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Rapid Fire: Firefox 9 Beta is Already Out for Download

by - source: Mozilla

You're running Firefox 8? That's so last week.

Firefox 8 was just released last week. Some of you have probably yet to update. However, the releases are coming fast these days, as is evidenced by the fact that Firefox 9 Beta is already available for download. Mozilla recently announced that the "new, faster" Firefox Beta is now ready for testing and download with support for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Mozilla says FF9 Beta adds Type Inference to make JavaScript significantly faster; added support for Mac OS X Lion, including two-finger-swipe navigation and makes improved functionality for multiple displays; enables JavaScript to show developers when users choose to opt-out of behavioral tracking with the Do Not Track privacy feature; and chunking for XHR requests so websites can receive data that’s part of a large XHR download in progress.

Hit up Mozilla to get your hands on the newest Firefox beta.

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trialsking 11/14/2011 11:03 PM
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-20+

I am skipping 9 and waiting for 10 which should be out later tonight

gerchokas 11/14/2011 11:10 PM
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When tha --- are they gonna release the x64 version??? They've been testing it since version 3! :(

billybobser 11/14/2011 11:18 PM
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x64 please, and make changes that count

Anonymous 11/14/2011 11:29 PM
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And when they release x64 people will complain a lot of addons aren't working :p

soo-nah-mee 11/14/2011 11:31 PM
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I am skipping 9 and waiting for that chick's boobies, which should be out later tonight

mitch074 11/14/2011 11:37 PM
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Considering that Mozilla keeps 4 release branches (Stable: 8, security and stability bugs only; 9: beta, major bugs; 10, alphas, stabilizing features; and 11, nightlies, development) going all the time, claiming that by using version 9 you're on the edge is stupid.

As for the x86-64 version, the Mozilla code has been able to run in 64-bit ever since Mozilla Suite 1.0 in 2001, and I've used a 64-bit build of Firefox since 1.5. Problem is, not only was the 64-bit version of Visual Studio quite late in coming in an acceptable fashion and costly (you need to pay for the OS and the compiler suite), there were too many plugins still stuck in 32-bit for Firefox to run in a useful fashion in 64-bit Windows until very recently... At least on Windows.

On OS X and GNU/Linux, you use a recent build of GCC, and you're set. Still, you need to dedicate people to support it. On OS X, you get an iDrone, and it's alright (eventhough OS X support was quite bad until version 3.0); on Linux, distros do that for Mozilla. And on Windows...?

jn77 11/14/2011 11:37 PM
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gerchokas :
When tha --- are they gonna release the x64 version??? They've been testing it since version 3!




Exactly, where is the 64 bit version..... might have to wait for it when I build my first 128bit pc. :-(

stevelord 11/14/2011 11:52 PM
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The only good thing about all these Firefox releases, is we get to keep seeing that picture that Tom's uses in each article. ;)

JMcEntegart 11/14/2011 11:55 PM
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SteveLord :
The only good thing about all these Firefox releases, is we get to keep seeing that picture that Tom's uses in each article.



Don't mess with success.

SinisterSalad 11/14/2011 11:55 PM
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soo-nah-mee :
I am skipping 9 and waiting for that chick's boobies, which should be out later tonight


I see what you did there.

otacon72 11/15/2011 12:10 PM
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AidanJC 11/15/2011 12:24 PM
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These articles about new browsers are appearing every couple of days, not that we don't like looking at the picture in the article :)

a_gert 11/15/2011 12:32 PM
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otacon72 :
Well downloaded FF8 and it crashed 3 minutes later. Wasn't even due to Flash this time around. Still hogs memory and yup still crashes because of Flash.



I downloaded FF8 and got a weird story about some socially awkward teenage amnesiacs in a flying school hunting a sorceress. Oh... wait. You mean THAT FF8.

tipoo 11/15/2011 12:33 PM
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The version numbers have become as meaningless as Chrome, news sites need to stop reporting each one as if it is important. They come out every few weeks, we get it.

JunnYeen 11/15/2011 12:34 PM
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otacon72 :
Well downloaded FF8 and it crashed 3 minutes later. Wasn't even due to Flash this time around. Still hogs memory and yup still crashes because of Flash.



I believe you need to reformat or get a new computer. I've used firefox for 7 years and never experienced reoccurring crashes. I'm sick of seeing FF haters immediately point out crashing and memory hog because they have faulty computers.

randomizer 11/15/2011 12:37 PM
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Quote :...enables JavaScript to show developers when users choose to opt-out of behavioral tracking with the Do Not Track privacy feature...

Wait, so they've explicitly implemented a way to track which users say that they don't want to be tracked? Rather ironic I think.

jn77 :
Exactly, where is the 64 bit version...


It decided that Windows wasn't worthy and has been living with Linux for the last few years.

otacon72 11/15/2011 1:18 AM
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belardo 11/15/2011 1:55 AM
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OMG! OMG! OMG! I've waiting ALL my life for firefox9!!!

It's sooooooooooooooo much better han ff8!

