellipsis: Additional way for developers to display CSS 3 text that overflows the layout area
- Telemetry: Install this add-on and opt-in to report browser performance data and help improve future versions of Firefox
Firefox users who cannot wait to update the stable channel of the web browser from version 11 to 12, can download the new version from the official Mozilla ftp server or third party download sites early. Please note that while it is unlikely that the final version will get replaced in last minute, it has happened in the past. It is recommended to wait for the official release announcement if Firefox is running in a productive environment, or if you do not need to have access to the new feature set introduced in the browser right away.
The majority of features are only interesting for web developers and developers in general. Firefox 12 supports the CSS text-size-adjust property, and the outerHTML property. Developers can furthermore make use of the Style Editor for editing CSS, and the new Page Inspector 3D View which is available if the computer is compatible with WebGL.Firefox 11 furthermore supports the SPDY protocol for faster page loads, and XMLHttpRequest HTML parsing.The change log lists unresolved issues, among them some that have been noticed by some users in previous versions of the browser as well. This includes the slow scrolling in the Gmail window, or jerky scrolling and text input under certain conditions.It is not really necessary to update the browser right now, instead of waiting the three days before the official announcement is being made. It would be different if stability or security updates were included in the release.
Notes (First offered to release channel users on August 28, 2012) Check out "What’s New" and "Known Issues" for this version of Firefox below. As always, you’re encouraged to tell us what you think, or file a bug in Bugzilla.
If interested, please see the complete list of changes in this release. What’s New
- NEW Silent, background updates
- NEW Support for SPDY networking protocol v3
- NEW WebGL enhancements, including compressed textures for better performance
- NEW Localization in Maithili (see all available locales)
- CHANGED Optimized memory usage for add-ons
- DEVELOPER JavaScript debugger integrated into developer tools
- DEVELOPER New layout view added to Inspector
- DEVELOPER High precision event timer implemented
- DEVELOPER The CSS word-break property has been implemented.
- DEVELOPER New responsive design tool allows web developers to switch between desktop and mobile views of sites
- HTML5 Native support for the Opus audio codec added
- HTML5 The <audio> and <video> elements now support the played attribute
- HTML5 The <source> element now supports the media attribute
- FIXED Focus rings keep growing when repeatedly tabbing through elements (720987)
Known Issues
- Unresolved Debugger breakpoints do not catch on page reload (see 783393)
Unresolved on v15 Resolved in v16- Unresolved If you try to start Firefox using a locked profile, it will crash (see 573369)
- Unresolved For some users, scrolling in the main GMail window will be slower than usual (see 579260)
- Unresolved Windows: The use of Microsoft's System Restore functionality shortly after updating Firefox may prevent future updates (see 730285)
As the above say's Mozilla is ready for you to try the Metro version of Firefox:Today’s preview marks the beginning of Mozilla community testing for the Firefox Metro browser designed from the ground up for Windows 8.
Download:
The preview includes a new Metro style Firefox Start page, support for Firefox Sync, Metro touch and swipe gestures, integration with Windows 8 “charms”, and a simple but powerful Australis interface that is streamlined, modern, and beautiful. Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be adding more features, tightening up Windows integration, improving performance and responsiveness, and finishing up all the necessary work to deliver a first class Firefox experience for Windows 8.
This is an early preview and we know there are bugs and missing features, so please don’t hesitate to share your feedback and file any bugs you find. Stay tuned to this channel for further updates.
SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Mozilla has pulled Firefox 16 just hours after releasing it, citing security vulnerabilities.