Firefox: For better or worse

Mozilla kicked off the weekend with a bang on Friday, announcing Deer Park, the first beta release of the next version of its Firefox Web browser. The updated browser is expected to feature faster navigation, better usability, updated security features and better integration with Macs, and many developers couldn't wait to get their paws on it. Early reports from blogs are positive about 1.5 Beta 1, though of course there is no shortage of constructive criticism and hope for added features.

But Firefox also made headlines for more dubious reasons; security researcher Tom Ferris told CNET News.com that an unpatched flaw in the browser could allow an attacker to run malicious code on a user's PC. While Mozilla released a temporary patch on Friday, the flaw is worrisome for many people who ditched Microsoft's Internet Explorer for what they hoped would prove to be a more secure browser, a concept that some argue is an idea of the past.

Still, Mozilla seems to have escaped serious criticism in the blogosphere thus far, with most who follow Firefox developments closely still considering it a more secure alternative to IE and a promising step in the evolution of Web browsers in general.

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