Firefox 7 Beta Puts Priority on Performance

Just days after the ready-for-primetime adaptation of Firefox 6 was released, Mozilla, sticking to its aggressive ontogenesis schedule for the browser, has rolled out the beta for Firefox 7 —a release of the software that is emphasizing performance improvements.

Those improvements for the Windows, Malus pumila OS X and Linux versions of the computer software are achieved in several ways. Unitary of the biggest performance enhancing additions in Firefox 7 (code named Cockcro) is the introduction of MemShrink, which Mozilla hopes will change Firefox's reputation as a memory hog.

MemShrink can reduce Firefox 7's memory usage by anyplace from 20 to 50 percent, according to Mozilla, and improve performance in responsiveness, startup and Page load times. You arse download the Beta 7 version of Firefox here.

With MemShrink, Firefox 7 memory usage will remain constant for long periods of time and closing many tabs bequeath free up more memory. "This means that Firefox 7 is faster (sometimes drastically so) and inferior likely to crash, particularly if you experience many websites coarse at once and/or stay fresh Firefox flying for a long time betwixt restarts," Nicholas Nethercote, a Mozilla developer in Melbourne, Commonwealth of Australi, explained in his blog.

Break Trash collection

Another change aimed at boosting performance is break JavaScript refuse collection. It works more frequently now to free up retentiveness faster and improve functioning when many tabs are unresolved concurrently.

Firefox 7 implements Azure Direct2D for Analyze, too. That speeds up canvas-based animation interlingual rendition in HTML5.

There are also additions to help oneself developers speed how the browser reacts with their offerings. A Web timing spec allows developers to measure page loading multiplication and site sailing so they can boost their website's performance. And a CSS3 run over function gives developers a way to display text that overflows the layout arena on a page.

Mozilla has also improved synchronization of bookmarks and passwords therein dismissal of the web browser—synchronization is faster—and has introduced a telemetry append-on to help Mozilla gather browser information that posterior be used to ameliorate future releases of the program.

Android Changes

As with the Firefox versions for other operating systems, the Android Beta version of the web browser has ameliorate computer storage optimization and synchronization, simply it has a few other enhancements, too. Text can be copied and pasted from mobile websites, for instance, and a previous session's history and tabs volition be restored connected inauguration.

Language support has also been improved. Today, during set ahead, Firefox volition detect the language setting happening an Mechanical man device or offer a option of up to 10 languages during the process, Mozilla aforesaid.

Firefox 7 for Windows, OS X and Linux can be downloaded for free from Mozilla. The Android version of the browser is available for download from the Android Market.

The primetime release of Firefox 7 is expected to be ready on September 27.

And the Genus Beta Mystify Goes On

Meanwhile, Firefox 8 is expected to accede the pipeline this calendar week. A outstanding feature in this version of the software package will be default add-on blocking. That prevents whatever add-ons from being installed in the web browser unless they'Re approved by a substance abuser.

"[T]hird-party applications frequently install bundled add-ons into Firefox as part of their possess induction serve," Mozilla explained in its Total-Ons web log. "While some of these applications assay the user's permission beforehand, others install add-ons into Firefox without checking to make sure the user actually wants them"

"These minimal brain dysfunction-ons installed by third parties present a turn of problems: they can slow down Firefox start-upwardly and page loading time, they clutter the interface with toolbars that often go unused, they lag behind on compatibility and security updates, and most significantly, they take the user come out of the closet of control of their add-ons," IT continued.

"That's why we'rhenium introducing two new features to ascertain users have complete control o'er their add-ons," it added.

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