Mozilla is set to release the third edition of their popular, cross-platform internet browser, Firefox, Tomorrow June 17, 2008. This next release has been gaining quite a bit of hype, as the Mozilla folks are looking to set a world record for “most software downloads in 24 hours”. Upon writing, over 1.3 million people worldwide pledged that they would download the final Firefox 3 release. Now, I’d like to take you inside this latest Firefox release, and let you know what it’s all about. More after the break!

The first thing you’ll notice upon launching Firefox 3, is the newly-designed interface. Mozilla is aiming to create a much more “native” look to its browser. So, Firefox will look very simmilar to any other Mac OS X app, including Safari. My personal taste, however, concludes that Safari is still much prettier. Safari still offers the nice little “mac-like” animations and “puffs of smoke” as you drag bookmarks. Firefox is still pretty clunky when it comes to that. However, it is noted that Firefox’s interface is customizable with add-ons.

With that, it’s time to talk add-ons. A big reason that many prefer Firefox over Safari, is the fact that Firefox supports third-party add-ons. In fact, there are almost 5,000 different add-ons that you can use to customize your browsing experience. Including additional toolbars, debuggers, interface changes, and even social networking tools.

When it comes to speed, Firefox 3 is a huge improvement over Firefox 2. Mozilla even boasts that version 3 is twice as fast as version 2. While I’m not sure if that is true, it sure is a noticeable difference. Firefox 3 also boasts many performance improvements including memory usage and reliability. In fact, Firefox 3 actually has 15,000 improvements.

If you’re a Firefox 2 user, I’d highly recommend the upgrade. I have to admit that I am a Safari user, so whether or not I’ll switch is still up in the air. I love Safari, and up until now, I saw no huge reason to switch. If you are a Safari user, or any other browser, I’d suggest you at least give Firefox a download, and try it out – you’ve got nothing to lose, it’s free! Either way, what are you thinking about the next Firefox release? Let your thoughts run free in the comments!

If you’d like to find out more, pledge to download, and actually download – Visit SpreadFirefox.

UPDATE: I am now offically, using Firefox 3. I took the plunge yesterday, and decided to switch from Safari 3.1 to Firefox 3. I have to say I love it, except that Firefox does not support dragging tabs, whether it be to create a new window, or to an exisiting window. I didn’t realize how much I really used that feature. Yet, I’ve found so many add-ons that have made the switch worthwhile. Oh, I also installed a Theme so that it now looks exactly like Safari – .