Firefox 9 Final Available, Get It Before Anyone Else
December 20th is the official Firefox 9 final release date. The browser has been uploaded to Mozilla's ftp server prior to release. It is currently distributed to Mozilla's first and third party distribution network to ensure a fast and uninterrupted distribution to Firefox 8 users.
I have covered all Firefox 9 changes back when the Aurora version of the browser was released. Aurora versions on the other hand are not always what final users can expect from the browser.
The biggest new feature that Mozilla introduces in Firefox 9 is Type Inference which improves JavaScript performance significantly by using inferred type information. Mozilla noted that the new feature can speed up the browser's JavaScript performance by up to 30%. Users will usually see less than that percentage though in their day activities.
The developers furthermore have added support for font-stretch, improved support for text-overflow and improved overall standards support for HTML5, MathML and CSS.
Mac OS X Lion users benefit from the new two finger swipe navigation and improved theme integration.
The release notes list several stability enhancements and bug fixes that have made their way into the browser (check the complete list of changes for details, linked on the release notes page).
Most Firefox users can probably wait the day until the browser is officially released by Mozilla. Users can then update Firefox with the browsers automatic update feature, or by downloading the new version from the official website.
Firefox users who experience issues with the current stable version, for instance crashes, may want to install the new version as soon as possible to resolve the issues.
Those users can download Firefox 9.0 Final from third party websites such as Softpedia. Please note that Softpedia only hosts the English version of the browser.
Have you tried Firefox 9 yet? If so, what's your impression of the new version?
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As usual, the upgrade included cosmetic changes that suck. To restore the mutilated URLs in the navigation bar, go to about:config, find “browser.URLbar.trim.URLs” and toggle it off. To put the tabs back where they belong, right click on the menu bar and de-select “Tabs on Top.” The Clear Private Data extension is dead, but AskForSanitize seems to replace its functions 1:1. Sadly, the status bar seems to be gone for good.
On the performance front, 9.01 for Linux (9.0.1+build1-0ubuntu0.10.04.2) seems to be faster and less memory intensive than its predecessor, at first glance. On the whole, this upgrade mildly sabotages the UI for clueless lusers, but works OK for folks who RTFM and STFW.
(I think I just coined a new standard acronym: STFW = Search The Freakin’ Web.)
Dhark01 replied on 21 Dec 2011
Hi there!
Just set the following parm in about:config to false
and you’ll have you’re icons back ;-)
image.mem.decodeondraw
Thanks to Dhark01 from Forefox 9.0.1 comments on MacUpdate!
I assume that you’re referring to the MAC version of Firefox 9.01,Whitebuck, as there is a Bookmarks Icon, on the Menu bar in the Windows version.
There are some serious concerns regarding Firefox and the direction Mozilla is taking with this Browser.
The numerous rapid releases have the users concerned and frustrated!
It’s been steadily losing market share and (Google) Chrome is giving Firefox some stiff competition, to the point where many FF users have switched to Chrome!
No need to worry, as I’m quite certain that Mozilla has it’s head(s) on straight and have some strategies in place for the future of it’s Browser!
FYI, Mozilla has just released Firefox 9.01, one day after Officially releasing 9 Final!!
What gives? :)
Thanks Steve, it happens fairly often I’d say (7.0.1 was rushed as well).
9.0.1 and still no icons in Bookmarks on Menu Bar! Very juvenile decisions being made at Mozilla, they obviously need some adult supervision! Numerous Reports on this Site, Macupdate and Firefox Feedback of same issue. Frustratingly disappointed!
For sure. Probably a bug fix that didn’t make it to Version 9.
Again, I got this from the Mozilla ftp site, so it may not be posted on the Official site, yet!
Mozilla finally released the Official Firefox 9 and all is well!
Can’t see any differences or improvements from the Release that I got from their ftp site, last Saturday!
Upgraded to FF9 today, all my add-ons compatible except for those from Kaspersky IS (always 1 week+ late so disabled for now).
Other than that, not noticed any difference as all the changes were under the hood. The JS speed improvement may help on some sites but difficult to tell so far.
I think it’s a good change to NOT introduce more new UI changes/features just yet – concentrate on back end performance for a while and work on no-restart add-on support and automatic FF updating…
I agree! Kaspersky Labs are always slow updating their features, in spite of me posting the requests to hurry up!
