Delays hit Firefox development

The Mozilla Foundation has delayed the release of the next version of its open source Firefox browser.

Mozilla stated on its website said that the next public version of the software, codenamed Deer Park, is slated for a September release. The browser will carry version number 1.5. 

The developers planned to release version 1.1 in July, but this is now listed only as an 'alpha' which is programming lingo for a very early test version. Version 1.1 will jump to version 1.4 in August, which will then form the beta for version 1.5.

Ben Goodger, a developer for the project, revealed the updated development and release schedule last week in a posting on Mozilla's website. "This is, as always, subject to change," he warned.

Additional upgrades to Firefox 2.0 and 3.0 are expected by the first and third quarters of next year respectively.

Firefox has been hit by multiple security threats in recent months. The development delay is not a result of these vulnerabilities, according to Mozilla, but follows a decision to add more features to the software.

The new version will allow the browser to be upgraded through small patches rather than requiring users to download and install a full version of the software.

Developers are also working on a technology that allows for faster caching of previously visited pages, as well as a way to quickly remove cookies, page history and temporary internet files.