Firefox 9 (Aurora) With Type Inference Now for Download
Mozilla has just released the developer version of Firefox 9, which will include a boost for JavaScript performance.
Firefox has not been good for a lot of positive headlines lately, especially since it seems to be surrendering market share to Chrome faster than the arctic its ice cover. However, it recently sent its first true rapid release (Firefox 7) out the door and there is now a good picture of Firefox 9, which could become the most significant release of the browser this year.
Scheduled for a December 20 release, Firefox 9 is now shipping as an Aurora release and includes, most importantly, support for type inference. This technology allows Firefox' JavaScript to sift through code more effectively and run JavaScript applications much faster as a result. Mozilla claims that Firefox 9 is about 44 percent faster than Firefox 8 in its own Kraken benchmark. Other new features include a JavaScript do-not-track API, as well as the integration of the new tablet touch UI.
The software can be downloaded from Mozilla's Firefox Releases channel.
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Oddly, Firefox 7.0 (very slightly) outperforms its Chrome equivalent in most metrics while using (significantly) less system resources in the process. Oh, and its add-on selection and compliant rendering scores are far better than Chrome's too.
Then how on earth can Chrome be gaining on FF? Oh right, advertising and stuff...
It seems to me like firefox's rapid release schedule is what's killing it. More than half my favourite addons are now useless because it's going so fast. And what happens when firefox remakes itself as a browser with NO addons instead of hundreds?
...we all think, might as well switch to chrome.
3 versions in 3 months
Progress is good but again, too many version numbers :|
For addons I just use ABP, WOT and Webmail AB.
Just hope rapid release does not mean rapid bugs and a "will be fixed next release" mind set.
For addons I just use AddBlock Plus and NoScript.
Its interesting to see how many off-site script sites run now, toms for example wants to run scripts from 14 sites.
Y'know Firefox is really quite nice... Quick indeed... I like it... 'cept its left a lot of my favorite plugins behind... they wont work and quite a few basic commercial website are incompatible and display as corrupted.
So here is the paradox... I have to use Chrome on those sites!
I think it is great this childish competition between browsers is leading to so much development (really)... The future? Firefox has the fastest browser on the planet... They release new versions every couple of hours and no site is compatible...
Meanwhile Microsoft release Windows 8 and people can only tell it apart from the tail they are chasing... Apple's offering, because it is so full of idiocy and bugs... Progress at this speed approaches chaos?