Firefox 11 Due Today, Features Chrome Migration, Add-on Sync
by Andrew Cunningham on March 13, 2012 9:30 AM ESTMozilla is due to release Firefox 11 to the stable channel today, and like every Firefox release since 4.0 the new version adds a handful of new features and fixes without drastically changing how the browser works. Firefox 10, the current Firefox Extended Support Release, will see a new 10.0.3 patch that will implement Firefox 11's security patches but not its new features.
Firefox users looking to move back to Mozilla's browser after trying Chrome will now be able to import that browser's bookmarks, history, and cookies, with passwords, form data, and settings to follow in a later version. Users of Firefox Sync will now also be able to synchronize their browser add-ons across multiple computers, ensuring a more consistent experience for people with multiple systems.
Additionally, the new Firefox offers a couple of new developer tools: the first is called Tilt, and it's pictured above - when inspecting page elements (right-click a page, click Inspect Element), users with WebGL-capable systems can now click a 3D button to see a copy of the page rendered in 3D. You can move the page around and zoom in and out at will - in addition to looking pretty cool, it can also make it easier to interact with elements that overlap. The other addition is a new Style editor, accessible from the Web Developer menu.
All of this comes with a handful of smaller changes and security fixes which are laid out in the release notes, linked below. Firefox 11 is available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7, as well as OS X 10.5 (Intel), 10.6, and 10.7 and most Linux distributions.
Source: Mozilla
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Andrew.a.cunningham - Tuesday, March 13, 2012 - link
That's a weird one! I'd say it was a silent updater, but that isn't slated to make it into FF before version 12 or 13 (don't remember which offhand).clairvoyantx - Tuesday, March 13, 2012 - link
Don't forget Firefox 11 also implements the SPDY protocol but it is not yet enabled by default. The most important goal of SPDY is to transport web content using fewer TCP connections. Initially developed by Google but now with contributions from others. To enable:about: config then search for network.http.spdy.enabled and set it to true.