Please note: the Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate is a public preview release intended for developer testing and community feedback. It includes many new features as well as improvements to performance, web compatibility, and speed. We recommend that you read the release notes and known issues before installing this release candidate.

A new version of the Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate is now available for download, containing fixes based on the feedback obtained from the previous release candidate. This updated milestone is focused on providing a preview of the functionality provided by the new features and changes that will be included in Firefox 3.5. A video highlighting some of these new features is also available. Ongoing planning for Firefox 3.5 can be followed at the Firefox 3.5 Planning Center, as well as in mozilla.dev.planning and on irc.mozilla.org in #shiretoko.

Testers can download Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate builds for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux in over 70 different languages. Developers should also read the Firefox 3.5 for Developers article on the Mozilla Developer Center.

Users already running a Firefox 3.5 Beta or Release Candidate can obtain an update to this latest Release Candidate version by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the “Help” menu.

Note: Please do not link directly to the download site. Instead we strongly encourage you to link to this Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate milestone announcement so that everyone will know what this milestone is, what they should expect, and who should be downloading to participate in testing at this stage of development.

The Extend Firefox contest is back challenging developers to make the next great web experience!

This global developer contest awards prizes for developing new Firefox Add-ons for the upcoming production release of Firefox 3.5. Last year’s contest received over 100 add-on submissions of some of the coolest and most innovative add-ons to-date and with Firefox 3.5 really raising the bar in terms of features, you can expect this year’s competition to be intense!

We’ve worked hard to line up great documentation and resources for contestants along with awesome prizes for the winners. Along with MacBook Pro laptops, the contest’s sponsors are providing professional development tools, software and books which are sure to complement any developers toolkit & library!

All entries will be judged by a panel of experts, with Grand Prize and Runner’s Up prize packages awarded for add-ons that take advantage of the new capabilities being introduced in Firefox 3.5 and that demonstrate excellence in user experience, innovativeness, and use of open standards. In addition, we’ve added two new categories this year for the best shopping add-on and the best gaming and entertainment add-on. Hot!

Special thanks to our sponsors, Manning Publications, InformIT, MacroMates, Sofa and ExpanDrive, for offering up some cool prizes and for helping to promote and get the word out to the wider development community!

Extend Firefox 3.5 is open now and runs through October 2nd, 2009.

Official contest rules and information are available at http://www.extendfirefox.com/.

Send in your ideas and join Mozilla at this year’s SxSW for a live discussion of those that catch our attention. See the Mozilla Labs post, excerpted below, for more details:

Here are two ways for you to make a difference:

1. Post an idea anywhere and Tweet its URL to mozconcept any time before the party (see below). The idea can be a mock-up, a prototype, some words, a napkin sketch, a video, anything.

2. Join the Mozilla Labs team at SxSW as we discuss ideas and mock-ups to replace or augment Firefox’s current built-in file uploader. Come take part in the conversation and enjoy some refreshments (read: beer & grub). Join the inventor of Javascript, the lead architect of Ubiquity, the creator of jQuery, and others to discuss how you can prototype your ideas. Expect the usual Firefox swag, some prizes, and merriment.

Details:

Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill

303 Red River St

Austin, TX 78701

Time: 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

March 16, 2009

See you at SxSW!

As part of the Mozilla Corporation’s ongoing security and stability process, Firefox 3.0.7 is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users as a free download from getfirefox.com.

We strongly recommend that all Firefox users upgrade to this latest release. If you already have Firefox 3, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the Help menu.

For a list of changes and more information, please see the Firefox 3.0.7 release notes.

Please note: If you’re still using Firefox 2.0.0.x, this version is no longer supported and contains known security vulnerabilities. Please upgrade to Firefox 3 by downloading Firefox 3.0.7 from getfirefox.com.

