Firefox 3 to Launch Today

By Geoff Duncan Published June 17, 2008

Firefox 3 to Launch Today

The Firefox 3.0 browser is scheduled for release today, and while it isn’t quite online yet as of this writing, the Mozilla folks are hopeful the new browser will make a splash: the debut of the browser be be audited in an attempt to set a Guinness world record for the most software downloads in a 24 hour period.

Firefox 3 sports a variety of new features, including significantly improved performance (Mozilla is claiming the new release will be seven times faster than Internet Explorer and three to four times faster than previous editions of Firefox), single-click bookmarking, a smart location bar, and improved security features that warn users about expired certificates, site forgeries, and malware. The release will also see improved password management, a new download manager, better security for add-on updates, a full-page zoom feature, and other new features.

Recommended Videos

Mac and Linux users may be pleased to see Firefox 3.0 has attempted to make itself behave more like a native application, although release candidates for Mac OS X have garnered about the same amount of criticism as previous versions for failing to honor Mac OS user interface conventions and user interface elements.

Firefox 3.0 is available for free; downloads via the Web (not FTP) will be counted toward the world record attempt. Firefox is currently the second most-popular browser on the planet, behind Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

The new Surface Laptop beats the MacBook Air in every way but one

The Surface Laptop 7th Edition on a white table.

The Surface Laptop was always meant to be a proper MacBook Air competitor. It had the sleek design and branding to pull it off, but was always lacking in performance and battery life to compete.

With the move to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips and Copilot+, though, there was a renewed hope that the Surface Laptop 7th Edition could not only compete with the MacBook Air M3 -- but actually defeat it. To my own surprise, after spending some time with the device, I'm convinced it may be the best Surface device ever made.
Specs and configurations

Computing

Some updates coming to macOS 15 aren’t just about AI

Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air on a desk, with macOS Sonoma running on its display.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is coming up soon, and everyone's expecting a huge announcement around AI. But don't worry, according to a report from AppleInsider, there are some practical tweaks coming to macOS 15 that are in the works. Notably, the System Settings app is set to receive the biggest changes, with other menus and app UIs also expecting some rearranging.

The last update to the Settings app happened with macOS Ventura, changing the name from System Preferences to System Settings and shifting to an iOS-style design, a change that ruffled the feathers of diehard Mac users. This time, the organizational system will reportedly be based on "priority and overall importance."

Computing

4 high-end features Windows laptops still have over MacBooks

Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 9 top down view showing tablet and pen.

Apple's MacBook lineup has exploded over the last several years, with its Silicon chipsets offering class-leading performance and efficiency. The MacBook Pro, in particular, is faster than many Windows laptops, longer-lasting than most, and has an excellent mini-LED display. There are many good reasons to choose a MacBook over a Windows laptop in today's market.

But all isn't lost for the Windows platform. Even aside from the upcoming Snapdragon X Elite laptops that look to be competitive, there are still some more basic features that you can only get on a Windows laptop at the moment. Here are the four that I keep coming back to.
Windows Hello