Anyone else here pissed their pants like I did?!

I can't believe it! ff9 is finally here!!

Mozilla you guys rock! You are the smarting people in the world! Spending years doing a complete re-write of your browser that is so totally not ff8!

Oh!!! I tinkled again!

Shin-san 11/15/2011 2:19 AM
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Geez. They need to cut it out. Are they trying to out-version Internet Explorer and Opera?

JeTJL 11/15/2011 2:22 AM
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Seems time for a browser grand prix. Not that long ago Firefox 4 came out. And I still remember using Firefox 3. But since then i switched to chrome. And right now I'm not as pleased with it, so back to Firefox for me.

egmccann 11/15/2011 2:24 AM
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I can't wait for FF20. Should be out in, what, six hours at this rate?

... seriously. FF, Google, enough with the version number nonsense. Major changes = major version. Not "Fixed typo in menu - OK, time for currentbrowserrev+1.0!"

livebriand 11/15/2011 2:31 AM
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Anonymous :
And when they release x64 people will complain a lot of addons aren't working


Well, the latest version of Flash is for 64-bit. And I think it'll only be for power users; regular ones will continue using the 32-bit version.

livebriand 11/15/2011 2:32 AM
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SteveLord :
The only good thing about all these Firefox releases, is we get to keep seeing that picture that Tom's uses in each article.


So is that why they keep releasing new FF versions with new version numbers? lol

dreamer77dd 11/15/2011 2:49 AM
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If it crashes all the time. send them a bug report. Help them out.
Once i got 64bit windows i put 64bit flash and java as well as FireFox in the beta. It is always improve and maybe not a finally release but I dont care. Send them feedback and stuff. If Chrome wins then the race stops and their is no challenge for any company to innovate. Open source is software by the people for the people. It will only get better if the community is there to make it better. I like all news up the minute changes being made in software development.

killik 11/15/2011 3:46 AM
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I am sorry but whoever says that FF8 is a memory hog and keeps crashing,needs to check his computer for problems.I use FF and Chrome for years and i love both browsers so there is no bias in my following statement:

FF8 is by far the best version that Mozilla has released since the premiere of FF4 and the introduction of the fast update cycle.It is very stable,it is fast,it is a lot more responsive that the previous versions,the memory management is absolutely efficient and way better than the competition,the plugins always work and have never crashed and all the 60 addons which i use since FF4,are still fully compatible and functioning properly with no problems.

The only thing that FF8 still lacks compared to Chrome,is the snappiness factor which becomes more apparent when you have opened many tabs (30+ at least). Unfortunately that problem will be resolved once the Electrolysis project is completed,but until then Chrome simply excels in this department.

As far as the 64bit is concerned,i am using the FF11 x64 nightly with a bunch of addons and plugins.It is a bit faster and snappier than FF8,very stable too,it consumes more memory than FF8 does but that it is to be expected since it is an experimental release,so not that well refined.Finally it has some new features which will be introduced in the future,upcoming updates of the browser but if you are in a bit of harry,you can start using them with no problems right now.

So if you are a FF user,do upgrade to FF8,it is a very worthy update.If you are a Chrome user,do give it a try,you wont be disappointed by its abilities and features.As someone above correctly said,we need to support Firefox because without him there wont be no competition and with no competition the Internet and our web experience wont evolve.

we_san 11/15/2011 3:48 AM
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otacon72 :
Lots of FF fanboys in here I see...lol Sorry the browser you use only gets worse as time goes by instead of better.


The fact that some experienced crash and some did not means that some are morron and some are not. I am always the latest.

Nikorr 11/15/2011 4:08 AM
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Faster JavaScript and HTML5 update, I would try it : )

RogueKitsune 11/15/2011 4:19 AM
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Anonymous :
And when they release x64 people will complain a lot of addons aren't working



As a person who is using the 64-bit build of Firefox 11 alpha 1, All of my add-ons worked perfectly fine once i overrode the compatibility checking

captaincharisma 11/15/2011 4:20 AM
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trialsking :
I am skipping 9 and waiting for 10 which should be out later tonight



i'll wait for firefox 20. that should arrive in the next 3-4 months. if not at least it should be a nightly build by then lol

captaincharisma 11/15/2011 4:21 AM
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jn77 :
Exactly, where is the 64 bit version..... might have to wait for it when I build my first 128bit pc. :-(



you want 64-bit? download the nightly build

livebriand 11/15/2011 5:01 AM
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In case you guys think it's unstable, let me tell you: with all the versions of FF I've used, 1.5 to 8, I've never had an issue. On my current i5 machine, 8GB RAM, geforce 550ti, and win 7 64-bit SP1, I haven't had an issue, and I recall going all the way back to 3.6. Ditto for my AMD E350 netbook with 4GB RAM and win 7 64-bit SP1. Ditto for my 3.2GHz Pentium 4 XP SP3 machine with 1GB RAM. I really don't know what's causing your problems. I just had to disable addon compatibility checking and it's all fine.


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