Firefox 3 beta set for July

A beta release of Firefox 3 is set for 31 July following the release of Alpha 4 last weekend. Further alpha releases, code named Gran Paradiso, will appear on a monthly schedule. The Alpha's are not for regular end users but are aimed at professionals that need to start investigating Firefox 3 compatibility well in advance.

Alpha 4 include Mac user interface improvements and bug fixes, the FUEL JavaScript library for developers of Firefox extensions, and improvements to offline web application support.

Scheduled for Alpha 5 are search engine keyword support, an Extension Manager, and integration with the Growl notification system for Mac OS X. The further development of Places, the integrated bookmarks and history manager that will be a major feature of Firefox 3, is also planned for Alpha 5.