| License: | Open Source |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems: | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows 2000, Windows 7 (32 bit), Windows 7 (64 bit), Windows Vista (32 bit), Windows Vista (64 bit), Windows XP |
| Requirements: | |
| Languages: | English |
| Software Cost: | Free |
Only a short time ago, we had to wait over a year for a major new release of any web browser. Often longer. There was a huge gap between Firefox 3 and Firefox 4, with many alphas, betas and numerous release candidates. That was before Google changed the game with Chrome, with rapid releases, quickly switching between stable, beta, dev and Canary.
Recently, Mozilla decided to change the way they would release a new version of Firefox, somewhat mimicking the Chrome release schedule. You can now download this stable version of Firefox, currently v13, from this page, while adventurous users can also check out v14 Aurora and even v15 of Nightly, Firefox's "Canary" build, reserved for the most foolhardy.
What's new in Firefox 13? Version 13 introduces three notable new changes: smooth scrolling is now enabled by default, while there are redesigned Home and New Tab pages.
Firefox’s new Home page (type about:home into the Address bar) provides users with a customised page that includes shortcuts to bookmarks, downloads, add-ons, history, sync, settings and an option for restoring the previous session. This latter feature is another new addition to Firefox’s feature set, and restores all open tabs from a previous browsing session.
The home page, which can be pinned permanently as an app tab for easy access, is fully functional already, but will evolve further in time – Mozilla plans to use it as a portal to the upcoming Apps Market, for example.
Firefox 13 also introduces a redesigned New Tab page that will be familiar to Chrome and Opera users: thumbnail previews of frequently visited sites. On first visit these will appear blank, but as time goes on and you visit said sites, they should start to populate themselves with thumbnail images of the site itself.
Sites can be permanently removed (click X) or pinned to the list, and those who hate the new feature will find a small button in the top right-hand corner that toggles between this new view and the traditional blank tab page.
Note that Firefox 13 is now final and in the stable channel.
Verdict:
