Firefox 3 is months behind schedule but Mozilla has finally released the first official beta of Firefox 3 on Tuesday (20/11/07). Whilst it is a beta, so it has bugs, the release shows some brilliant ideas and improvements to both the user interface and performance that are looking good for the final release, which is due later this year.

Firefox used to be the only real alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but in a month or so the final version of Firefox 3 will be significantly more mature than its predecessors. There is Opera, Internet Explorer 7, Safari 3 in competition and Firefox 3 looks like it will have its work cut out for it.

Many Firefox users have criticised the browser before for it's bloat, memory leaks and dodgy performance issues, but Firefox hopes to change that perception with this release, which is indeed slimmer and sleeker than its predecessors.

Firefox 3 beta 1 is noticeably snappier. Page loads are quicker, and Ajax-heavy sites like GMail refresh almost imperceptibly. Scott Gilbertson - Wired

Firefox 3 (Beta 1) on Mac OSX Leopard