That Firefox 3.6 isn't polished yet is a given. That we're seeing a new beta release so soon is something else. Destined to be released this year Mozilla cranked up a new beta to fix the most important bugs on the road to release candidates.

In this release alone 190 bugs were squashed, while the feature set remained the same compared with the last beta. Of course a new beta does not need new features if your goal is to stabilize it. For Mac users the most prominent fix is the lost of focus bug that plagues Firefox 3.5 in combination with Growl 1.2 (the only release that works on Snow Leopard). However for the rest of the world a lot of top crashers has been fixed, and well it's so much that you'll just have to dig through the bug list yourself.

Firefox 3.6 Beta users will get the update automatically (or through Help > Check for Updates...). If you want you can get the full download from Mozilla's web site.

Sooner than planned, Mozilla released the next maintenance release of Firefox, bringing the version up to 3.5.5. As with all releases, this is a recommend update for all existing Firefox 3.5.x users.

While relatively not an exciting release, some users will welcome it warm heartedly. Firefox 3.5.5 purely exists of stability fixes that were accidentally introduced in the previous update.

Existing Firefox users can update by selecting Help > Check for Updates... if a dialog did not appear automatically. Alternatively you can download the full installer from Mozilla's web site.

With Mozilla increasing the pace of new Firefox releases (3.5 took far too long, and Chrome is racing release out of the door), the first beta of the successor of one of the most popular browsers is here.

As the first number indicates this is a minor upgrade of the current stable release, but nonetheless sports some interesting improvements.

First apparent addition is that of Personas, allowing you to change Firefox with lightweight themes, which do not require a restart of the browser. Personas has been out for a while now as a separate add-on for Firefox 3.x. Unlike normal themes, Personas consist mostly of a new background (image, style) and menus. For different buttons, or more complete changes you're still stuck.

Other changes include a plug-in checker, first seen in the latest Firefox 3.5 builds, full screen support for the native video tag, support for the WOFF font format, support for new web technologies and best of all increased JS performance, start-up time and responsiveness.

Be sure to read the complete release notes before downloading this beta release.

A new security, stability and maintenance version of Firefox has been released. With several critical holes plugged it's a recommended download.

As previous releases the most important changes are the security issues that have been plugged: crashes with evidence of memory corruption, upgrade media libraries to fix memory safety bugs, heap buffer overflow in string to number conversion, chrome privilege escalation in XPCVariant::VariantDataToJS(), heap buffer overflow in GIF color map parser and a crash with recursive web-worker calls. Moderate issues that were fixed are: cross-origin data theft through document.getSelection(), crash in proxy auto-configuration regexp parsing and form history vulnerable to stealing. Labeled as low are: download filename spoofing with RTL override, and local downloaded file tampering.

Besides these fixes stability was addressed, the ability to re-submit crash reports was added, and an issue related with Clear Recent History was resolved.

You can update your existing Firefox manually through the Help -> Check for Updates... menu, or you can download the entire binary from Mozilla's site.

As expected the third maintenance released hit the ground today, sporting stability and security fixes. And as such all Firefox users are recommended to update as soon as possible.

Although a maintenance release, we already know from a previous post that this release actually comes with one security feature: detection of Adobe Flash Player plug-in. Once an old version is detected a web page will be displayed urging you to upgrade.

Other than that there are three critical security issues fixed, related to: chrome privilege escalation with FeedWriter, TreeColumns dangling pointer vulnerability, and crashes with evidence of memory corruption. One minor security issue was fixed which was about the location bar spoofing via tall line-height Unicode characters.

For the other changes, please refer to the bug list. As said before, everyone using Firefox is encouraged to update as soon as possible. If Firefox does not prompt directly for an update, go to Help > Check for Updates... or you can download the full binary from Mozilla's site.

Only recently Apple made the news in which it was uncovered that Snow Leopard shipped with an older Adobe Flash 10 Player plug-in containing known security issues. As browser security depends on plug-ins as well, Mozilla is jumping the gun to address this issue.

Starting with Firefox 3.5.3 (and 3.0.14), a supposed to be security and maintenance release, Mozilla will verify if you're running the latest Adobe Flash Player plug-in. Although this check is currently only done for Adobe Flash Player plug-in, it will be improved to support other important plug-ins as well. This service should be a prime example for the other browser vendors, as we're dealing with a universal security problem (although Chrome may use the sand box principal by default with plug-ins in the future).

A staggering 80% of the web surfers out there does not have the latest Adobe Flash Player plug-in installed, and subsequently may be browsing insecurely even while running the latest Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera or Safari release.

Mozila.org, the global project homepage has been redesigned to sport a new fresh look. The old design was used years ago while the corporate (end user) site has seen a significant update during the Firefox 3 launch.

If anything can be said about Mozilla it's that they design (hired or not) good web sites. The normal web site for end users sports a colorful and product/action oriented design that loads up fast and gets the user exactly where he or she needs to be. The project site, which was also the main site before the Mozilla Corporation was created, is home to all the Mozilla hosted projects (Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Bugzilla, etc.) and focuses on what Mozilla is/means, the community and the ongoing development of their projects.

The new design sports a modern (urban) look, that still honors the dinosaur associated with the name Mozilla from long, long ago (well, after the green one, but before even Firefox came to be). It has a good site map for navigation as well, easy ways to navigate to the projects and much more.

If Mozilla should ever stop developing applications, they sure could still make great web sites!

Since the early days Opera Software has been renowned for their web browser, their support for (open) web standards, and their strictness in following it. But besides supporting the web they are known as innovators, at a level where other companies, including the oh so beloved Apple, look at for the next step in their own web browsers.

