Firefox 1.5 Bursts Free? Sneaks Out

Firefox 1.5 has been released. For a list of the crazy new features, check here. I think that all the hype is waiting for the Firefox Flicks ad competition.

This release seems like a much more subtle event than the bold release of 1.0, for example. This is because when you open up the new version of the browser, all you notice (at first) is that some of the menus are rearranged, and the preferences window is horizontal instead of vertical. However, the things you don’t notice are more significant. Try, for example, integrated SVG support. Or XForms. Or the fast forward and back navigation. Or perhaps the expanded accessibility features. We shouldn’t fail to mention the new automatic updates, closing the only real gap between the security capabilities of Firefox and Internet Explorer.

One feature I’m not sure about is the “Clear Private Data” tools. This allows the user to clear all data such as browsing history, cookies, etc. that leave a trace of what they have been up to. This has some definite benefits, such as making it safer to use public kiosk computers. It just might also enable easier unauthorized or otherwise unwanted use.

And those are my thoughts.