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Firefox 3 Beta 5, Gran Paradiso’s milestone #13 is here and the list of features and improvement it brings along is pretty long so let’s get started.
Oh, for those following Firefox 3 development you may want to jump to the sections marked in green for what’s new in Beta 5.
Performance
Firefox 3 gets several performance improvement gains. Among them, profile guided optimizations (PGO) provides an optimized Firefox build based on the way it internally works. So far it is only available for Windows. Linux should follow shortly and Mac OS X could also make it before final release.
A very noticeable gain can be seen in JavaScript: it is about three times faster than Firefox 2 implementation. JavaScript is twice as important for Firefox since it is not only used in a large number of web pages but it’s also what makes Firefox UI work.
Memory wise, a much needed memory cycle collector is now in place to take care of freeing memory no longer used by modules that requested it but failed to release it properly. This and other memory oriented tweaks, seem to have paid off so far: a set of tests I recently ran suggests a noticeable increase in memory management efficiency with more memory freed as tabs and windows are closed and no mysterious memory eat up when Firefox is idle as it has been reported several times in the past for Firefox 2.
Places
A much announced and expected feature is Places, the integrated history and bookmarks manager interface powered by SQLite, a small open source database engine that provides much more robust querying capabilities.
With Places you are able to search your history, tags and bookmarks with a fully fledged search interface. You can select where to search (History, Bookmarks Menu, Bookmarks Toolbar, All Bookmarks or the selected folder), what to search (visited date, web address or title), combine criteria and then save the search as a Smart Bookmark that updates as your personal web grows and changes.
The Library, Places manager, also adds backup and restore UI so it is easier to recover a damaged file or incorrectly deleted bookmark.
Tagging is a new Firefox feature tightly related with Places and some of the changes to the location bar: click on an empty star icon in the location bar to save the current page as a bookmark. Click it again and you can specify a folder to save the bookmark to, create a new one (new in Beta 5) and add tags you can later search on.
The Location Bar
The autocomplete list that appears when you start entering letters in the location bar is no longer restricted to web addresses but also looks into bookmark and history page titles and tags which make it more comprehensive.
Suggestions are shown in two different lines and colors for page titles and addresses, which according to studies on human cognition, makes it easier for us to focus on what we are looking for. So, if the user knows she is entering part of a web address or a page title it will be easier for her to find what she’s looking for. Highlighting the match result also helps to direct the user’s attention.
It features adaptive learning so after a few repetitions Firefox will learn what letter combinations you use for what site and will provide better suggestions. This should address the case where frecency (a combined frequency and recency index) didn’t provide the best results.
You can also perform multiword searches, so for example “firefox downloads” filters address, titles and tags containing both words but not necessarily in that order.
For Beta 5, the colors and font sizes have been reviewed and the number of suggestions reduced to six making the menu less obtrusive.
I believe this feature alone is the best Firefox 3 has to offer, justifies Places large resources investment and will become a landmark in Firefox and web browsers in general development. Once you get used to it, there is no turning back.
Visual Refresh
One of the most visible changes are the theme updates in all platforms. On Windows XP and Vista, a large part of the planned new XP icons has been added to the main toolbar, the Options window, the Download Manager, here and there.
Beta 5 brings a rounded left cap to the location bar that echoes the keyhole, a slightly modified reload icon (again with a solid end, *sigh*) and to many’s contempt the home button is back to the navigation bar and out of the Bookmarks toolbar.
The Options window on Windows XP with the new icons.
Mac OS X users get Proto, a new Safari-like theme introduced with Beta 2. Linux users also get a very well integrated theme that uses native icons.
The back and forward buttons have been combined in a single keyhole-shaped widget featuring a single history menu and is now featured in all platforms except Linux.
According to the new guidelines, consistency across platforms is obtained through icons shape while OS integration is provided by texture. In Linux case, it’s very hard to set one due to the many available distributions and their particular themes.
There’s an invisible splitter between the location and search bars that you can use to set their width when they are placed next to each other.
Developers are aiming to deliver better operating system integration in Firefox 3. This will be most notable for Mac OS X and Linux users who will now get native widgets like text boxes, menus, check boxes, icons, button order and orientation following each OS guidelines.
Mac OS X users get integration with Growl, a popular centralized notification system, while Windows Vista gets native looking menus and blue icons that blend better with overall Vista look.
See more Windows XP, Vista and Linux screenshots in this recent post.
The Page Information dialog has been reviewed to become more organized and informative and allows to set all site specific preference from a single location.
[...] View Full Article: Mozilla Links [...]
Firefox 3 beta 5 crashes on this site. Too funny. (posting from Safari 3.1 / Win)
[...] Firefox 3 Beta 5 Review Posted in beta stuff, mozilla. [...]
[...] are numerous online reviews of this milestone on the Internet, but so far Mozilla Links has the most comprehensive review I’ve read. I urge you to check it out if you have the [...]
Firefox 3 had me with it’s incomparably better memory behavior. I would have sacrificed anything else for that including extensions. All of them. Gladly.
