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Mozilla Firefox 3.6 Now Available

Jan. 21, 2010 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

Just a heads-up that Mozilla has shipped Firefox 3.6, the next version of its web browser.

Mozilla, a public-benefit organization dedicated to promoting choice and innovation on the Web, today released Firefox® 3.6, an update to its popular, free and open source Web browser. The latest version of Firefox introduces cutting-edge features, support for a wide variety of Web standards, and access to more than 6,000 free add-ons that allow users to customize their browser to their liking.

Firefox 3.6 is more than 20 percent faster than Firefox 3.5 and includes extensive under the hood work to improve performance for everyday Web tasks such as email, uploading photos, social networking, and more. It also delivers new features like customizable browser themes called Personas, a ground-breaking Plugin updater, improved JavaScript performance, and enhancements to familiar favorites like the Awesome Bar for a better, more personal Web experience.

Firefox 3.6 was built by Mozilla’s global community of passionate contributors, including thousands of experienced developers, security experts, localization and support communities, and hundreds of thousands of active testers. More than 350 million users worldwide enjoy Firefox’s fast, secure browsing experience and unparalleled customization.

What’s new in Firefox 3.6:

Below are some of the coolest features of Firefox 3.6:

Personas: Personalize the look of your Firefox by selecting new themes called Personas in a single click and without a restart
Plugin Updater: To keep you safe from potential security vulnerabilities, Firefox will now detect out of date plugins
Stability improvements: Firefox 3.6 significantly decreased crashes caused by third party software – all without sacrificing our extensibility in any way
Form Complete: When filling out an online form, Firefox suggests information for fields based on your common answers in similar field
Performance: Improved JavaScript performance, overall browser responsiveness, and startup time
Open Video and Audio: With the world’s best implementation of HTML 5 audio and video support, now video can be displayed full screen and supports poster frames

What’s New Under the Hood for Developers

Support for the latest HTML5 specification, including the File API for local file handling
Font Support: In addition to OpenType and TrueType fonts, 3.6 now supports the new Web Open Font Format (WOFF)
CSS gradients: Supports linear and radial CSS gradients which allow for a smoother transition between colors
Device orientation: Firefox 3.6 exposes the orientation of the laptop or device to Web pages

How to get Mozilla Firefox 3.6:

Firefox 3.6 is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux in more than 70 languages – more platforms and languages than any other browser! You can download Firefox 3.6 at www.firefox.com.

