Firefox 8 Beta with Twitter Search Now Available for Download
No sooner did Mozilla release its Firefox 7 browser to the public in final form, the browser maker has now made available the next version in beta trim. Such is the way it goes with Mozilla's recently adopted rapid release schedule. Should you rush out and grab the Firefox 8 beta before the paint has even had a chance to dry on FF7?
To help you answer that question, let's take a quick look at what's new in FF8:
To help you answer that question, let's take a quick look at what's new in FF8:
- Twitter Search: The new build adds Twitter as a default search option, so if you're heavy into the microblogging service and keeping up with the latest social networking trends, this could be a valuable addition to your day-to-day surfing. Otherwise, no big deal.
- Restore Tabs on Demand: FF8 lets you choose to load tabs only when selected to help speed up start-up times when lots of tabs are restored.
- Improved Add-On Controls: FF8 users receive a one-time notification to review and confirm third-party add-ons they want to keep, disable, or delete.
- Tab Animations: Not a groundbreaking feature by any means, but it supposedly makes tearing off and re-ordering tabs easier with animated tab movement.
Mozilla also added WebSocket updates, support for an HTML5 native right-click menus, and various HTML5 media elements. The big benefit here is for developers who want to add a bunch of audio and video tidbits without neutering performance.
If you'd rather not play around with beta code, you won't have to wait very long for Firefox 8 to go gold. It's currently scheduled to go live November 8, 2011.
