[UPDATED] Firefox 3 is ready to go, except on OSX
Posted by Peng on 10 June 2008
[Updated to include new info for Ubuntu users. - Peng]
Mozilla is almost ready to launch Firefox 3, but according to minutes from today’s status meeting there’s one bug affecting the Mac OSX builds that will force a third release candidate. It turns out users upgrading to OSX 10.5.3 are experiencing program hangs that can’t be killed.
Firefox 3 users running Windows or Linux will find that a third RC will be released, but it will be the same as Firefox 3 RC2. I’m not seeing a release date for RC3, but when I see one I’ll post it.
Ubuntu users are still waiting for Firefox 3 RC2, but hopefully it will be available in the hardy-updates repo soon. Updated 11 June 7:34 am: The hardy-update repo now has an update for Firefox 3 labeled version 3.0+nobinoly-0ubuntu0.8.04.1. It shows Firefox 3 as final, although Mozilla has not officially released Firefox 3 yet. Yes, Mozilla has said Firefox 3/Linux is finished, but this blogger can’t help but to think that once again Ubuntu has jumped the gun distributing Firefox 3. First they put out a late beta to all users despite Mozilla’s continued insistence that Firefox 3 beta 5 was not intended for everyone’s use, and now they pull a BetaNews-esque stunt and put out a final version before Mozilla does. WTF, guys? Can’t you at least follow Mozilla’s lead once?
Peng said
I just had to mark a comment spam because it links to a site that as far as I’ve been able to determine has nothing to do with Mozilla Firefox, although the site has a download link that goes through an ad program. If you run a site that claims to be a download site for any software package but isn’t affiliated with the developers of the software I have no choice but to mark them as spam. I have no idea what the commenter is offering but it sure as hell wasn’t software from an official source judging by the link.
anon said
Hi,
The final Firefox 3 is in Hardy Proposed:
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/hardy/+source/firefox-3.0/3.0+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.8.04.1
It’s there so that it can be tested before general release to all Ubuntu users – that’s the purpose of the “Proposed” repository. By putting it in proposed now, the package will be ready for general release on the 17th, when Mozilla will release 3.0. This will let Ubuntu users take part in the excitement of the official release day and hopefully something has been worked out to allow for the Ubunutu update figures to be included in the overall statistics for Firefox downloads.
So I think the Ubuntu devs really are following Mozilla’s lead here.
Peng said
Unfortunately I don’t think you read my update very well. I did say that Firefox 3 final is in hardy-proposed, but you’re missing the point. Mozilla hasn’t released it as final yet, even though it’s finished, so I take issue with Ubuntu saying it’s officially out. It may be a matter of semantics, but once again Ubuntu is jumping Mozilla’s starter’s gun. Even in hardy-proposed, which is a testing area, it’s going out to users as final, which Mozilla hasn’t said it’s officially ready. Why can’t Ubuntu wait for Mozilla to have Firefox 3 ready for all platforms before saying it’s out?