According to Mozilla, users employing the new browser can expect improved tabbed browsing — the feature that set Firefox apart from the pack — with better differentiation between active and non-active tabs.
Improved tab overflow management will allow users to navigate tabs that don’t fit on their screens, the company said.
The browser will also feature enhanced search capabilities with suggested terms that appear in the query box as users type.
The Mozilla release notes also said that “many long-standing issues” had been remedied.
According ArsTechnica writer Eric Bangeman, an added security feature that alerts users when they enter a potentially malicious website along with an integrated spellchecker are two additions that are vast improvements over the current version. But, he said, many of the best features aren’t in version 2.0.
“Firefox 2.0 is a modest step in the browser's development, as some of the more widely anticipated — and cooler — features having fallen by the wayside during the development cycle,” Bangeman said. “Not making the cut for 2.0 were a new bookmark and history system that originally appeared in an alpha build, which were axed due to developer concerns that their inclusion would further delay the release of 2.0.”
The final release of Firefox 2.0 is expected later this year.
Firefox 2.0’s chief competitor, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7, is currently at the Release Candidate 1 stage. It is expected to reach its final release before Firefox 2.0.