Interestingly, this page is making Firefox 3 crash when Firebug is running.
[...] Review a Firefox 3 beta 5 [...]
I guess this beta didn’t really bring me anything… except the annoying home button.
…. but Firefox is really the program that I care about, more than any other program.. (fair enough?)
But why is everybody leaving?
Hey! You have an endless loop in Others.js, line 39. It’s causing Firebug to crash FF 3 Beta 5. Plsfxkthxbye.
@John, thanks very much for the tip. I deactivated the WordPress plugin that was using the code and now it seems to be OK.
Sorry all for the inconvenience.
I must say that I really love v3 :) I’m using it and it’s wonderful. My recommendation to everyone! Regards!
[...] location bar less obtrusive (Before & After). You can check out all the revisions of beta 5 here. It’s finally starting to look a lot better. Tags: [...]
“Mac OS X users get Proto, a new Safari-like theme introduced with Beta 2.”
Oh really? I’m using FF3b5 right now and it still looks like the beta 4 version. (Yes — I’ve switched between large and small icons and restarted the browser a few time). Mind you — I kind of LIKE the Proto version as seen in beta 4(!) — big keyhole and all.
is it possible to know more concerning the decision to keep or not the home button in toolbar ?
i remember that mike beltzner is in charge of that
could we see the discussions about that ?
@Sprocket999, you could have skipped to the green text sections: new in Beta 5.
[...] su Firefox 3 e sulle novità introdotte nella nuova milestone di Firefox 3 Beta 5 le trovate a questo indirizzo. fonte tweakness.net Popolarità : unranked [...]
I was annoyed the home button was GONE before though you can modify so doesn’t matter much, does it? I use it constantly.
@Percy Cabello: “@Sprocket999, you could have skipped to the green text sections: new in Beta 5.”
Well, I did and all I got was this note as I previously posted — “Mac OS X users get Proto, a new Safari-like theme introduced with Beta 2.†— which indicates to me that the beta 5 Mac theming has ‘reverted back’ to the lovely theme offered in beta 2. It actually was quite a unique blend of the familiar Safari 3x squarish-buttons with the round-ended url and search bars. Perhaps you didn’t give beta 2 a try?
I’m running beta 5 and I don’t see anything like that at all. Same as beta 4.
Running happily on Win32. I’m happy that that the forward/backward icons in the drop down list are no longer blue as in Beta 4, but white so I can actually SEE them.
Hooray for polish!
Too bad PGO is only for Win32. Maybe a Firefox 3.1 in early 2009 will have it turned on for Linux and Mac OS X if it doesn’t make it for the Final Release.
Also, I’d like a special note for replacing the spellchecker. Hunspell in Fx 3 is so much better it hurts my feelings to go back to Fx 2.0.0.x because of the way I type.
[...] Maiores informações sobre o beta 5 (em inglês) [...]
Tools > Customize > Restore Default Set
This should get your home button back and possibly the proto icons for mac users. Seems to me that someone messed up with part of the code and doesn’t quite implement the beta 5 default icon placements for installs where a firefox profile already exists.
Love to see the Home page Icon back into the Navigation Toolbar. Thanks!
I loved the idea of being able to add new bookmark links to the bookmarks toolbar.
It would be very useful to open the default homepage when the a new tab (Ctrl+T) is opened.
I really like the Mac OS X look, but it still has its flaws. The jellybean button (the thing on the top right) behavior is fixed in the main window (although a gradient should still be present in the minimized header). However, it is still present in the downloads window, the about window, and the update window, and serves no purpose there, and, in both add-ons and preferences, when clicked, it doesn’t provide a divider between the header and the window contents…
Another issue: For some reason, I can’t customize the toolbar… Every time I try to drag a button on, it doesn’t work, and every time I try to drag one off, it is pushed, but not dragged…
For some reason, my FF3b5 shows two sets of “Back/Forward” buttons. Very odd.
[...] Firefox 3 Beta 5 ist raus plus kurzes Review • Fotos vom Google Büro in Zürich – Kindergarten für Erwachsene • 13 Admin [...]
[...] off, Mozilla Firefox 3 Beta 5 has been released and reviewed. It features over 750 changes since the previous beta, many of the changes were based on community [...]
Mirek2: “Another issue: For some reason, I can’t customize the toolbar… Every time I try to drag a button on, it doesn’t work, and every time I try to drag one off, it is pushed, but not dragged…”
I’ve run into that too from time to time. Never had this happen in beta 3 or 4. My workaround is to quit FF and restart. Oh yes, this is on the Mac — I can’t speak to Windows.
Personally, I hope they keep the Home button an option of being on the Toolbar OR the Bookmark Bar, as I’ve gotten quite used to having the Home button on the Bookmark Bar. Keeps the other area cleaner, IMPO.
Is there a way to organize files into different folders while downloading using download manager? By default it goes to one folder.
The one thing about bookmarks that has persistently infuriated me, and still isn’t fixed, is the fact that there is no “Folders at the top” option when sorting bookmarks.
