What's New in Firefox 3.5?

The latest version of Mozilla Firefox was released a few days ago, bringing it up to version 3.5. (a just over 7 MB download).  If you haven’t upgraded yet, here’s a quick overview of improvements which caught my eye. It’s not a definitive list, but you can find full details of all new and improved features here.

NB: Before you upgrade, I highly recommend you check that your most used add-ons work with version 3.5, it would be quite frustrating to discover something you use often is no longer functioning! You can find a partial list here, but still check for yourself.

• One of the biggest complaints about Firefox, especially from users of less powerful computers, was it’s tendency to use large amounts of memory. Memory management has improved in version 3.5, and the browser is also faster.
• Firefox has given users the option to clear private data (passwords, cookies etc.) whenever it is closed for some time, you now also have the option to clear the entire history, or just that for the last few hours. Very useful if there are some sites you’d prefer to stay logged into.
• Customisation options have been improved, and users can install packages of add-ons tailored to suit the way they specifically use Firefox.
• Tabs – open pages – can now be dragged and dropped into any order you want. Very useful if you are working on a project but find the source pages are at opposite ends of your browser.
• Downloadable Fonts, or in other words, the ability to see fonts not installed on your computer. This may be a double edged sword though, and I’m anticipating a spate of complaints about the unnecessary use of cursive fonts.
• Open Video and Audio is likely to be a very popular addition. Downloading plugins to display sound and video is a nuisance, this addition promises to make that a thing of the past with new open formats.

And finally, if you are in the habit of visiting the less salubrious side of the web, you might appreciate Private Browsing, which hides any trace of your activities. You can turn this on and off, or use it all the time. In a similar vein, you now have the option to remove individual sites from your browsing history with Forget this Site. But, you won’t be needing that, will you?