With Firefox 4 emerge as a public beta this workweek , it ’s meter to take a closer look at the next interpretation of Mozilla ’s Web browser app . I spend some time with this pre - release variant to see how it compares to its harbinger .
At launching , Firefox 4 wait very much like Firefox 3 — which came as something of a surprisal to me , after reading aboutthe web browser ’s newfangled interfacefeaturing tabs on top and an easy agency to switch over tabs from the URL taproom .
As it become out , these interface change ( and most others ) are missing from this beta version of Firefox for Mac OS X. They are , according to Mozilla , “ coming shortly , ” but they ’re not here yet .
Add-ons are shown in a standard browser window in the Firefox 4 beta.
So beyond the behind - the - scenes changes , what is different about Firefox 4 ? The first affair I actually noticed was that the append - ons manager , which used to open its own special window , now appears as a young web browser window ( or tab , depending on your preferences ) .
Add - ons are shown in a standard browser app window in the Firefox 4 beta .
As a laboured user of tabs , I do n’t like this change , as it intend the bestow - ons screen tends to get lost amongst my other yellow journalism . ( It is possible , though , to drag it out of the tab bar to create a new window , as you may do with any other Firefox yellow journalism . )
The Firefox 4 beta launches another copy of itself to show some Flash content.
Another add - on connect change allow you to install add - ons without restarting the web internet browser . Or at least , that ’s the plan . While it may finally be true , it ’s not the fount right now when endeavor to install and apply extensions that do n’t officially support Firefox 4 — I had to re-start my web internet browser to activate such extensions . When disabling an extension — even one formally supporting Firefox 4 — I had to restart the web browser app for the change to take effect . Chrome handles this process much better , enable and disabling extensions on the tent-fly .
Features still plan for Firefox 4 — but not present in the beta — include sync ( for syncing preferences , bookmark , and so forth across devices ) , new concealment mastery , and further swiftness improvements .
Firefox 4 also have improved crash prevention , at least relative to Flash , QuickTime , and Silverlight chew - in . If one of those hoopla - ins crashes , it wo n’t lock up the rest of Firefox — just the affected windowpane ( or tab ) will be unserviceable .
The Firefox 4 beta launches another copy of itself to show some Flash substance .
At this tip , though , this lineament has an unmatched side effect , at least with some Flash content — you’ll in reality see a second Firefox diligence come along in your Dock , and it wo n’t go away even if you end the windowpane containing the Flash content . ( you may practice Command - Tab and Q to quit it , or get through - and - hold on its Dock icon and choose Quit from the pop - up menu . )
If it ’s not absolved yet , Firefox 4 is definitely a beta software . In addition to the dual - icon oddment , I saw a couple of crashes , and QuickTime telecasting playback emphasise the CPU on my MacBook Pro enough to quickly ramp up its fans . The browser app feels plenty fast — but then again , I never felt that the previous version were slow — and most of my fundamental extensions workplace as is ( with the exception ofXmarks ) . In short , Firefox 4 is functional , but far from complete . But that ’s all right — it is , after all , a genus Beta .
I have no doubts that the final release of Firefox 4 ( due out later this class ) will be a fast , feature article - copious web browser app . For now , though , given its unfinished Mac OS X interface , Flash - related double - icons , and general deficiency of refinement , you may require to abide out from this beta outlet , unless you really wish live on on the observational edge .
[ Senior contributor Rob Griffiths is presently the performance and merchandising guy atMany Tricks Software , makers of Butler , Witch , and other service program . Before that , he launched and ranMac OS X Hintsfor about 10 years , the last few as an employee of Macworld . ]
