Mozilla Firefox

Release Notes - Firefox 0.8 (Royal Oak)

A new version of Firefox is available. Click here to see more information about what's new and to download the latest version.

Firefox is a speedy, full-featured browser that makes browsing more efficient than ever before. More information about Firefox is available.

Firefox 0.8 is a Technology Preview. While this software works well enough to be relied upon as your primary browser in most cases, we make no guarantees of its performance or stability. It is a pre-release product and should not be relied upon for mission-critical tasks. See the License Agreement for more information.

These release notes cover what's new, download and installation instructions, known issues and frequently asked questions for the Firefox 0.8 release. Please read these notes and the bug filing instructions before reporting any bugs to Bugzilla.

We want to hear your feedback about Firefox. Please join us in the Firefox forums, hosted by MozillaZine.

What's New

Here are the news in this release of Firefox:

• Windows Installer

  Firefox now comes with an installer for Windows. Aside from making the installation process smoother, the installer also solves some common plug-in problems.

• Download Manager

  The new streamlined download manager keeps your downloads organized without getting in your way. Select Tools > Downloads or press Ctrl+E to see it or change its behavior.

• New Add Bookmark Dialog

  The Add Bookmark dialog has been enhanced and now allows the creation of new bookmark folders.

• Work Offline

  It's now possible to view Web pages you've previously visited without being connected to the Internet.

• Better Handling of File Types

  Binary files (e.g. .wma and .rar files) served by servers incorrectly sending text/plain should no longer be displayed as garbage in the browser, rather they should be appropriately handled.

• New XPInstall Frontend

  The dialog that appears when installing themes and extensions has been redesigned and is easier to use.

• New default theme for Mac OS X

  The Pinstripe theme integrates better on Mac OS X than the Qute theme, used on Windows and Linux.

• Lots of bug fixes and improvements

  Disabling of form auto-completion is now working, the address bar now remembers the edited text across tab switching, among many other bug fixes.

System Requirements

Before installing, make sure your computer meets the system requirements.

Downloading Firefox

mozilla.org provides Firefox binaries for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

Windows: Installer

Linux: GTK or GTK2 + XFT (no installer)

Mac OS X: Compressed Disk Image

Installing Firefox

Once you have downloaded a Firefox installer or compressed archive, follow these instructions to install:

First, if you are running an old version of Firebird or Phoenix, visit the Extensions panel in Tools, Options and disable all of your extensions. If you cannot disable extensions, you must create a new profile before upgrading to Firefox 0.8. If you do not do this, your browser may not work, and you may receive messages like "Cannot create XBL Binding for Browser" or "Cannot create Browser Instance". You must now look for newer versions of your extensions that are described explicitly as being compatible with Firefox 0.8.

Windows

Double click the FirefoxSetup-0.8.exe installer to start the install.

NOTE - If you perform a Custom install and choose to install into a folder in which there are other files, and elect to perform a Clean Install, those other files will be completely removed by the installer. It is strongly recommended that you install into the default location, or create a new folder.

Mac OS X

Double click the Firefox Compressed Disk Image to mount. Your browser may have already uncompressed the image and mounted it for you. Double click the Firefox 0.8 Disk Image and drag the Firefox application onto your hard disk. Drag the icon to your Dock if you want it to appear there.

Other Platforms

Extract the compressed archive and run firefox

Uninstalling Firefox

To uninstall Firefox, follow these instructions:

Windows

From the Start menu, choose Control Panel. When the Control Panel appears, double click Add or Remove Programs. Find "Mozilla Firefox (0.8.)" in the list and click Remove to uninstall.

Mac OS X

Drag the Firefox application to the Trash.

Others

Remove the firefox folder.

These instructions leave your profile in place in case you install Firefox again in the future. If you wish to remove your Firefox profile folder, follow these instructions:

Windows

Locate your Application Data folder, this is usually under Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data. You may need to make hidden files visible in Windows Explorer, since the Application Data folder is hidden. If your username is "Joe", and your Documents and Settings folder is on C:\, your profile folder is here: C:\Documents and Settings\Joe\Application Data\Phoenix. Delete the Phoenix folder to remove your profile data.

Mac OS X

Open the Library folder in your Home folder, and remove the Phoenix folder. (~/Library/Phoenix/).

