Firefox 4 launch date slips to early 2011

By Molly McHugh Published October 28, 2010

If you thought you were mere weeks away from the latest and (finally) full-featured beta version of Firefox, you will be sorely disappointed.

Mozilla vice president of engineering Mike Beltzner said in a blog post that while Firefox 4 will be a more than competent browser, “completing this work is taking longer than initial estimates indicated as we track down regression and sources of instability.”

Recommended Videos

Beltzner focuses on assuring users that the end product will be worth the wait – which will now be in early 2011. In addition to a new look, the open-source browser’s forthcoming product will feature the ability to support HTML 5, improved plugin customization options, hardware-accelerated graphics and HD video, and better compatibility with touchscreens. Firefox has promised a lot in its updates and hopefully is able to deliver soon without losing users to competing browsers.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

Computing

The latest Firefox release redesigns its private browsing feature

Mozilla is releasing its latest version of the Firefox browser as of Tuesday with a focus on privacy, accessibility, and customization, according to the brand.

The new release will include a number of features, but one notable highlight is the introduction of a shortcut button for Private Browsing mode that you can pin to your desktop. This is a feature intended for easy access to the feature that is typically found within the triple bar icon at the upper right corner of the browser or when right-clicking the Firefox icon on the Windows taskbar with a mouse or trackpad. While it might not be extremely tedious, this feature takes out some extra steps for those who wish to take advantage.

Computing

Websites are constantly tracking you — but Firefox has a fix

Mozilla Firefox has just expanded its range of features made to protect user privacy, this time attempting to tackle the issue of websites tracking you around the web. Whether we like it or not, the sad reality is that many web giants add trackers to URLs, which then allow them to monitor your online activity.

Added in Firefox 102, the new Query Parameter Stripping should address that problem in a substantial way -- although we're still far away from a complete fix.

Computing

Firefox just gave you a great reason to ditch Chrome for good

Mozilla Firefox has just made changes to its browser, making an existing feature available by default to all users. The tool is called Total Cookie Protection, and thanks to it, Firefox now calls itself "the most private and secure major browser available across Windows, Mac, and Linux."

Whether Firefox is really the best browser remains to be seen, but Total Cookie Protection certainly kicks things up a notch where privacy is concerned. Will it be enough to help Firefox pull ahead of the competition?