Mozilla has released Firefox 3, a major Mozilla browser release since the launch of Firefox 2 in October 2006. Available today in approximately 50 languages, Firefox 3 is two to three times faster than its predecessor and offers more than 15,000 improvements, including the smart location bar, malware protection and extensive under the hood work to improve the speed and performance of the browser.
“We’re really proud of Firefox 3, and it just shows what a committed, energised global community can do when they work together,” said John Lilly, CEO, Mozilla.


What’s new in Firefox 3: The new Firefox 3 smart location bar, also known as the Awesome Bar learns as people use it, adapting to user preferences and offering better fitting matches over time. The Firefox 3 Library archives browsing history, bookmarks and tags, where they can be easily searched and organised. One-click bookmarking and tagging make it easy to remember, search and organise websites. The new full-page zoom displays any part of a Web page, up close and readable, in seconds.


Firefox 3 is built on top of the new Gecko 1.9 platform, resulting in a safer, easier to use and more personal product. Firefox 3 now uses less memory while it’s running, and its redesigned page rendering and layout engine means users see Web pages two to three times faster than Firefox 2.


Firefox 3 also raises the bar for security. The new malware and phishing protection helps protect from viruses, worms, trojans and spyware to keep people safe on the Web. Firefox 3’s one-click site ID information allows users to verify that a site is what it claims to be. Mozilla’s open source process leverages the experience of thousands of security experts around the globe.


Everyone uses the Web differently, and Firefox 3 lets users customise participating in online auctions, uploading digital photos, seeing the weather forecasts and listening to music, all from the convenience of the browser. The new Add-ons Manager helps users to find and install add-ons directly from the browser.


The Mozilla servers have been experiencing problems due to high demand for Firefox 3. This actually delayed the full release of Firefox 3 by more than an hour. According to a Mozilla Developer News weblog post, Firefox 3 is being downloaded more than 14,000 times a minute. With the launch of Firefox 3, Mozilla is hoping to set a Guinness World Record for the most downloads in 24 hours.


Mozilla Firefox 3 is available now for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X operating systems.