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Browser developer Mozilla has put performance back on the agenda with the latest beta 7 release of the Firefox 4.0 browser, some three times faster than the latest ‘production’ Firefox 3.6.
“Fasten Your Seatbelts – Firefox 4 Beta adds new JavaScript power and faster graphics,” the company said on the Mozilla blog. Promising that the addition of the the JägerMonkey just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compiler adds considerable performance as well as improving graphics hardware acceleration for both the PC and Mac.
Beta 7 also represents a freeze on the extension API meaning that it’s finally safe for developers to convert much-loved Firefox extensions to Firefox 4 functionality. This paves the way for many Firefox fans to use the browser day to day when their favourite enhancements arrive although there are due to be several more beta releases before Firefox 4 is released early next year.
Mozilla thanked those that have participated in the beta process so far, saying that more than a million people had been using the beta browser and ‘hundreds of thousands’ had submitted reports via the Firefox 4 Beta Feedback Button.
Firefox 4 beta 7 can be downloaded from here.
