Software Update: Mozilla Firefox 29.0 Beta

As we are used to from Mozilla, the first beta release of the next version has already appeared shortly after the release of a stable version of the Firefox web browser. In version 29, which if all goes well will be available on April 29, we will see some adjustments to the user interface, which is called the Australis theme. For example, there is a new menu that gives access to the most important functions and it has been made easier to adjust the interface. Furthermore, Firefox Sync has also been overhauled and will have to be migrated to a Firefox account. Below is an incomplete overview of the improvements that we can expect in version 29.

New

• A set of new improvements to the Firefox user interface (learn more)
• An interactive onboarding tour to guide users through new changes
• A redesigned and improved customization mode
• The ability to set up Firefox Sync by creating a Firefox account (learn more)
• Gamepad API finalized and enabled (learn more)

Changed

• navigator.plugins is no longer enumerable, for user privacy

Developer

• ‘box-sizing’ (dropping the -moz- prefix) implemented
• SharedWorker enabled by default
• CSS3 variables implemented
• enabled
• implemented and enabled
• Promises enabled by default
• Console object available in Web Workers
• Add-on bar has been removed, content moved to navigation bar
• Enabled ECMAScript Internationalization API

Fixed

• Echo cancellation on apprtc.appspot.com fails (974537)

Known Issues

• Text Rendering Issues on Windows 7 with Platform Update KB2670838 (MSIE 10 Prerequisite) or on Windows 8.1 has a workaround (see 812695)

The following downloads are available:
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 beta for Windows (English)
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 beta for Linux (English)
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 beta for OS X (English)
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 Beta for Windows (English)
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 Beta for Linux (English)
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 Beta for OS X (English)
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 beta for Windows (Frisian)
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 beta for Linux (Frisian)
Mozilla Firefox 29.0 beta for OS X (Frisian)

Mozilla Firefox 29.0 beta screenshot. Click on the image for a larger version.