Firefox 2 Alpha 1

[bob3160]

A first look:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Firefox_2_Alpha_1/4505-9241_7-31799144-2.html?tag=nav

[justin1278]

Has anyone tested this new Alpha build yet? I think I will I wonder if it takes up as much memory as the current 1.5 versions. I will test it and post what I think in my next post.

[DavidR]

By all accounts there will be no major memory reductions (some memory leaks are likely to be plugged though) as it is a 'feature' to supposedly speed up page loading (stored in memory) when using the back and forward arrows/icons; the amount of memory used is dependant on the amount of RAM you have.
http://www.squarefree.com/2006/02/04/memory-leak-progress/

There is also talk about extensions not working (and as such would be disabled) with the 2.0 alpha release. The one thing I like about firefox is the availability of extensions to improve productivity and also security. I don't want to go through the grief when I got an early beta of firefox 1.5, so I shall be waiting for a little while (months actually).

http://strangnet.se/blog/2006/02/07/firefox_2_alpha_1_on_friday/

The current schedule for Firefox 2.0 is:

    * 2006/02/10 : Alpha 1
    * 2006/03/10 : Alpha 2 (feature complete)
    * 2006/04/07 : Beta 1 (string complete, feature frozen)
    * 2006/05/05 : Beta 2 (string frozen)
    * 2006/05/26 : Release Candidate 1
    * 2006/06/07 : Release Candidate 2
    * 2006/06/19 : Release Candidate 3
    * 2006/06/27 : Firefox 2

Note the alpha 1 is already over a month late.

[justin1278]

Hello,

This is my first post using Firefox Alpha 1 Codename: Bon Echo.

So far like DavidR said there are no major memory reductions but the memory usage has been cut down. On my system (find info down in my signature) it is using about 25,488 where on Firefox 1.5 it was using 30,000+. In my next post I will post some screenshots on the new features!

[DavidR]

You were doing well with 1.5 if it was only using 30,000+ of memory, currently mine is at 49,552 (VM Size) 60,088 (Mem Usage) and it gets progressively larger throughout the day as you brows different pages, even though I don't use the new feature to speed page loading using the back and forward icons.

[justin1278]

Hi,


I have posted a screenshot of what the tab looks like it is a little more easier to close them as you will notice there is a red X to close it.

[justin1278]

Yes I was but currently the Alpha is using an even smaller amount.

[justin1278]

Hi,

Here are 2 screenshots of the bookmarks toolbar. As you can see there is a magnify Glass like object on the toolbar. The second screenshot shows what it opens.

[justin1278]

Hello,

Here is the last screenshot I am posting. Overall this is a good Alpha but I hope the change the default theme a little this one is old. Maybe an interface similar to IE7 would be nice. 

To try the 1st Alpha release for yourself you can download it at:
http://www.download.com/Mozilla-Firefox/3000-2356_4-10515986.html?tag=lst-0-9

[polonus]

Hi friends,

Why is it that I hear about FF and mem problems, I encountered those at first, but when I use FF from a memstick there are no problems at all. There is no difference between FF 1.05 and Flock in their ported versions, which is quite bewildering. The startup is somewhat slower there, but the surfing is  realy superfast, on a Windows XP Prof SP2.
Anybody an idea why this is?

polonus