Oh well, a day or 5 don’t really hurt anything! :)
Just found out that this is Not the “official” Final release and there still could be some changes made before it gets posted on the Mozilla (Firefox) site.
It stopped showing in Wipe 2012 and I sent an inquiry e-mail to the developers who responded accordingly.
Have to check Wipe for updates!
9.0 piece of junk! I told Mozilla 7 times as did others on their feedback site, that 99% of the Bookmark icons in the Bookmarks on the Menu Bar, are gone! To release the 9.0 final version with this bug still present in the Mac version, which is not present in the Windows version, is Inexcusable Idiocy! Had to Uninstall and reinstall 8.01, for the sixth time! May, be forced to switch browsers, if Mozilla continues to ignore Mac users or it’s users! Very disappointed and unbelievable!!! I blame part of this problem on Apples piece of crap Lion, I will continue to use 10.6.8 until they rectify, their horrible miscue! Wake up Mozilla and Apple!!!
Price to pay for using a Mac, so it seems!
No issues with the Windows version!
Official Link For Firefox 9: http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-9.0&os=win&lang=en-US
Still shows as 8.01, here, anyways!
The guys from Mozilla ruined the best browser ever with version 4 so I was forced to switch to SeaMonkey (which uses the same great Gecko engine but allows more customization and the GUi is not ruined).
Firefox has been crippled in every possible way since version 4 (the beginning of Firefox downfall):
– preposterous version numbering- it is absurd to release buggy versions without thorough testing, it is absurd to try to catch up with Google Chrome version numbers, it is absurd to torture add-on developers- most of them develop add-ons in their free time so they cannot keep to this crazy release contest with Google Chrome and as a result many add-ons turn out to be incompatible with every new Firefox version.
– removal of everything useful, for example- RSS icon from the URL bar. The classic Status Bar has been removed and replaced with the terrible add-ons bar (the +(close) button is just idiotic, the visible bars could be customized from Options menu). So users are given no options to customize the browser. Firefox developers (Asa Dotzler and the like) are deaf to users’ opinions, suggestions and feedback and it seems that their target group is not the power users but the ignorant masses (an example of their absurd logic- only 10% of Firefox users use RSS feeds, so then let’s remove it entirely from the URL bar with no option of enabling it, which will have only one effect- those who has been utilizing it will suffer while those who have never been aware of what RSS means will most likely not notice the difference at all).
– imitating other browsers’ GUIs- copycatting from Opera and Google Chrome will not make those who prefer Opera and Google Chrome like Firefox and switch to it. On the contrary, those who have been using Firefox for years will be disappointed since one of the reasons of choosing Firefox has been its GUI. As a result of the GUI change Firefox lost its identity.
– removal by default of http:// – this is sheer idiocy since it prevents users from copying/sharing/saving/publishing the exact URL address of a web page.
– with every new release Firefox becomes more and more resource-hungry, less stable and slower.
I can elaborate more on Firefox collapse but I don’t have the time. In brief- Firefox looks like Opera/Google Chrome now but performs much worse- it starts slower, loads pages slower, crashes often, it has been stripped of functionality and customization options, with every new release there is a large number of add-ons that would not work being incompatible, and has adopted a ludicrous version numbering (for less than a year the version number doubled- for 7 years of development Firefox has reached version 3.6+ and for 9 months it accumulated to 9/10) that does not illustrate the actual development.
Before version 4 I recommended Firefox to everyone and installed it to my friends’ machines. I do this no more.
Yes, good browser but still have an issue with Captcha Codes and no ability to display.If anyone have a solution for this please post it.Firefox is loaded without any addons and even in safemode issue is persistent.
I have been using 9 and 10 for a long time now and they are just blazing fast. They don’t suck in any way and if the crashing problem persists, it’s up to faulty add ons.
More on http://www.facebook.com/browser.wars
9.0 is still beta. Firefox team goofed.
Firefox is one of the better internet browsers out there and i’m using it from version 1. I think my firefox browser will auto update to this one?
really , i had it like 2 months ago
http://www.tipsotricks.com/2011/10/download-firefox-9-alpha-2-aurora-10-0-alpha-1-nightly.html
You understand that Aurora is not the same as Firefox Stable, right.
He should know the differences by now! :)
Got it last Saturday from the ftp site.
Works well, as always! Just waiting for Thunderbird 9 to get out of Beta!
A few hours ago http://www.majorgeeks.com/ also only hosts the English version of the browser.