Firefox Aurora 6 released for testing

Mozilla has released for testing the latest Aurora version of its Firefox browser. New features allow users more control over their browsing, along with improved performance. Firefox's Aurora 6 particularly features an experimental Data Management Window, and an addons manager with plugins check, Mozilla said in a blog post. "Firefox Aurora has additional support for HTML5, DOM level 3, server-sent events, networking technologies and other tools that make it easier for developers build advanced Web apps," it said. The Data Management Window is an experimental feature that provides control over the the access that specific websites have to a user's browsing data. Mozilla said this control extends to cookies, passwords and location information. Its settings can be accessed by typing “about:permissions" in the Awesome (URL) Bar. A second new feature is the Add-ons Manager with Plugin Check, which quickly verifies the compatibility of installed plugins directly from the Add-Ons Manager. The third is Panorama Groups on Demand, which improves browser startup time and overall experience by allowing power Panorama users to load saved tab groups only when using Panorama. "Web developers will also find a new set of tools in this release like Scratchpad, Web Console, Web Developer Menu and more," Mozilla said. It noted the Scratchpad lets developers quickly build and test JavaScript snippets in the browser. Also, Web Console adds the ability to move the console to other parts of the window or break out into a separate window. Web Developer Menu provides access to developer tools from the Firefox Aurora Menu Button, it added. Only last month, Mozilla released the first Beta version of its next-generation Firefox browser, the first under its rapid-release development cycle. Mozilla said the Firefox 5 Beta is the first since it introduced the Firefox Aurora development channel to support more frequent releases. “After five weeks of testing on the Firefox Aurora channel, the next version of Firefox is ready for the beta channel. This release includes the Firefox channel switcher, performance and stability enhancements and support for the new CSS Animations standard to allow developers build more amazing Web experiences," it said in a blog post. The beta release is mostly for developers and testers, as well as early adopters willing to risk encountering some bugs or instability. Mozilla said the shift to a rapid release development cycle delivers cutting-edge Firefox features, performance enhancements, security updates and stability improvements to users faster. Mozilla said the Beta features the new Firefox channel switcher, which lets users move between Firefox Aurora, Beta and Release channels “to test features at various levels of development, quality and polish." The Aurora channel is similar to the Alpha stage of development, where new features are added to the browser but may not yet be stable enough for release to the general public. — TJD, GMA News