Mike Beltzner, the Director of Firefox has said today that release candidates (RC) for Firefox 4 will be available at the beginning of 2011.
Beta 7 of the new browser is set for release in the next week.
Mozilla says Beta 7 will be a “code freeze” for the browser, meaning that new features can no longer be added afterwards.
After b7, the browser will be delivered to add-on developers.
Says Beltzner:
“As those who have been tracking our nightly builds know, great things are happening with Firefox 4. The user interface changes are converging, the graphics and layout features are wrapping up, and recently the JavaScript engine was dramatically improved. The result is a fast, capable Firefox that provides better speed and responsiveness for web applications and users. Completing this work is taking longer than initial estimates indicated as we track down regressions and sources of instability. As part of our commitment to beta users, we will not ship software before it is ready.
Development on Firefox 4 has not slowed down and strong progress is being made daily. However, based on the delays in completing the “feature complete” Beta 7 milestone against which our Add-on developers and third-party software developers can develop, as well as considering the amount of work remaining to prepare Firefox 4 for final release, we have revised our beta and release candidate schedule: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/4/Beta
The frequent beta releases have been extremely helpful in identifying compatibility issues with existing web content, so we plan on continuing to release beta milestones through the end of December. Our estimate is now that release candidate builds will ship in early 2011, with a final release date close behind. Please note that, as always, this schedule is subject to change based on feedback from users and community members.”
Result for: user interface
Google has finally made Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread official by adding a giant gingerbread cookie to their collection of over sized dessert item statues.
The statues are on Google’s campus, where Android remains in constant development.
Says Google VP of engineering Andy Rubin of upcoming Gingerbread updates: “More forms of communication. I think social media is a form of communication. I think you would just talk about general improvements to the platform and make it faster and more robust. I think gaming is an area that I think is underserved right now. We’re actually going through a reinvention of casual gaming. If you look at a console game like an XBOX or a PlayStation or a Nintendo, I think it’s very, “sit down and try to get to the maximum level possible.” On cell phones and devices that are battery operated, I think there’s more kind of “what do you do in between the times when you’re doing something?” It’s more about running a game to fill time rather than running a game to be a dedicated event.”
Most also expect an entirely redone user interface that would eliminate the need for “skins” like HTC’s Sense or Motorola’s MotoBLUR.
Result for: user interface
While some lucky users have had the ability for months, Netflix has updated their PS3-based Watch Instantly service to include a Search function for all users.
Until this week, the search function for the PS3 was an assigned random beta.
A search function was easily the most-wanted feature for the service, eliminating the need to find and queue movies on your computer or smartphone before using the service.
The company has said it will add similar functionality to the Xbox 360 (and possibly Wii?) in November.
Additionally, CEO Reed Hastings noted that PS3 users may be able to soon ditch the streaming Blu-ray disc that must stay in their drives to use the service, as a disc-free version of Watch Instantly software for the PS3 could be available in October.
Says Hastings: “We expect to be launching a major new version of our Sony PS3 user interface which doesn’t require a disc, and is dynamically updated continuously with the latest Netflix UI improvements.”
