The second beta version of Firefox 3.1 is "due out very shortly", Mozilla programmer Ben Turner said on Thursday.
One big change in Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 is the addition of 'web workers', a feature that lets the browser process tasks in the background. That feature, part of the still-evolving HTML 5 specification, adds another level of sophistication for programmers writing web applications, and gives multicore computers a better way to use their processors' abilities.
"We've been hard at work with folks from Google, Apple and others to get this new spec nailed down," Turner said of web workers.
Google and Apple also build their own browsers, as does market-leading Microsoft and underdog Opera. With the browser wars back in full force, those organisations are racing to outdo each other in terms of features and performance.
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Turner gave one illustration of web workers in action, running a JavaScript program that emulates a decades-old processor design, the 8080. One thread emulates the processor in the background while another handles user interaction, such as checking for typing on the keyboard.
In a post on the Mozilla Add-ons Blog, Paul Rouget said: "Firefox 3.1 Beta 2 will likely be released the first week of December." He added: "We have added a Beta 3 to our schedule."
