Fx 3: Downloading Across Sessions Coming

The upcoming Fx 3 M8 (Milestone) release due out later this month will allow users to not only pause and resume downloads, but do so across sessions. Currently, if you are downloading a large file and need to shut-down Firefox your choices are either wait until the file is done downloading or shut down Firefox and lose the file you were downloading. With Fx 3, users will be able to pause the download, shut down Firefox, restart Firefox later resume the download right where they left off.

New Source: Mozilla Links

New Fx ‘First Run’ Page

Mozilla has finally updated the page Firefox displays when you launch for the very first time (or start with a new profile). According to Percy at Mozilla Links, “But it happens to be very important for Mozilla’s goal to increase user retention, so a team was formed to improve the previous version and create a new one that highlights a small number of Firefox features: the search bar, extensions, security and tabs.”

Percy goes on to say, “I guess everyone has its preferences but I am not sure if tabs should be the first one listed. If it’s interpreted by the first time user as “this is our most innovative feature” and he happens to be an Internet Explorer 7 users, we can probably count him out. I think the spell checker and session restore (even if just mentioned as a tabbed browsing sub-feature) could do a great job in capturing new users’ attention.”

I have to agree with Percy on this one, ‘Tabbed Browsing’ is not that ‘big’ of a feature now. IE7 has it as does Netscape 8 & 9, Opera and just about any other browser now. If I were to have reordered the buttons I would have put them in this order:

1. Making Firefox Your Own
2. Staying Secure Online
3. Search Made Simple
4. Keep Tabs on Your Web

The main feature I have always (and still do) like about Firefox is it is not IE!…okay that’s not really a feature. What I really like about Firefox is being able to customize (or make it my own) with the add-ons. Some can say add-ons are that unique of a feature anymore since other browsers are getting them as well. However the Mozilla based browsers (Firefox, Netscape, Flock, Epiphany, etc.) have the best and most diverse selection of add-ons.

Still, got give credit to Mozilla for finally redesigning the ‘first run’ page, even if their choice of top features is a little lacking.

Out of this list of four, what do you think is the top feature? Or was there are feature that Mozilla should have included instead of these four? Come join the discussion at The Firefox Extension Guru’s Forum.

News Source: Mozilla Links