By: Aseem Gaurav on June 21, 2011
Open source developer Mozilla has released its Firefox 5 web browser for personal computers and Android phones that has over 1,000 improvements and performance enhancements.
The new launch comes within three months of Firefox 4's release. It also marks the successful debut of Mozilla's rapid release process, which iterates new releases every three months.
On the front side the browser appear the same, just like the Firefox 4, but the improvements are mostly behind the scenes to better performance, such as support for CSS animations and the inclusion of WebGL.
New features in Firefox 5:
• Support for CSS animations: It allows web page elements move around the screen.
• Firefox's new Add-on SDK, formerly called Jetpack: It makes easy to create add-ons for Firefox. If you’re familiar with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, then you already have the necessary skills to build add-ons using these tools. Furthermore, all add-ons created with the Add-on Builder or Add-on SDK are restartless by default, meaning users do not have to interupt their browsing to begin using your add-on right away.
• Add-on Builder: A tool which allows writing extensions easier.
• Firefox's do-not-track technology: Users can now use an interface item to select whether or not they want websites to track them. On Windows, it can be found under "Tools->Options->Privacy", while on Mac OS X, it is under "Firefox->Preferences->Privacy". It now works on Android phones as well.
• Canvas: It adds two-dimensional graphics technology to browsers and is faster.
Firefox 5 now includes a number of HTTP optimizations that speed up the content. One such optimization is the Sort Idle HTTP Connections by CWND feature.
"This release adds support for more modern Web technologies that make it easier for developers to build amazing Firefox Add-ons, Web applications and websites," Mozilla said.
The arrival of Firefox 5 had diminished the long waiting period when the users had to wait multi-month or -year periods in between browser updates. The browser’s predecessor was downloaded over 200 million across Windows, Mac and Linux. The growing competition, especially from Google Chrome, Mozilla has forced Mozilla to bring its release cycle up to speed.