Discuss this Article 40

rr0de74@live.com
on Jan 21, 2010
OT: "I don't see the allure of the Mac at all, given its expense and lack of meaningful advantages over PCs." Really I wonder at Google if those Mac users felt the Chinese IE exploit pain that their Windows using co-worker felt? I am thinking not. I know personally of people over the holiday buying season that chose Mac's because of malware problems alone. A fully patched, fully protected (anti-whatever) Windows 7 box can be taken down by 1 single click from a user. The same could be said of a Mac, but right now those exploits just dont exist on OS X. I would NEVER log into my financial institution with a Windows machine.
rr0de74@live.com
on Jan 21, 2010
"and Apple's cheapest Mac portable selling for $1000 (well, really $1200: That $1000 computer is essentially last year's model)," http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook?aid=AIC-NA... Checking the date on my Windows VDI at work........1/21/10 and I still see $999 on that link???
rr0de74@live.com
on Jan 21, 2010
"When Apple disappoints, as they did by not shipping a tablet in 2009, the rumors simply adjust to accommodate the company, with Apple's fans getting more and more excited over time." Or they did it by design. Dropping a tablet now after the holiday rush, and after CES, only promotes more hype/media coverage and provides the tablet with undivided attention. I mean the Winsupersite wrote a whole piece on it.
daveinla
on Jan 21, 2010
Using it right now @ work. Can't wait to install it on my Macbook tonight !
Logjamming
on Jan 21, 2010
Buggy Snow Leopard? At least it installs beyond 62%, at least it's based on UNIX instead of the Windows .dll hell and the registery and the cheapest laptop is not 1200 dollars. Oh, and the notebooks you mentioned are filled with cheap hardware and ancient processors. Microsoft is the McDonald's of the software business: cheap, all over the place and it only sells because it's cheap and stuffed down your throat at every corner. Did you get your Steve Ballmer-paycheck yet? I'm sure Steve wouldn't want to make such a nutthead remark like he did about the iPhone. You know, the phone that revolutionized the mobile phone industry. This boils down to one thing, and one thing only: Jealously, jealously, jealously, jealously, jealously, jealously.
gfryesc1
on Jan 21, 2010
paul wrote [apparently in seriousness]: But hey, I'm the normal one here. Whatever Apple does announce, you can be sure that the result will be another lemming trail leading up to the local Apple Store. no paul, you're the idiot that has to stop in every apple store he comes across and lined up at one at midnight to get his 3G. Thy name is lemming. but hey, why are you even writing apple stories anyway? I came here for echo chamber Win shilling.
Keleko
on Jan 21, 2010
Netbooks being the fastest growing market is bad for the overall PC market. They have the slimmest of margins and the worst reliability. So PC makers are losing money by not selling more expensive computers. End users are losing because they're getting crap that dies in about a year, which they throw away and replace. And the netbook is not just last year's computer, but last decade's. They barely run XP, so they're equivalent to PCs that came out in 2001 when XP came out. (At least a netbook is far more portable.) Be careful about calling Apple fans lemmings. There are far more lemmings for MS because they keep buying Windows and Office (although they at least showed some smarts and mostly avoided Vista).
Grannyville
on Jan 21, 2010
I'm happy sticking with IE8 and Safari 4 on my computers :-)
redunion1940
on Jan 21, 2010
Wow Firefox is releasing a tablet and they don't make anything under $1000 wow, um hey guys get back on track, your feathers got really stirred I am going to laugh like crazy when this tablet doesn't get released, hahaha, wow some interesting people. Any ways I will check out this Fire Fox update, though IE has everything I need and I am smart enough to keep it in protected mode so nope don't need to worry about that exploit unlike IE6 users, seriously IE6
redunion1940
on Jan 21, 2010
Also about this exploit doesn't Google have its own web browser GChrome, guess they don't trust it enough and went with IE instead, ha interesting.
rr0de74@live.com
on Jan 21, 2010
IE8 was patched as well today for that exploit. http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10439004-245.html?tag=newsEditorsPicks... IE6 was the target because it has the most market share among IE versions.
resplendent
on Jan 21, 2010
The lack of jumplist support is fairly obnoxious.
gfryesc1
on Jan 21, 2010
no redunion1940 it wasn't the topic but when Paul offers comments on his intentional hand grenade articles then I'll respond on those. Until then I'm just exhibiting the same freedom paul enjoys, the freedom to say incendiary things about anything I feel. He'd just rather not get called out when he calls out others.
tayme
on Jan 21, 2010
@Logjamming and gfryesc1 - You guys should collaborate and start your own blog. When you do, post a link here to see how many hits it will get you. I'll wait patiently for that link to show up. To help you get started, here is a link to WordPress - http://wordpress.com/. You can sign up for a free account. --tayme
rr0de74@live.com
on Jan 21, 2010
@tayme always telling other what to do on this blog. How has that worked for you? Gfryesc1 is right. If I could post against his main page articles I would. He often does most of his Apple bashing on the main page. He often gets many things wrong, see my comments about pricing above. His Snow Leopard review was a perfect example is incorrect data and massive slant/bias that no one could directly reply too.
gfryesc1
on Jan 21, 2010
tayme, thanks for the tip but really, couldn't david pogue and mossberg have said the same thing about thurrott? he ankle bites them, I ankle bite him and now you're ankle biting me. There's really no difference. But sure, I'll return you back to your regularly scheduled echo chamber. For some reason that's what you're after.
tayme
on Jan 21, 2010
@rr0de74 - I don't recall telling anybody here "what to do"...how old are you anyway, 14? That is the type of response that one would expect from a spoiled teenager! By the way...you guys do know about Paul's other site, right? He posts many of the "main page articles" there and there is a comments section. Not all of them are there, but the one being commented on today is. I'll let you find it; that way, you don't feel like I am telling you what to do. I don't want you to get all upset and piss yourself! --tayme
Backup77
on Jan 21, 2010
Back on topic. I have already updated to 3.6 and it runs nicely, feels quicker and plenty of configuration options. Highly recommended.
lotsamystuff
on Jan 21, 2010
As usual, Paul's behind the curve on his Apple Tablet story: http://www.crazyapplerumors.com/?p=1162
rr0de74@live.com
on Jan 21, 2010
You did not just tell those two to start their own blog? Maybe I should get EricoF33 to translate for me? 80% of your posts are about other peoples posts and not about any kind of subject matter, on or off topic. I am 83, I wrote Windows 286 my self. I knew your mother when we were on the 1948 Olympic rowing team together. Your avatar is what I would expect from an 8th grader.
tayme
on Jan 21, 2010
@rr0de74 - Nope...it was merely a suggestion to them. Note the use of the word "should" in my sentence. But that was a nice attempt. I look forward to reading your next attempt after you get out of school tomorrow. Wait...you could be right. I did "tell" them to post a link to said blog here...I should have asked nicer, I guess. Sorry for being so rude and mean. This blog and Paul's other sites used to be a good spot to come for information, now it is just a flame war site. I am just as guilty as the rest. Paul - I know that you have tried to moderate it in the past, so maybe it would be best to just kill off the comments sections. --tayme
tayme
on Jan 21, 2010
@"lotsamystuff" - That one is actually funny! Imagine how the iCabal would react to such an announcement. --tayme
Logjamming
on Jan 21, 2010
@ tayme What information? You mean the information about - Snow Leopard being buggy (false) - Cheapest Apple laptop being 1200 dollars (false) Or the disinformation about - IE being officially advised NOT to use by governments And that's just the past two days. But perhaps you should continue down the path of 'when you finish school' and 'spoiled teenager' to mask your own ignorance. Which is blatantly obvious if you call Paul's blog 'information'. It's not information. People don't come here to get informed; they come to get amused by a blogging clown who is payed by Microsoft. The only thing sillier than Paul was the Windows 7 launch party. -
derekpress
on Jan 21, 2010
God d*mn you guys need to get a life. I just upgraded, not noticing much difference. Still no Windows 7 integration, still using too much RAM, IETab doesn't work. Ooh but the spell check squigley line is now more squigley. I installed the new Opera beta last night and quite like it but no Foxmarks and no good adblocking is enough to keep me on Firefox. I just really wish they would do the tabs-as-windows thing sooner rather than later.
DRWAM
on Jan 21, 2010
Personally, I'm really getting tired of reading about the Apple tablet and iPhone at Verizon rumor headlines. I won't go past the headlines because speculation often = BS.
tayme
on Jan 21, 2010
@Logjamming - The information that I am talking about was back in the 90's...before you were born. Before Paul went corporate. Remember, he gets paid for this...by Penton, not by Microsoft. If you believe that it is MS that pays him, you are far worse off than I thought. Now, like I have said...Paul going corporate at least explains his rantings...I can't seem to figure yours out. So please, take my suggestion and start your own blog so that you can spread the word that your information is the correct information. Heck, you can even get into blogger wars with Paul...it has happened before. Remember to post that link here so that you can get the same hits that Paul gets. --tayme
DRWAM
on Jan 21, 2010
The Persona feature is kinda nice. I may install on my kids PC's it just so that my kids will be occupied for a while ;)
redunion1940
on Jan 21, 2010
