Although the basic look of the Firefox 3 Beta 2 browser hasn't changed,
there are actually quite a few new features coming. For a complete list,
you can check out Mozilla's release notes. Some of the new features in
Firefox 3 are not immediately obvious -- at least, not to the casual
user. Among other things, Mozilla is incorporating new graphics- and
text-rendering architectures in its browser layout engine (Gecko 1.9)
to offer rendering improvements in CSS and SVG; adding a number of
security features, including malware protection and version checks of
its add-ons; and offline support for suitably coded Web applications.
(1) Easier downloads: While the older Download Manager was quite
serviceable, Mozilla has made some nice tweaks in the new version. It
now lists not only the file name, but the URL it was downloaded from,
and includes an icon that leads to information about when and where you
downloaded it. The new feature I really approve of is the ability to
resume a download that may have been abruptly stopped because Firefox,
or your system, crashed. (2) Enhanced address bar: In Firefox 3 Beta 2,
the autocomplete doesn't just offer a list of URLs that you've been to,
but includes sites that are in your bookmark list; it then gives you a
nice, clear listing of the URLs and site names in large, easy-to-read
text, with the typed-in phrase underlined. (3) A workable bookmark
organizer: The new Places Organizer vastly improves Firefox's management
of bookmark lists. (4) Easier bookmarking: You can now quickly create
a bookmark by double-clicking on a star that appears in the right side
of the address bar; you can also add tags to your bookmarks, which
could work nicely as an organizational tool. (5) Better memory management:
The new version of Firefox appears to have a smaller memory footprint
than its predecessor. ["Beta 2 includes over 30 more memory leak fixes,
and 11 improvements to the memory footprint."]
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