Mozilla released Firefox 4 beta 1. The new browser is faster, looks better and supports Direct2D rendering. Download after break.
Faster
Firefox is using a new Java engine and is catching up on the fastest browser in the world (Opera).
Fancy design
If you’re looking for some Firefox themes, make sure to check out our 50 free Firefox themes
Plugin Manager
Another great advantage will be the new plugin manager that allows you to install new plugins on the fly, so that you don’t have to restart the browser every time you install a new plugin/firefox extension.
Improved privacy
Privacy is a big issue in our digital lives, but Mozilla confronts the issue head on! If you want more control over your private data, Firefox 4 will be your browser. If privacy is a concern, you should clean your index.dat for sure and get rid of flash cookies.
Plugins not compatible with Firefox 4
The downside of Firefox 4 is that you can’t install Firefox 3 and Firefox 4 on the same machine, it will automatically upgrade/downgrade the version. Another problem is that many plugins are simply not compatible with Firefox 4. That’s been the case with many updates so far and won’t change this time, so we have to live with it – I guess you have to keep bugging the plugin author of your favorite firefox extension!
Download Firefox 4 Beta 1
You can download the Firefox 4 beta 1 over at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta
Don’t use Firefox 4 as your main browser. A beta can still be unstable, unsecure and is intended for testing purposes.