But recently it seems that a lot of (casual) people regard Opera Software entirely differently. While ignoring history and Opera's innovations, people seem to see Opera as a sore loser, who has failed where Firefox succeeded, and is on the verge of extinction. People especially see the recent case by the European Commission, to bring equilibrium in the browser market, as Opera Software's doing. But nothing is that simple...

Let's start with the European Commission case (which currently only applies to EU citizens). Originally Opera Software asked the EC to take a look into the case where Microsoft bundles Internet Explorer with Windows, and causes unfair competition. This applies only to Windows, because Microsoft controls a monopoly (which is specified in the EU rules) and therefor also has a strong grip on the web (which they first failed to pick up in the early days).

Long ago when Netscape was still a good company, everything changed, Microsoft began bundling IE with Windows (especially using OEM releases) and slowly but surely gained enough momentum (in combination with Netscape's failing in bringing the rewrite on time) to capture the market. After that innovation stalled, IE broke the web with flawed standards support. While Netscape survived in the shape of Mozilla, it was a time when Opera was one of the few survivors that kept working on web standards and innovation. Well, we know how it goes after that, Mozilla Suite didn't get a lot of people, but with hard good work Firefox came to be, and at the right time with the insecureness awareness of Windows and IE they created enough momentum to become popular. Of course there must have been some jealousy at Opera Software on how Firefox was embraced and gained popularity. But there has never been hate up in the north, and truth to be told, Opera did gain a lot of users as well, as people got aware, awakened if you'd like. Even Opera learned from Firefox, as it became free when enough revenue was gained from other sources, such as Google and Yahoo! searches. Currently Opera Software is financially strong, and has a strong hand in the mobile (Windows, Symbian, Java) market, as well as devices (Wii, DS, Zii). Like any healthy company Opera Software wants more, more market share, more money, etc. But unlike other companies, they still value their own vision, of keeping the web open, on any device, for any one out there.

But back to the EC case against Microsoft. After it was decided that Microsoft needed to create a Windows XP N Edition, without the Windows Media Player, the legal munchos at Opera Software saw fit to ask, I said ask not force, the EC to look into the browser market. As it nearly seems an identical case the EC was quick to pick up, as this time there are several companies still at stake here. Note that from this point on Opera Software hasn't done anything, the EC was asked to investigate and have found out that Microsoft indeed has been misusing their position for their web browser. Any decision by the EC is done without Opera, Mozilla, Apple, Google or Microsoft. All the companies are free to give their comments, advice and support for the case. So has Opera Software done for the last months, they've suggested a ballot screen and apparently EC (and several allies) finds in interesting as well. You'll have to understand that things like this are more or less organic developments, as you've probably read Microsoft has turned around and worked on documents for the ballot screen with their proposal of rules for inclusion and display. It's up to the EC to approve or disapprove, and the folks at Opera/Mozilla have spoken aloud on the web what they thought of it. So as you can see, Opera cannot force the EC, as they work independently, any justice or injustice directed at Microsoft comes from the EC directly.

However it doesn't help that several people at Opera Software have said things that were either, ripped from context, or simple reversed questions. A lot of what has been said were advice or (wild) ideas, and yes they sounded bad, like whining as some have said. No, I don't agree that Opera should be in Windows Update, I would go for a global unified update system that all apps, whether browser or not can plug into, such as the update feature in Linux (though apt, yum, etc.) or App Store (iPhone/iPod touch). Whether then to dismiss or argue any of the comments from some Opera folks you should ask yourself, am I too emotional, could they simply be wrong this time? EC case or not, use Opera, or any other browser because you like it, it's features, the looks. Remember that everybody is human, and no doubt some people say stuff with emotion or get wrongly quoted (for sensational purposes). Take some distance, and be "nuchter" about it (yeah look that word up... hint, it's dutch).

Looking at Opera 10 there are of course things missing and we all, yeah me too I confess, say bad stuff about it. It's not because the entire thing is bad or evil, but because we know, we feel that something could become so much more. Imagine Opera 11, with the super fast JavaScript engine (equal to Chrome), ICC profile version 4 support, Vegas for 3D acceleration, private browsing mode, etc. We know it's unrealistic to have it all in one go, however we also all know that it should be there to finish of the competition. But the truth is, it's not possible, not without a healthy balance between work force and financial results. Opera 10 comes already with so much more. First of all the folks listened to us by bringing spell check (with dictionary download), major improvements to the mail client (really there isn't much else out there that's free and good), auto-update, a brand new look, and much, much more.

Opera Software is still the same as we know it, innovation and fighting for an open web (heck why do you think they don't sue people with random patents). Remember this first and foremost, distance yourself from the EC case, and remain "nuchter" while seeking out the "why" someone says something, and remember that everybody makes mistakes.

Arvid Axelsson originally created the Qute theme way back in 2004, and was the default theme in Firefox pre-1.0 (after Orbit was abandoned). But now there's more!

After Firefox was released as 1.0 a new theme (Winstripe) was used as the default theme, as it fitted Windows XP more. Later the theme was tweaked in Firefox 2 and completely overhauled in Firefox 3. Qute was abandoned as the default theme, but supported throughout the years by its designer/developer Arvid Axelsson.

But now it's time for revenge. Firefox 3 (and 3.5) use the new Strata theme, but at least personally it's a theme with good ideas, but lacks color and flair like the old themes had. With Arvid Axelsson still out there in the big open world, he has created Kempelton, a new theme, that fits Windows XP/Vista/7 very well. Not only sports it more color, but in combination with Aero it still looks sweet!

While we're at it, other Firefox add-ons I use are: Stylish with the applied styles to fix the tabs in Vista/7 and remove the Stylish icon from the status bar. Of course to fit in with the rest of the browsers I use an add-on to hide the menu bar.