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13 Jul 2011 By AmyBradney-George

Who Should Get Firefox 5 Beta?

13 Jul

Considering Downloading The Latest Version Of Firefox 5? Here We Look At Everything This New Browser Has To Offer And Who Will Get The Most Out Of It.

Were you considering downloading Firefox 5 Beta? After some 7 previous Beta versions of the program, Firefox has announced production of the final version of Firefox 5 and it is now available for downloading.

The Mozilla developers have been kept very busy over the last few months with the launch of rapid-release cycles, and they hail the program as now having enhancements that make it the best possible browsing experience on the web. They affectionately call the new Smart Location Bar, “the awesome bar” because it adapts to user preferences and offers better fitting matches over time.

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Additionally, the company is now working of Firefox 6 – Beta 1, which will make it the third program version in one year. To help you decide whether you want to download any future Beta versions for testing, here are some things to be aware of and understand.

Be Watchful of Add-Ons When Installing a New Program

Everyone uses the web somewhat differently and Firefox lets users customize their browsers with over 5,000 add-ons. Do you need them all, or even one of them? Read what they are and what they do before allowing them to take up bandwidth, hard disk, and monitor viewing space on your computer. Make it an informed decision.

What is Beta Testing?

Basically, Beta testing means finding and reporting bugs that need to be fixed. Mozilla has built up a network of Beta testers who must sometimes also contend with potential crashes, faulty functions, compatibility errors and the like. Passing Firefox from version 4 to 5, for example, resulted in over 1000 small fixes/optimizations. Once most (or hopefully all) of these problems have been fixed, the program is released for the wider public.

Beware of Sneaky Software Installs

Some sites offer downloads that differ in their installation options. Check all the boxes which are usually already highlighted and uncheck them if you don’t want them. Don’t just blindly click to accept them and be sorry later. When in doubt, make sure you read the publisher's information, expert and user reviews and other relevant resources to keep things running smoothly.