Mozilla has made the first beta version of Firefox 4.0 available for download.
This tuesday Mozilla released an early test version of Firefox 4.0, code-named Minefield. The test version is only meant to be tested by developers and an official beta version will be released within a few weeks.
The current test version provides some insight into the innovations that are planned to be implemented in Firefox 4.0. Among the main innovations we find the ability to place the tabs at the top of the browser, like Google Chrome and Opera.
Firefox 4.0 will be powered by a new engine to handle java script known as JägerMonkey. And just as Microsoft’s upcoming Internet Explore 9, Firefox 4.0 will be using graphics hardware acceleration, wherever possible.
According to a preliminary test performed by PC Magazine, the current test version of Firefox 4.0 is about 23 percent faster than Firefox 3.6, when JavaScript was tested in the benchmark suite SunSpider. Since this is still an early test version, the code is not optimized for speed yet, so the final version is expected to be faster.
Considering the fact that it is an early test version ordinary users should refrain from installing it. Developers who are eager to try, however, can download the latest nightly build here.
The test versions are available for Windows, Mac and Linux. The final version of Firefox 4.0 is scheduled for release at the end of 2010.
