The Snail Moves:

Mozilla Milestone 0.9 Browser-Suite Released

Mike Angelo -- 7 May 2001(c)

The Mozilla Organization released the Milestone Mozilla 0.9 edition of its Mozilla browser-suite today as it crawls ever closer to Mozilla 1.0. The Mozilla Milestone 0.9 browser-suite is cross-platform (XP) and open source. Builds are available for the Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, and several UNIX platforms. Source code is available if you want to custom compile your own Mozilla Milestone 0.9 build.

The Mozilla Organization Roadmap and development plan calls for Mozilla Milestone 0.9 to have been released to the public April 23, 2001 -- two weeks ago. However, it was not released until today. For more information about that please see Mozilla Milestone 0.9 Behind Schedule -- Mozilla's March to 1.0 Slows to Snail's Pace.

Mostly, the changes in this pre-1.0 edition of the Mozilla browser-suite are behind-the-scenes improvements in performance and stability. There are also lots of bug fixes in Mozilla 0.9. However, there still are many unfixed bugs in Mozilla too.

Some new, visible, features previously added for March's Mozilla 0.8.1 edition are a hierarchical history, a routine to un-install themes, and some Gopher support. There also are lots of changes to ChatZilla, the Mozilla-based chat client in that release. For more information about the features added or improved in the Mozilla .0.8.1 browser-suite Milestone, please see Lizard On The Move: Mozilla Milestone 0.8.1 Browser-Suite Released.

Here is what the Milestone 0.9 Release Notes list as new in 0.9:

• Automatic Proxy Configuration has been implemented.
• Personal Security Manager 2.0 with improved performance and new UI.
• MailNews front end has been overhauled with a huge performance improvement.
• Browser and Mail now utilize a new cache, and new viewmanager for improved performance and correctness.
• Late loading of java has been implemented for improved startup performance and footprint.
• New Help Viewer for Mozilla. Right now it contains starter documents donated from Netscape 6. It still needs work to clean it up and add Mozilla content. Contact Ian Oeschger and the mozilla documentation newgroup if you'd like to help.
• Long-click means of invoking contextual menus on Mac now implemented.
• Image rendering library was rewritten from scratch for increased preformance.

In April, the Mozilla Organization changed its development-tree diagram to push a projected Mozilla 1.0 release back to September 2001 or later. That tree diagram anticipates at least three, 0.9.x Milestone releases before there is a Mozilla 1.0 release.

For more information about the Roadmap revisions, please see More Mozilla Roadmap & Development Plan Changes: Mozilla 1.0 Pushed Back to Q3 2001.

The new Netscape 6 browser-suite is based upon the cross-platform (XP) Mozilla browser-suite. AOL/Time-Warner's Netscape division released its Netscape 6.01 browser-suite minor upgrade 8 February 2001.

There has been some rumor of an NS 6.5 beta around, however, we have been unable to confirm there being an NS 6.5 beta at this time. Nevertheless, NS 6.5 likely will hit the netwaves at or before the release of Mozilla 1.0. We would not be surprised to see an NS 6.5 beta hit the scene at or about the time Mozilla Milestone 0.9.1 is released.

"The milestones are intended to be periodic check points for progress on the project, stability of builds, porting status, and are entry points for additional mozilla (sic) contributors to provide testing and engineering help on the project." (Project Sea Monkey http://mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/)

Nevertheless, pre-Mozilla-1.0 development builds now are pretty much features-complete, stable, and usable. Mozilla development work now is focused on bug squashing, improved stability, and better performance. Browser-wise, we find current Mozilla Milestone releases good enough for regular use. We also find the latest Mozilla Milestones to be better, browser-wise, than Netscape 6.0.

MozillaQuest Magazine is giving the Mozilla 0.9 builds a preliminary try out now. Check back for more information soon. In the meantime, if you want to test drive the brand new Mozilla 0.9 builds now, we recommend that you install Mozilla 0.9 in it own directory, that you do not get rid of your current browser(s), and that you do not set Mozilla 0.9 as your default browser -- yet.

0.9 Download Links

Here are the FTP download links for Mozilla 0.9 for you readers that cannot wait to try Mozilla 0.9.

Linux Builds

Windows Builds

Macintosh Builds

All Builds

Mozilla 0.9 Source

Release Notes

Resources

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