Firefox 3.0新最特性规划一览 Zz

除了继续改进Firefox 2.0乃至1.5，Mozilla对Firefox 3.0的规划也在紧锣密鼓地进行中。昨天，Mozilla开发人员召开碰头会，谈论了下一个重大版本需要加入的新功能。

Firefox 3.0开发代号“Gran Paradiso”，目前刚刚进入Alpha早期测试阶段，计划经过2个Alpha版和2个Beta版，今年第三季度正式发布。

根据目前的规划，Firefox 3.0中的新特性主要有：

●改善Gecko核心引擎
●扩展支持大大增强
●远程收藏夹
●可以在类似Google Docs & Spreadsheets的网络服务中打开办公文档
●更好的打印功能
●支持MSI格式安装包以方便企业环境下的批量部署
●标签页快捷组
●将整个页面保存为PDF文档
●个人浏览模式
●统一的收藏夹、浏览历史数据库

以上新特性有些是高优先级的，即基本上必然会出现，另外一些则是用户希望的或者最好能有的，但是否会包含在最终版中还得看开发情况。


In today’s Firefox 3 (code name Gran Paradiso) meeting, developers released a preliminary list of requirements for Firefox 3. The new target release date is sometime in the third quarter this year.

Among the list of mandatory requirements, read, what is the most likely to be included in Firefox 3 we have:

    * Improved interaction with Add-ons: clearer, more coherent language; less steps to install; more visible way to configure add-ons, probably to be moved back to the general Options window, which I hope deeply; more noticeable alerts when updates are available; a permanent restart Firefox button.
    * Support for remote bookmarks, bookmarks and history annotation.
    * Files could be handled by web services. If I am reading this correctly, this could mean you would be able to click on an attached document and open it with something like Writely or Google Documents. And perhaps, as I asked Santa, the ability to redirect mailto: links to web email services.
    * A much needed print support to prevent cut paragraphs and true WYSIWYG.
    * The much requested MSI installer which will be a much welcomed improvement for IT administrators as it will ease deployment and updating of Firefox across a company.
    * In the security front: support for Microsoft CardSpace and OpenID (check tomorrow’s article for more coverage on this). Smarter credentials handling.
    * Airbag, the Google backed open source crash reporting tool will replace currently licensed TalkBack.

Among the highly desirable requirements:

    * A private web browsing mode. I guess this would mean no cache, history, password or entered form information storage.
    * Save web pages as PDF files, integrated with history. That would be just awesome.
    * Support pause/resume downloads across sessions.
    * Make Firefox help accessible only while online. Not sure how good and idea this is.
    * Microformats support.

Nice to have:

    * Unified bookmarks/history. Does this mean no Places?
    * Support for Windows Vista parental controls. I really hope this one goes up in the priority list. This would be the first concrete downer for Firefox when confronted with Internet Explorer 7.
    * Tab grouping and expose. This sounds like Internet Explorer 7 Quick Tabs or the foxPose extension.
    * Windows Group Policy. Another blessing for IT administrators.
    * Allow add-ons to be installed without rebooting Firefox.
    * Simplified interface to manage downloads. Can it be simpler? Maybe exposing commands currently placed in the context menu.