Nightly builds of Firefox are a rough work in progress, but the version I tested, Firefox 3.7 alpha 6, was surprisingly stable.
Touring the Minefield
Using it will give users a preview of what's to come in Firefox 4
HTML5 support, now with WebM
Firefox 4 is expected to have broad support for HTML5, and support for the HTML5 audio and video codec WebM that debuted just last week in version 3.7 alpha 4. For those curious to test it out, Google has posted a way to
try out any WebM-enabled browser for yourself.
Always on the move
The nightly builds receive regular updates. Here we can see the new add-ons manager in Firefox 3.7 alpha 5.
New add-on manager
Here, new labels debut for Firefox 3.7 alpha 6, released just a few days after alpha 5. Upcoming versions of Firefox will let you manage
your add-ons from a new about:addons window.
Mozilla intends its next-generation plug-in architecture to debut in Firefox 4, but it hasn't appeared in the nightlies yet. You can add it to both nightlies and more stable versions of Firefox as an add-on called
Jetpack.
Optional tabs on top
The new "menubar button" design includes an option to toggle placing your tabs on top.
Finally, Windows 7 love
Windows 7 support has long been missing from the stable release of Firefox, although it can be turned on in the about:config Window. By default, though, Firefox 4 offers a full complement of Windows 7 and Aero features.
Quickly go private
One of the unexpected improvements in Minefield was how quickly the web browser could jump between regular and private browsing mode.
Keeping it in-browser
Firefox joins the movement toward keeping browser configuration pop-up windows to a minimum, as there are new in-window sidebars for History and Bookmarks, as well. Opera and the WebKit browsers Safari and Google Chrome have been steadily moving in this direction for some time.
A new refresh
The browser also gets a new refresh icon.
Minefield as default?
Unless you're seriously interested in using Minefield, it's probably a good idea to uncheck the "use as default browser" setting when you install Minefield.
