Firefox 4.0 beta 7 with JägerMonkey

Firefox 4.0 beta 7 with JägerMonkey.
Mozilla has released the beta seventh version of Firefox 4, which introduces a new JavaScript engine, called JägerMonkey, and some new to the user experience.

The Mozilla Foundation has taken longer than expected to complete the beta 7 version of its Firefox 4.0 browser. This release represents the next step of the beta 6, which had not brought anything new with respect to beta 5. Here, however, Mozilla has decided to introduce several innovations, so that the beta 7 is feature-rich. All that is present in this beta 7 will also be in the final release of Firefox 4 in early 2011. Will not changes anything in terms of functionality, but also of API and user interface.

We remark immediately that the expected version of Firefox 4.0 beta 7 introduces a new JavaScript engine, called JägerMonkey. According to preliminary tests with the SunSpider benchmark (results are variable depending on the configuration used), the speed improvement JavaScript is actually sensitive than beta 6, and beta 7 with no problems reaching the performance of Google Chrome in its current stable version.

In Firefox 4.0 beta 7, WebGL is enabled by default with Windows and Mac OS X (coming soon in beta for Linux). WebGL an API type OpenGL is for JavaScript to draw 3D objects in a Canvas element. The support thus requires an OpenGL graphics card. For the 2D content, operations additional benefit of hardware acceleration through Direct3D 9 with Windows XP, Direct3D 10 with Windows Vista and 7, and OpenGL on Mac OS X.

The notes version of Firefox 4 beta 7 also announced an improvement in support for OpenType fonts that use the Forms API support for HTML5 to add and validate web forms more easily. Regarding the user experience, new items are added to those naturally appeared in the previous Beta. We recall in particular the Firefox menu button, the new extensions manager, the fusion of the refresh and stop buttons to load the Web page, the integration of Firefox Sync to synchronize data, the new arrangement of the tab on the toolbar addresses, the ability to “pin” a tab in the tab bar, the Panorama feature for managing tab (overview, selection, group).

Firefox 4.0 beta 7 holds some surprises. Panorama now integrates a search box that allows you to search through the open tabs. Its design has been improved. A new notification appears to prompt the user if a password must be stored to enter a new account. Also noticeable is the disappearance of the status bar, and now, when the mouse pointer touches a link hypertext, the target site appears in the address bar.

This bar (or Awesome bar) supplements to the right of a refresh button and off the page and other elements, such as a new animation when you load a card. The timetable for development is still very dense. It makes three other additional beta later this year. The first release candidate is announced for the beginning of 2011, as the final version.