It’s simply ridiculous that this still doesn’t exist…
One of my only issues is that there is still no “Add New Tab” button on the interface. Netscape / Mozilla Suite always had a small button to the left of the tab bar to open a new tab. This has disappeared in Firefox. IE7 has a “New Tab Button” right next to the last tab at all times. Even Netscape Navigator 9 gave you a “New Tab Button” on the toolbar. There is no such thing by default in Firefox, nor is there a way to show/hide the Sidebar easily. Those are my only two issues with this release.
there is a buton at the right to open a new tab, still i prefer to use ctrl+t.
and about the hide bar command, i don’t know what you mean, which sidebar? cause the one i’d like to hide is the manu bar and navigation bar, i miss the screen space on chrome..
for the navigation bar, there´s this add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4762 :)
Rajesh Pradhan: “Is there a way to organize files into different folders while downloading using download manager? By default it goes to one folder.”
On Windows, go to “Tools”, on Macs, go to “Firefox”, and select “Preferences.” Under “Main”, choose “Always ask me where to save files.”
Sprocket999: ““Mac OS X users get Proto, a new Safari-like theme introduced with Beta 2.â€
Oh really? I’m using FF3b5 right now and it still looks like the beta 4 version. (Yes — I’ve switched between large and small icons and restarted the browser a few time). Mind you — I kind of LIKE the Proto version as seen in beta 4(!) — big keyhole and all.”
The theme was INTRODUCED in Beta 2. It underwent changes from then on (so what you see in Beta 4 and Beta 5 is stll Proto). This is not news for one following the FF3 process closely, but it might be for a newbie who just began to look into FF3…
Sprocket999: “I’ve run into that too from time to time. Never had this happen in beta 3 or 4. My workaround is to quit FF and restart. Oh yes, this is on the Mac — I can’t speak to Windows.”
That works. Thanks.
Sprocket999: “Personally, I hope they keep the Home button an option of being on the Toolbar OR the Bookmark Bar, as I’ve gotten quite used to having the Home button on the Bookmark Bar. Keeps the other area cleaner, IMPO.”
Me too…
Another bug: When you take the Acid2 test, zoom in too close, and then reset the page to its original size, the page is no longer viewed correctly. I understand that zoomed-in pages don’t pass the Acid2 test, but a page reset to its original should pass it…
@ Mirek2
Works perfect for me… Anyway, acid tests aren’t meant to be taken in modified browsers. They are meant for default not modified browsers with standard configuration.
[...] Один факт: JavaScript працює у Firefox 3 в Ñередньому у 3 рази швидше, ніж у Firefox [...]
I have multiple back/forward arrows across my screen / don’t see this noted anywhere. ALSO – all of a sudden – favorites are not taking – they are there but if I close out and re-open Firefox, they are then gone.
Rajesh Pradhan April 4, 2008 5:04 pm
Is there a way to organize files into different folders while downloading using download manager? By default it goes to one folder.
dear rajesh
its simple as email, go to the different directory of selection
ok
@JimP, repeat keyholes along the navigation toolbar is a bug I haven’t seen but has been already reported and fixed in recent nightlies. Should be available for RC1.
In case it hasn’t been said already, thank you for marking the changes from the previous Beta. It makes finding the minor deltas much easier.
Thank you.
Well i dont see much diferent in the memory use for now :\
For me the best diference is “The Location Bar”, its very cool the fact that now FF go to bookmark look and showing the icons of the websites is very cool and much more easy ;)
I’ve been beta testing your Firefox 3 and I love it! Every major update makes the browser even better. Keep up the great work, I look forward to the end of the testing. You guys always make great browsers.
Randy.
[...] Vergleich zu Version 2 spürbar verbessert. Ein ausführliches Review zur fünften Beta gibt es bei Mozilla Links. Ende April soll der erste Release Candidate [...]
And what about the GO button??? I want the GO button Back…
I still can’t duplicate current page whit one click… :((((
Maybe middle click on the site icon could do this… it would be great… :s
I hope this function will be added to firefox..
1. the Options>Application .. can be save to specific folder
like… mp3 file to save to my music.. jpg to my picture..
2. The bookmark has a shortcut..exAMple ctrl + 1 to open new layer of myspace.com..
thx
[...] There are numerous other improvements like the new bookmark and tagging system. Those interested in a more complete review can read more here. [...]
Is there a way to modify it to get the go button again?
I refuse to pay for any more M$ OS’s, Windows ver. that still use 98se until I get to know FreeBSD. I
was wondering if some time in the near future that you make FF3 available for 98?
Is there a way to organize files into different folders while downloading using download manager? By default it goes to one folder.
There is option in the browser to ask for the folder to save the file in. Not sure if thats what you are looking for.
I think that Many plug-in is the main reason users use Firefox.
FF3 needs way better gnome integration, though I can’t see this either ever happening or not happening for a very long time. I don’t see why Mac users should be privileged.
I’ve just installed firefox 3.5 for two days, sometimes it is difficult to do right clicks!
We would have enabled PGO for b5 if we were going to ship with it, so it’s just win32 this time round.
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