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The Firefox developers have released the first alpha version of the upcoming Firefox 3.6 web browser.The new version is clearly marked as a developer and test version which means it is not recommended to use this version as the main web browser on a computer system. The development milestone of Firefox 3.6 is build on the Gecko 1.9.2 platform and introduces some new features in the web browser which are all included in the 3299 entries long bug list over at Bugzilla.

A speed increase in the JavaScript Tracemonkey engine is probably the most noteworthy change in Firefox 3.6 Alpha 1. A quick test at the Sunspider JavaScript benchmark confirmed that the new alpha version renders the test in about 300ms faster than the latest official release Firefox 3.5.2 (800ms compared to 1100ms).

Other new features include the addition of several CSS3 attributes including background-size, CSS gradients, multiple background images and support for the rem unit from CSS3 values and units. Most add-ons were disabled upon first startup of Firefox 3.6 Alpha 1 with the possibility to force them into compatibility. The Nightly Tester Tools are unfortunately not compatible with this new release which means the easiest way to force add-on compatibility is to disable the compatibility checks.

To do that enter [about:config] in the Firefox address bar and filter for the term [extensions.checkCompatibility]. Double-clicking that value will set it to false which will disable the compatibility checks in Firefox. Interested users can download Firefox 3.6 Alpha 1

Download Firfox 3.6 Alpha 1 for Windows , Linux , Mac OS

Curious about the first pre-release version of Firefox 3.7, but don’t want to actually install it on your computer and risk messing up your Firefox profile? The folks at PortableAppz have put together aportable package. What that means is you can run Firefox 3.7a1pre as an executable file without installing it first.

Instead of an installer, what you get when you download the portable version is an application that you click in order to extract the contents to any folder on your hard drive or a USB flash drive. Then all you have to do is open that folder and click the FirefoxPortable.exe file to launch the browser.

Keep in mind, this is pre-release software. It hasn’t even reached the Alpha stage yet, which means there may be some major bugs lurking beneath the hood, so don’t expect miracles. But that’s all the more reason for using a portable version.

Eventually Firefox 3.7 may introduce a tweaked theme with redesigned toolbars. For now, the biggest difference between Firefox 3.7 and Firefox 3.5.2 (the latest stable edition) and Firefox 3.6 Alpha 1 (the latest Alpha version) is that Firefox 3.7a1pre features an even newer version of the Gecko rendering engine

@ downloadsquad.com