Mozilla Introduces Firefox 1.5 and Ups the Ante in Web Browsing
New automatic update system makes Firefox an "install once and forget it" application for all types of Web users
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - Nov. 29, 2005 - One year after the debut of Firefox 1.0, and more than 100 million downloads later, Mozilla Corp. today released Firefox 1.5, the latest version of its acclaimed open source Web browser, available now as a free download from
www.getfirefox.com. Firefox 1.5 builds upon the success of its predecessor to deliver an improved browser with significant performance and usability upgrades, security and privacy enhancements, best-in-class support for Web standards, and greater customization options.
“With dozens of enhancements, Firefox 1.5 will draw many new users to the improved Web experience it affords,” said Mitchell Baker, CEO of Mozilla Corporation. “Firefox is proof of our passion for promoting choice and innovation on the Web and making the Internet accessible and productive. Firefox 1.5 is the easiest browser to install, use, customize, and keep up-to-date and secure.”
New and Improved Features
Firefox 1.5 has been enhanced in several key areas:
User Experience
New "drag and drop" feature for tabbed browsing helps to better organize page viewing.
Improved pop-up blocker screens users from more unwanted pop-up ads.
New reference search engine Answers.com is now included in the integrated Search box.
Improved Live Bookmarks feature enables easier discovery of and subscription to RSS feeds.
Improved Options interface makes it easier to adjust browser settings.
Security and Privacy
New Automatic Update system alerts users and prompts them to act when security and functionality updates become available, allowing users to have the most up-to-date browser at any time. With Automatic Updates, Firefox 1.5 is ready for even the newest Web surfer or computer user, because it essentially makes Firefox an “install once and forget it” application. Firefox takes care of security updates for you.
New Clear Private Data tool simplifies maintaining privacy. Users can clear all private information, such as history and form entries, via one easily accessible settings window.
Performance and Accessibility
Improved performance with a next-generation rendering and layout engine that speeds navigation between previously viewed Web pages through intelligent caching and displays complex Web pages more accurately.
New capabilities contributed by IBM that make it easier for the aged or mobility and sight-impaired to navigate the Web. The browser can now be used with technology that reads Web content aloud; allow users to navigate with keystrokes rather than mouseclicks; and reduce the tabbing required to navigate documents such as spreadsheets.
Extensibility/Customization
The browser remains easy to use, in part by not loading it down with a “jack of all trades, master of none” approach to features and functionality. Instead, Firefox integrates the most used technologies into the browser itself, while allowing users to add specific functionality through third-party extensions to the browser.
Developers have already created more than 700 extensions for Firefox, with many more expected in the weeks following today’s release.
