Firefox 3 RC2 launched

Mozilla today unveiled release candidate 2 (RC2) of Firefox 3 and hasn't ruled out the possibility of another before the new browser's full official outing, which is widely-anticipated for later this month.

Speaking to IT PRO in central London this morning, Tristan Nitot, Mozilla's European president, said that it's still too early to tell whether RC2 will be what leads to the final countdown of the new browser, with which the company is hoping to create a new download Guinness World Record.

Firefox 3 will be available in 45 languages and include a bumper set of features focused on creating a more intuitive user experience, but its exact release date remains a mystery beyond the ball park of mid June.

"What's important for us is the quality of the product not the dates. In this case we don't know. Maybe we'll need an RC3, maybe not. You never know until you make the decision. And it's going to take a while before we make this decision, whether [Firefox 3] is final or not," Nitot said.

"We are transparent. If we had significant issues with a version we could not hide it. We're totally transparent as opposed to the black box proprietary approach where you could hide all the dirt under the carpets and pretend that it's all clean. There is this need of trust in the community."

The company made RC1 available for download last month, saying it included around 14,000 updates. Following feedback from those testing the browser, it decided RC2 was a necessary step to resolve some known issues and bugs.

It's this very feedback that makes Mozilla's products what they are today, according to Nitot.

"When you fix a bug you're never really sure it's fixed until some time afterwards when you have measured if there are regressions or unexpected behaviour. This is why having such a large base of testers is amazing in [terms of] the quality of feedback... Then we have to decide whether it's worth doing an RC3 or, maybe not, maybe everything is ready but this and so we'll do a Firefox 3 001," he said.

Nitot added: "On the other side, if you wait too long to release your product you don't get the mass of feedback...You have to ship at some point. These are really tough decisions and this is why I can't say the release date. Maybe we'll need an RC3 but it's something we'll know in a couple of weeks from today. And, if we decide to go with an RC3 we'll be very happy not to have announced a fixed date."

Visit IT PRO next week for an in-depth Q&A with Tristan Nitot.