The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI) announced that Mitchell Baker is a winner of this year’s Women of Vision Awards in the Leadership category. Mitchell, along with Yuqing Gao, IBM Research, and Jan Cuny, National Science Foundation, will be honored for her accomplishments and contributions as a woman in technology at ABI’s fourth annual Women of Vision Awards Banquet at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose on April 30th, 2009.

The news was announced in a press release issued by The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, excerpted below:

The Women of Vision (WOV) Awards honor women making significant contributions to technology in three categories: Innovation, Leadership, and Social Impact. The three winners were selected from a field of highly qualified women all of whom are engaged in technology professions in industry, academia, NGO’s or government. Candidates for the awards are considered based on their records of (1) consistent, significant contributions to technology invention and application; (2) effecting positive changes in the ways in which technology impacts society; and (3) demonstrated leadership in the technology industry that extends beyond their place of work.

Please join us in congratulating Mitchell in this achievement!

The Bugzilla Project released Bugzilla 3.2.1, which fixes the longest-standing security bugs in Bugzilla, in addition to a few other security issues. These long-standing security issues were public for many years, but it required a lot of re-architecture of Bugzilla before we could fix them.

The Project also released 3.3.2, which has a lot of cool new features, including the ability to hide email addresses from logged-out users.

Additionally Bugzilla 3.0.6 and Bugzilla 2.22.7 were released as security fixes for people still using those older branches.

See Max Kanat-Alexander’s blog, one of the main developers in the Bugzilla Project, for more information on these releases.

As the festive time comes to a close, and we turn our focus to the New Year, you’ve probably already put some thought into your New Year’s resolutions. Whatever you want to achieve, it’s likely to mark a fresh start for 2009. It’s all about enriching your life, but what about considering something a little closer to home? Upgrading your browser software is the best way to enjoy new features and to stay safe online. Help those around you to enjoy a safe and fun online year 2009. Simply ask them to go to http://getfirefox.com , and download the latest version of Firefox. It is as simple as that!

Thanks for using Firefox, and wish you a Happy New Year!

In total, more than 5,000 people cast a vote for their favorite plan.  While “Fox For All” received the most votes, there were several finalists who finished as close runners-up: “How Do You Firefox?” finished in 2nd place (Chicago Booth student team), “Surf On Your Own Turf” finished in 3rd (Haas business school student team), and “My Firefox” by Bruno Fleurquin of France came in 4th.

We’re extremely grateful to all ten finalists.  The degree of hard work and the diversity of ideas contributed by the teams far exceeded all expectations.  Impact Mozilla also succeeded in reaching out to groups not traditionally part of the Mozilla community (e.g., MBA students).

So, where do we go from here?

With respect to our winner, we’ll soon start engaging with Phani and Uttam to discuss possibilities for the implementation of their plan.  For our other finalists, we’ll be sending out swag as a token of our appreciation.  Impact Mozilla has been a wild success, and it couldn’t have happened without the enthusiasm of the community and strong efforts by all participants.

Yesterday Mozilla received the official Guinness World Record certificate for the “largest number of software downloads in 24 hours.”  From 18:16 UTC on June 17, 2008 to 18:16 UTC on June 18, 2008, 8,002,530 people downloaded Firefox 3!

Tristan Nitot, President of Mozilla Europe, accepted the certificate from Gareth Deaves, Records Manager for Internet and Technology at Guinness World Records, on behalf the Firefox Community. The record achievement certificate was awarded in front of a 300 strong community gathering in central London to celebrate the launch of Firefox 3, and the Guinness World Record feat. The event was organized by our friends at Glaxstar.

It’s wonderful to finally have this official document – a great accomplishment for our community and one that we can all be proud. Thank you and Well Done!

Please remember that we’re only counting complete downloads.  If you’re using an early version of Firefox 3, such as a beta or release candidate, you’ll need to download the new Firefox 3 to be counted.

Don’t forget that Guinness would like to see images and videos of our global Download Fests.  Please tag images and videos with “Firefox 3,” “Download Fest,” “World Record,” and “Download Day.”

Thanks for all of the hard work — we’re almost there!