Mozilla delays Firefox 4 until 2011

[Emil]

Firefox is slipping in its development schedule; Mozilla says it won't be able to release version 4.0 this year, and will have to delay the final version until early next year. "Completing this work is taking longer than initial estimates indicated as we track down regressions and sources of instability," the company said in a statement. "As part of our commitment to beta users, we will not ship software before it is ready."

The new schedule means that Beta 7 has been delayed till early November. Meanwhile, assuming everything goes according to plan, Beta 8 is set for November 12, Beta 9 is expected on November 26, and Beta 10 should arrive on December 10. "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."

Firefox 4 was originally supposed to be released in June, but Mozilla keeps making changes to the browser. Currently, Firefox 4 is at Beta 6. Many believe version 4.0 is the only thing that can save the browser from a stagnating market share.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/40898-mozilla-delays-firefox-4-until-2011.html

 

[pyari]

the latest stable v is also crashing time to time, I think they gets the crashing log form the user so they try to fixed the bugs....those are the reference for the developer. I never use beta v so I don't say about it....but definitely they are making excellent browser to capture the market.

 

[TeamworkGuy2]

You can not expect Mozilla to be perfectly on schedule, especially since they are "not for profit".
Almost all the computers at my house use Firefox and everyone seems to like it (one or two have gone to Google Chrome).
I have not tried any of the betas releases yet, but I might...

 

[Recycle]

I'm definitely looking forward to 4 so that's a bit of a shame, maybe I'll give the betas another spin and see if more of my addons are compatible now.

 

[trparky]

What instability? I use Firefox 4.0 Beta 6 full time as my main browser (I'm brave) and I have no such issues. It's far more stable than 3.6 is.

 

[Recipe7]

Just as long as this doesn't turn into a 'Gran Turismo 5' type of delay, then I have no problem with it, I know Mozilla has a good reason for their postponement.

 

[customcarvin]

You can not expect Mozilla to be perfectly on schedule, especially since they are "not for profit".
Almost all the computers at my house use Firefox and everyone seems to like it (one or two have gone to Google Chrome).
I have not tried any of the betas releases yet, but I might...

Just because you don't pay anything to download the browser, doesn't mean that they don't make profit... In fact Mozilla makes plenty of profit... http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10102297-92.html --And this was written in 2008 (most recent i could find, from a reliable source), I'm sure it's gone up since then!

I don't mind the delay, simply because I know we're not going to receive a mickey-moused browser full of holes & instability; they're taking the time to do things right, and imo that's always a good thing.

 

[zenpanda]

I was a Firefox user for many years until I tried Google Chrome this year. I'm using an 8 year old computer so I'm always looking for ways to speed up my internet experience. Google Chrome is so much faster than Firefox on my old computer. It was a difficult decision to switch but after many months of using Chrome, I'm happy I switched. I might switch back to Firefox after trying out version 4.0, but the odds are slim. I'm very happy using Chrome now. Time is money... Firefox was sitting on its laurels for too long.

 

[Decimae]

customcarvin said:

You can not expect Mozilla to be perfectly on schedule, especially since they are "not for profit".
Almost all the computers at my house use Firefox and everyone seems to like it (one or two have gone to Google Chrome).
I have not tried any of the betas releases yet, but I might...

Just because you don't pay anything to download the browser, doesn't mean that they don't make profit... In fact Mozilla makes plenty of profit... http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10102297-92.html --And this was written in 2008 (most recent i could find, from a reliable source), I'm sure it's gone up since then!

He wasn't saying Mozilla is a nonprofit, just that Mozilla's focus wasn't profit(not even close).

It's a shame though; I really like FF(mainly because of the customizability); however Mozilla can't help it.

 

[customcarvin]

I was a Firefox user for many years until I tried Google Chrome this year. I'm using an 8 year old computer so I'm always looking for ways to speed up my internet experience. Google Chrome is so much faster than Firefox on my old computer. It was a difficult decision to switch but after many months of using Chrome, I'm happy I switched. I might switch back to Firefox after trying out version 4.0, but the odds are slim. I'm very happy using Chrome now. Time is money... Firefox was sitting on its laurels for too long.

