Mozilla is looking to crash-proof future versions of its Firefox browser by developing a new feature called Electrolysis that will compartmentalize processes on a tab-by-tab basis – similar to Google Chrome. But that's not the only angle they are taking. Also like Chrome the just-released Firefox 3.7 alpha 2 (which will actually be released as 4.0) has added out-of-process plug-in support, allowing Flash and the like to run in a separate memory compartment so that the browser can gracefully handle any crashes instead of going under itself.
The new Firefox preview also incorporates a number of JavaScript and HTML5 performance improvements, adds support for the WebGL standard and Content Security Policy, partial support of CSS transitions and several other features intended for developers.
Those interested in giving the new features a go and reporting back to Mozilla can use the links below to download. Mac support for out-of-process plug-ins is not available yet, however. Keep in mind that this is a very early preview intended for developers only and should not be used as your primary browser.
Download: Windows | Mac OS X | Linux