• PC World
• »Software
• »Browsers & Add-Ons

The first beta test version of the next major upgrade to the popular Firefox open-source browser will be available next week, the Mozilla Foundation has announced.

Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 will be available September 8, according to a posting in the section of the Mozilla Foundation's Web site devoted to developer news.

A second beta version of Firefox 1.5 is currently slated for October 5, according to the posting. The update is running a little later than initial projections that it would become available in late summer.

Meanwhile, Firefox 1.5 Release Candidate 1 is scheduled for October 28. A version described as release candidate is usually the same as a final version that is made available for users to test and discover any remaining bugs.

Enhancements Revealed

Tuesday's posting didn't go into details of what new features and improvements Firefox 1.5 will offer users, but, according to information on the Mozilla Foundation's Web site, some enhancements Firefox developers have worked on in alpha test versions of the upgrade include:

• A software update system to streamline product upgrades
• faster browser navigation
• the ability to reorder browser tabs through drag-and-drop operations
• improved pop-up blocking
• better support for Mac OS X

The Mozilla Foundation didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.

After recently giving the dominant Microsoft Internet Explorer some competition, Firefox has slipped a bit in popularity. However, developers at The Mozilla foundation recently made some organizational changes to further promote the open-source project, such as creating a subsidiary to promote its products.