Aurora

While some solid changes to JavaScript rendering and other under-the-hood code have landed in the latest Firefox developer's build, the bulk of what's new focuses on the second version of the recently introduced Android version of Aurora. Aurora 9 for Android includes some big interface changes designed to improve its usability on tablets, support for native camera apps, faster start-up times, and broader language support.

Firefox 9 Aurora can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and Android.

Firefox 9 Aurora for Android debuts some sweeping interface improvements. The Back button is now attached to the location bar, … Read more

Mozilla upgraded its developer's edition of Firefox today to version 8, including changing how forced third-party add-ons are handled and debuting a series of under-the-hood tweaks that continue a renewed assault on performance gains made in Firefox 7 Beta. Firefox 8 Aurora can be downloaded for Windows, Mac and Linux, and it marks the first release of Aurora for Android.

Two add-on changes were revealed last week that represent, for the first time in possibly years, that Mozilla has forced changes on how third-party programs and Firefox interact. Basically, Mozilla is disabling the ability of a third-party program, like … Read more

The latest developer's build of Firefox launched today, bringing hope to the small but vocal minority of Firefox stable users who have been plagued by the browser's persistent memory and performance problems that Mozilla is not ignoring their complaints. Firefox Aurora 7 can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and includes changes that Mozilla said in a blog post announcing the release will result in 30 percent less memory use "for many users."

Another big memory usage change comes to the "garbage collector" process, which, when working properly, cleans out from your system … Read more

Mozilla updated its bleeding-edge browser Firefox Aurora to version 6 just before the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S., finally giving Firefox fans the same range of in-development browsers that have been easily accessible to Chrome users for some time. Firefox Aurora 6 can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, Linux, and like its Google counterpart Chrome dev, it offers fewer major changes than what people are used to, but it offers them more often.

In a blog post, Mozilla said that this first release of Firefox Aurora 6 includes an improved add-ons manager that comes with a plugin check … Read more

Mozilla released a beta version of Firefox yesterday, its first on a new quick-release plan intended to bring features to browser users and Web developers sooner.

Firefox 5 beta's big new feature is support for CSS animations, which let Web developers add some pizzazz to actions such as making dialog boxes pop up or switching among photos. Also in the new version is canvas, JavaScript, memory, and networking, according to the release notes and bug-fix list.

That may not sound like a dramatic overhaul for a whole new version number, and indeed it isn't. Mozilla is following in … Read more

Just a few weeks after the first release of Firefox Aurora, Mozilla's "developer's" build of Firefox, the browser maker debuted a switch that lets users switch on the fly among Aurora, Beta, and Release versions of the browser.

Released in today's Aurora update (download for Windows | Mac | Linux), the benefit of the built-in channel changer is that users who want to see what's coming in future versions of Firefox can now do so without having to download a separate installer. Change the channel and restart the browser, and the version that opens ought to … Read more

Somewhere between a nightly and a beta lies Firefox Aurora, Mozilla's first public browser under its new publishing schedule. Announced yesterday, Firefox Aurora for Windows (download), Mac (download), and Linux (download), is most analogous to the intent behind the Google Chrome developer's channel (download Windows | Mac | Linux): to provide a place where users who don't mind browser instability can test out new features, and contribute feedback to the developers.

Mozilla is now running all four of the browser builds that it mentioned in this blog post: Minefield, or the nightly test builds; the new Aurora; the beta … Read more

Liquid fuels is one of the biggest markets in energy, but a quicker path to profitability for algae companies may well pass through the supermarket.

Aurora Algae on Monday announced it has changed its name from Aurora Biofuels and is now targeting a broader set of products than biodiesel.

The Alameda, Calif.-based company has worked for four years isolating and enhancing strains of algae it plans to grow in open ponds. A year ago, Aurora's focus was biofuels, but now it intends to farm algae for pharmaceuticals, food, and animal feed.

Among the planned products are Omega-3 fatty … Read more

Microsoft on Monday released an updated test version of its next home server product, code-named Vail. Notably, the server software can now manage and backup Macs, in addition to Windows PCs.

Microsoft announced the update to Vail, along with the availability of a test version of its new Aurora small business server on its server Web site.

Aurora, which is apparently also getting Mac support, is designed to allow businesses to handle some tasks, such as print server functions on a local server while also tapping into Microsoft's hosted Web services for other tasks, such as e-mail. Microsoft detailed its plans … Read more