A beta release of the next major version of the Mozilla Foundation's web browser, Firefox 1.5 (formerly called "Deer Park", the codename for Firefox 1.5), is now available for download.
New or improved features cited by the company:
Many current and potential security issues have been fixed and the new version offers a more secure "Safe Mode". Privacy improvements include a "Clear Private Data" feature. The browser's pop-up blocker now prevents Macromedia Flash from creating pop-up ads.
After updating to 1.5, further updates should be easier, as users can use the program's new "Software Update", which now can download binary patches, which are much smaller than the complete install programs used in the past.
Most Mac OS X (10.2 and up) users will now be able to copy their settings from Apple's own browser, Safari, and market leader Internet Explorer. Microsoft Windows and most version of Linux are supported, as before.
As beta software, Firefox 1.5b1 is primarily for testing and checking to ensure no major bugs exist. Mozilla intends to release a second beta version (1.5b2) before the final, stable public version (1.5).
With the upgrade to Firefox 1.5 (beta) from 1.06, many of the plugins supported by 1.0+ will be disabled.
1.5 will supplant the current 1.0.7 as the most up-to-date version of Firefox. 1.5 was originally to be numbered 1.1, but after significant changes were made, beyond the intended roadmap, the version number was changed.
Chris Beard, head of products and marketing at Mozilla, told TechWorld "We've had a pretty successful year following the launch of Firefox 1.0 and we're continuing to see very strong demand." 
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Firefox 1.5 beta released to public