I like Chrome too, and it does seem a little bit more responsive, but one thing is undeniable, it's a memory HOG! vs Firefox it typically uses more than double the memory, and for an old computer with a small amount of RAM, one might experience a bunch of thrashing! Proof: http://lifehacker.com/5457242/browser-speed-tests-firefox-36-chrome-4-opera-105-and-extensions

I'll stick with Firefox for my old PC's thank you. -Not to mention all the add-ons that Firefox has vs Chrome, at this stage anyway.

 

[Rod2709]

Im using the beta and it works fine, much faster than the 3.6 and for compatibility. nothing so far, everything looks and work Awesome!!

 

[customcarvin]

He wasn't saying Mozilla is a nonprofit, just that Mozilla's focus wasn't profit(not even close).

It's a shame though; I really like FF(mainly because of the customizability); however Mozilla can't help it.

I guess i didn't get that, sorry. But, that's only the image they portray, just like any other business organization, you know money is a big factor, especially when it's a large amount such as in this situation. If IE9 takes back market share I doubt Mozilla will be like "that's okay guy's, we're doing it for the community, we're not trying to be #1, we're just trying to have a good game." That's just my cynical opinion though. :-/

 

[frodough]

speed is the number 1 aspect i look for in a browser so Chrome has won me over this year with its extensions and other neat features. i sincerely hope FF makes a comeback with improvement on speed, the current FF still felt heavy (loading tons of stuffs) and i have to say i do love the layout on Chrome everything just seems easier and speedier.

 

[klepto12]

This saddens me a little been waiting on version 4 for a while but ill continue to use firefox no matter the version its been the best browser I've used period.

 

[mikeusru]

Chrome definitely won me over as well, at least on my low-end work laptop. Runs way quicker in ubuntu! If firefox wants to keep up, it will have to at least have a faster mode. All the plugins and buttons are nice when you're a big screen desktop, but users are going mobile, and firefox is behind. Speaking of which, what ever happened to fennec?

 

[DryIce]

Too bad. I haven't been downloading the betas; thought I would just wait for the release version. Might have to change my mind.

 

[Xero07]

Looks like a lot more beta versions are coming too. Kinda wondering what they are working on. I may switch over before the full release though last time i checked a number of my add-ons weren't compatible yet.

 

[madboyv1]

"As part of our commitment to beta users, we will not ship software before it is ready."

If only more software/game companies followed through with such a commitment. lol

 

[sMILEY4ever]

I'm glad they're not realeasing a buggy ff 4. That would SUCK, as most hurried products do.

 

[uttaradhaka]

Personally, I think this is the right move. Because firefox is used by so many users across the world, it has to be stable when it is released. So, waiting two extra months will be worth it. Hope they manage to make the interface a bit faster though, compared to Chrome, it still feels slow..

 

[Archean]

Make perfect sense, but I think there are as many issues / stories as there are users out there who are trying betas. I've used all betas and FF4B6 + IE9B1 are my main browsers, I have few issues with FF4Bs, but luckily and remarkably both these are holding out reasonably and I do use browsers for about half the time each working day. I'd say 'better late, secure, and stable' ... good luck to Mozilla.

 

[ChrisG683]

I really wish they'd get beta 7 out soon. The nightlies are pretty solid, and much improved over beta 6. Mozilla needs all the free good PR they can get.

 

[63Jax]

the most exciting thing for me is gpu acceleration on a web browser

 

[tacobfm]

Well its back to chrome for me. The lack of plugins on Firefox beta bores me :|

 

[Jibberish18]

I KNEW IT! I kept thinking for the last few weeks that it's probably going to be delayed since I hadn't seen any new Betas and today it has been confirmed. This really sucks. I really like Firefox as a browser and it's still my main browser but it is showing signs of its age. I have a 2.0 Ghz Macbook with a Merom .65 nm Core2Duo and it's showing signs of its age as well. The fact that it has a piss poor GPU doesn't help things. I downloaded Chrome and although it's FAST, it is no where near as stable as Firefox. I know theres always Opera but something about Opera always keeps me from liking it. Too complicated.