Mozilla Firefox 1.5

Mozilla Corporation - Home of the Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email client

It's been a year since Firefox 1.0 was released and although it hasn't shown it's age it's still time for an update.

What was previously slated to be Firefox 1.1 was bumped up to Firefox 1.5. This new version has a whole lot of new features and security enhancements. You should peruse the release notes if you're still wondering why you should update.

Mozilla Firefox 1.5 Release Notes

Mozilla has a way of coinciding their releases with big Microsoft Corporation releases. I'm not the only one who's noticed this. I just wonder if it's done intentionally or not.

Last year's Firefox 1.0 launch was November 9th. The same day Microsoft released Halo 2. This year's 1.5 launch of the browser was November 22nd. The same day Microsoft released the Xbox 360.

I'm not really sure what that means, but it's worth pointing out.

One big change between 1.0 and 1.5 has nothing to do with the browser itself. It has to do with the website you download it from.

Traditionally Firefox downloads were routed through Mozilla.org. The not for profit organization set up by the Netscape founders.

This time around the downloads originate from Mozilla.com. The corporate, for profit branch of Mozilla.

I'm not sure what that means either, but it's also worth noting.

The browser is still free of course. It's just interesting that Mozilla decided to switch domains. I suppose they may be moving in a new direction which will allow them to make a little money. They're certainly entitled to it.

I do not believe any money will be made from users however. I expect Mozilla will just tweak their current policies a little.

Historically the search engines which appear in the built-in drop down list were not randomly selected. They were added through a pay-inclusion system. This would let Mozilla make a little cash to help continue development of the browser.

One of - if not the largest donor to the Mozilla Foundation over the past few years has been Google. I suspect they may have had some hand in the switch from Mozilla.org to Mozilla.com as well. I don't know why or how though. It's just a feeling I get.

If you've read the release notes, or you're just ready to "Jump In" then go ahead and download Firefox 1.5 now and check it out. All of your settings, bookmarks, and everything else in your profile will migrate seamlessly.

Not all 1.0 extensions have been updated for 1.5 yet. However the developers are working overtime to make sure they're up to date soon. When you install 1.5 it will automatically check Mozilla Update for newer versions of your extensions and apply them automatically if they're available.

Chances are everything will work right out of the box. Developer previews of 1.5 have been available for months. If the extension you like best hasn't been updated to work then it's most likely some lazy programmer's fault.

I've been testing Firefox 1.5 for months and months now so there isn't much new for me. I'm still impressed by the new Gecko engine every day though. I've bounced back and forth between 1.0 and 1.5 a few times. The web pages load much faster in 1.5. If I had to guess I'd say it's at least double the speed of the previous version.

That's all I've got for now. If you haven't upgraded yet then now's the time. You'll love all of the new things, and everything you loved before is still there too. Only better.

Download Mozilla Firefox 1.5