Mozilla has confirmed that Firefox 4 Beta is now available to developers and users for download and testing. The free and open source web browser now features improved performance and responsiveness for video and the development team says it has now has fixed more than 7,000 bugs since the first beta release.
The previously released Beta codenamed Namoroka (after a nature reserve in Madagascar) had reached version 3.6.13 before this final move to version 4. This final release features faster graphics rendering as well as improved start-up and page load times. Mozilla also says that Firefox also includes the WebM format to enable HD-quality video, WebGL for 3D graphics, and multi-touch support for Microsoft Windows 7.
"We couldn't build Firefox 4 beta without the help of our millions of beta testers and their feedback, which we welcome as we work to deliver an awesome experience to the more than 400 million Firefox users worldwide," said Mozilla's release manager, Christian Legnitto. "It may be confusing that nightly builds after beta 12 identify themselves as version 2.0b13pre. The versioning is merely a product of automation. This does not mean we are having a beta 13," he said.