Yeah got the IE 8 security patch it works nice. Right now I really do think IE is > FF Win 7 integration with jumplist and the tab browsing on the task bar. You don't need a add-on to make the bookmarks/favorites bar into icons its just an option away, but just like fire fox need a add on to block the adds on web pages like I have, and use IE7 Pro to get the spell checker ha, the only thing FF has going for it now over IE is the ability to change how it looks, if FF could ever figure out how to get over its memory problems it would be my browser of choice but as for now Opera will take its place as my #2 browser to try things out on.
Backup77
on Jan 21, 2010
@DRWAM Agreed Persona is a nice feature and looks cool. This update to Firefox is impressive and it clicks along nicely.
Logjamming
on Jan 21, 2010
@ Tayme Lol @ before you were born. You're a high-ranking nutjob and the foundation for your comments is starting to match those of Paul.
tayme
on Jan 22, 2010
@Logjamming - Yet, you still have not explained the basis for your obsession of being anti-Microsoft and anti-Paul. Like I said...Paul gets paid to write this stuff. You, on the other hand, have strange and unexplainable feelings in favor of Apple and Steve Jobs and against Microsoft and anything associated with them. Myself, I own 3 Macs and 2 Windows PCs; a Palm Pre(which blows away the iPhone by far), a Wii, X360, and a recently broken down PS3(stupid BluRay drive crapped out). I also support many *NIX varients, Windows, IBM mainframes, and other operating systems in my daily job. I know that each and every one of those has a role that they fill very well. --tayme
Waethorn
on Jan 22, 2010
With all the Apple fangyrls that have suggested that Microsoft should scrap Trident and standardize on Webkit (including Leo, who cackles that frequently with all the Macbreak Weekly hens), why aren't they all over Mozilla's case for doing the same thing?
rr0de74@live.com
on Jan 22, 2010
@wae...Mozilla uses open standards is moving forward with HTML5, and is faster than IE. Which is the same for Chrome and Safari. I agree with Leo if I were mozilla I would use the webkit engine since Safari/Chrome are even faster than FF 3.6 and further along with HTML 5 support. I cant wait for the day that HTML5 makes Flash and Silver-light obsolete.
Waethorn
on Jan 22, 2010
"I agree with Leo if I were mozilla I would use the webkit engine since Safari/Chrome are even faster than FF 3.6 and further along with HTML 5 support." Here's the word from the horses mouth: "The WebKit governance model and Apple's general lack of transparency....would negatively impact Mozilla if Firefox adopted WebKit....The level of visibility around patches and review is a lot higher in our world, as one example, and we don't have bugs disappearing into an Apple-only bug system." http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2008/09/mozilla-committed-to-gec... "I cant wait for the day that HTML5 makes Flash and Silver-light obsolete." That won't happen. Sorry.
Waethorn
on Jan 22, 2010
@rr0de: HTML5 is a joke right now. It's a complete non-standard, due to fractured support. I favour Microsoft's wait-and-see position, rather than gunning for one implementation over another. All in all, I'd have to say that Mozilla has a better position with HTML5 support, what with having a better relationship with the GPL than Apple and Google, what with Apple and Google both favouring a video format that is both patented, and requires a license fee. I'd say that this is poor management on the part of the W3C also. There was this link at the bottom of the other post: http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2010/01/bumps-ahead-as-vimeo-you...
redunion1940
on Jan 22, 2010
I've used IE, FF and GChrome, the speed difference is something I can not tell, I mean I sit there and watch them but I don't see a difference I mean yeah maybe GChrome does a web page in 1.258902 seconds while IE does it in 1.258913 Seconds but is that really that important, also I dislike how GChrome is laid out.
roteague
on Jan 22, 2010
I've looked at Firefox 3.6; it's nice, especially the ability to customize it. Doubtful, I'd use it in place of IE8 though. But, I use Firefox and Opera occasionally, just to be differerent.
Grannyville
on Jan 22, 2010
@redunion1940 I agree with you there. I see very little speed difference between the different browsers which is why I stick with IE8 + Safari (to browse Apple's website) on Windows and Safari on Mac because they offer everything that I need and I prefer their default UI's over Chrome or Firefox. It's all boiled down to a matter of preference, is it not?
Waethorn
on Jan 22, 2010
Um, so anybody want to address the question as to what is happening with Google in all of this? Apples love interest with Google is dwindling, but Google is still using Webkit. So why is Google still pumping money into Mozilla? They trying to score some good karma so that Firefox users don't see them as "borrowing" IP from Mozilla for use in their competing browser?
DRWAM
on Jan 22, 2010
I agree Grannyville. A few of those Persona's stink. Some are not displayed properly and a few others make your favorite links unreadable due to the background color or blur. Granted, those are probably the minority, and what do you expect when Joe Blo crreates them, but I was just sayin'.

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