Mozilla Firefox 6 arrives slightly ahead of August 16 launch

By Adam Rosenberg August 14, 2011

Mozilla will release the latest update to its free Firefox browser on Tuesday, but the impatient among you can get it right now with minimal hassle. FTP download links for version 6 of the browser are available now for Windows, Mac and Linux, so go get it!

The changes in the latest Firefox are mostly of the “under the hood” variety, with improved overall speed and support for various web tools. You can check out a full rundown in the version 6 beta release notes on Mozilla‘s website. TechnoBolt warns that it’s possible what you’re downloading from the FTPs may be updated prior to Tuesday’s release, but adds that it’s not very likely.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Computing

Mozilla moves ‘Mr. Robot’ promo app following Firefox user outrage

mr robot

If you opened up your browser and noticed a strange new extension this week, you’re not alone. Firefox users who are enrolled in Mozilla’s Shield Studies unexpectedly encountered a developer add-on called “Looking Glass.” The description read “MY REALITY IS JUST DIFFERENT FROM YOURS” -- which understandably freaked a few people out.

It turns out it’s not ransomware or Bitcoin miners invading your system -- it’s a promotional campaign for the Mr. Robot television series. The show features a super-hacker and often addresses cybersecurity issues, so “hacking” into a user’s browser with an enigmatic message may have seemed like a clever idea at the time. But, as Mozilla often stresses its commitment to privacy, many users have voiced their concerns about the creepy and intrusive nature of the promotion.

Computing

As Chrome tarnishes, Mozilla is ready to reignite Firefox with Quantum

Firefox

“Don’t be evil.” That’s been Google’s motto since it was first unveiled in 2000, and for years that attitude shaped the company’s attitudes, outlook, and products. And it helped turn the fledging Chrome web browser into the most popular platform on the internet, with nearly 60 percent of the market (Internet Explorer is the next closest, with 15 percent, according to NetMarketShare).

But a funny thing happened on the way to world dominance: Business. Today, talk about Google is equally spread between its efforts to do good -- bringing the web to Puerto Rico or pushing renewable energy -- and the company’s dominance of online advertising and overall monopoly status.

Computing

Mozilla's Firefox 53 brings Quantum Compositor and new compact themes

firefox 55 adds webvr support

The browser wars continue to rage, even as Google's Chrome maintains its dominant position in the market. For example, Microsoft is working hard to improve Edge and gain back some of the market share it once enjoyed with Internet Explorer. For example, the recent Windows 10 Creators Update brought significant improvements to Edge's functionality.

And today, Mozilla updated its own Firefox browser with some welcome features of its own. The latest version is Firefox 53, and it focuses on giving web pages more focus and making Firefox more stable.