A new version of Firefox 4 Beta was released which proves to be faster than the previous build. As a self proclaimed Firefox addict I spent most of yesterday playing with the new beta to judge the performance gains.
The new version is clearly faster when running Javascript thanks to the JagerMonkey ‘just-in-time' compiler. There is also more support for hardware accelerated graphics. Hardware acceleration has been added for Mac OS X and Windows XP. Mozilla have also said that Firefox 4 Beta includes support for WebGL, a standard technology for running 3D graphics in a browser without requiring a plug in.
I have found that many pages load faster, especially those more intensive designs which could lag a little. We especially like the addition of DirectX hardware acceleration technology in Windows and OpenGL within Macintosh OSx.
The popularity of Firefox continues to grow and is the second most popular browser online, behind Microsoft's Internet Explorer. IE9 public beta has been received with mixed feedback from the public and press.
KitGuru says: If you are a Firefox lover, then be sure to check out the latest beta, we loved it.
I decided to play with this as I didnt know it was out. seems brilliant, I hope other people give it a shot. it doesnt really feel like a ‘beta’. no crashes yet.