Firefox 2.0 delayed until late October

The release date of Firefox 2.0 has been pushed back to 24 October. The Mozilla Foundation has claimed that the additional time is needed in order to rectify some bugs that badly need fixing, including visual refresh, panel preferences, tab overflow, spell check and anti-phishing features.

There are some features in the alpha version of the code that now won't make it into the final release of the popular browser. This includes an improved bookmark and history system. Some of the axed features may, however, find their way into future releases of the browser.

A code freeze of Firefox 2.0 Beta 2 is set to begin on Wednesday at 11:59 pm PDT, with a testing period running from 17 to 22 August, according to the Mozilla Developer's Calendar. Firefox 2.0 was originally slated for a ship release of 15 August.
Beta 2 of the software has also been delayed, with its debut pushed back a week or so to August 23. Whilst these delays may frustrate Firefox fans, the ultimate affect will be the release of a much more stable final product, which will help Firefox to gain a greater browser market share.