Other

Remove ~/.phoenix

Known Issues

This list covers some of the known problems with Firefox 0.8. Please read this before reporting any new bugs, and watch it regularly (we'll update it as new bugs are found in the release).

• Firefox utilizes large chunks of Mozilla Application Suite code. Many of the problems you may experience in Firefox are actually problems in this Mozilla core code. If you find a problem with page content or connectivity then it is probably a Mozilla problem and should be reported to the Browser product in Bugzilla, not to the Firefox product.
• Menus and folders on the bookmark toolbar do not always collapse correctly for Firefox users on Windows.
• "Use this theme" checkbox in theme install doesn't function properly and you may have to switch themes by selecting Tools > Options and then clicking on Themes. Also, some themes will not completely switch without a restart.
• Some users have experienced performance problems with the Downloads window - if the Downloads window experiences slow painting, try installing this patch.
• If you install several extensions at a time, you may see some of the installation prompts for a previously installed extension when you install subsequent extensions. It is recommended that you restart the browser after installing each extension to avoid this problem.

For additional issues, FAQs, Tips and Tricks plus general Firefox help be sure to check out David Tenser's very useful Firefox Help site and the firefox forums hosted by MozillaZine.

Troubleshooting

It should not be necessary to create a new profile when you upgrade from a previous version of Firefox providing you do disable all extensions from the prior version before upgrading. To do this, open the old version and open Tools > Options and click the Extensions panel. Click on each of the extensions listed and choose Disable Extension. Click OK to close the Options window. Now it is safe to install Firefox.

Once you have installed Firefox, check to see if there are new versions of all of your extensions that are compatible with the new version, and install them. In the future this process may be automated.

If you enable an extension from an older version of Firebird or Phoenix and it causes problems, run the older version of the browser and disable the extension, then run the newer version again.

If you encounter strange problems relating to bookmarks, downloads, window placement, toolbars, history, or other settings, it is recommended that you try creating a new profile and attempting to reproduce the problem before filing bugs. Create a new profile by running Firefox with the -P command line argument, choose the "Manage Profiles" button and then choose "Create Profile...". Migrate your settings files (Bookmarks, Saved Passwords, etc) over one by one, checking each time to see if the problems resurface. If you do find a particular profile data file is causing a problem, file a bug and attach the file.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What can I do to help?

   We need all the exposure we can get. Make it your mission to convert as many of your friends, family members and coworkers as possible. If you're a student, get it distributed at your college. Submit a story to Slashdot and other news sites about the release. Make some noise on your blog. Mass distribution via the Internet is possible -- look at Kazaa. Spread the word!

2. I use another browser because...

   If you're not using Firefox, tell the development team why. We read the feedback at the Firefox forums.

3. Why haven't you responded to the mail I sent you?

   Use the forums. The Firefox team reads them regularly. We all get a lot of email and your email may get lost.

4. Where can I get themes and add-ons (extensions)?

   Extensions and themes can be downloaded from Firefox Help.

5. Who is working on Firefox?

   Currently Ben Goodger (working for the Mozilla Foundation), Brian Ryner (for IBM), Pierre Chanial, Blake Ross, Dave Hyatt, and the wider community contributing to the Mozilla codebase. Asa Dotzler, Leaf Nunes and a team of QA contacts handle bug triage, releases, and other odds and ends. For full details, see the credits in Help > About.

6. Where's the Firefox source?

   cvs.mozilla.org. Mozilla trunk + mozilla/browser + mozilla/toolkit.

7. Is Firefox just Mozilla with a couple UI tweaks?

   Firefox is substantially different, featuring a number of exclusive features and countless refinements. Over 90,000 lines of code have been added or changed in the browser and toolkit CVS directories since the project began.

8. What happened with the name Phoenix Firebird?

   It had to change because of trademark issues. The new name is Firefox. See the Press Release and the Renaming FAQ for more information.

9. Where is the mail client?

   Many of the current users of the full Mozilla Application Suite are also using it for mail and news. This isn't possible in Firefox since it's a browser only. However, you don't have to give up Mozilla's mail client by switching to Firefox. You can download builds of the new Mozilla Thunderbird mail application, the perfect complement to the Firefox browser.