The Mozilla Foundation today announced the immediate availability of a new preview release of its next generation web browser, Mozilla Firefox 0.9. Faster, more secure, easier to use and sporting a new look, this latest Firefox release sets a new standard for web browser innovation.

Firefox, the Mozilla Foundation's first product squarely aimed at end users, has been met with glowing praise from reviewers, web authors, the blogging community and the more than three million users who have left behind web nuisances such as pop-up ads, security holes and spyware by installing Firefox. "This new release brings Firefox closer to its much-anticipated 1.0 release, which will mark a milestone in the history of the Mozilla Foundation," observed Mitchell Baker, President of the Mozilla Foundation.

A number of key improvements in this release make this the best time yet for users to reload their browser experience and migrate to Firefox. "Months of development and hundreds of open source developers contributed towards this release, working within the Mozilla Foundation's proven development model," commented Ben Goodger, Firefox' Lead Engineer.

New features in Firefox 0.9 include:

* Easy migration: Switching to Firefox has never been easier now that Firefox imports data like Favorites, history, settings, cookies and passwords from Internet Explorer. Firefox can also import settings from Mozilla 1.x, Netscape and Opera.
* Smaller Download: Continuing efforts to make this the most efficient browser, the Windows version of Firefox is now only a 4.7 MB download, making downloading Firefox a breeze for dial-up and broadband users alike.
* New Default Theme: A new default theme provides a bright new look for Windows and Linux users.
* SmartUpdate: A new SmartUpdate feature notifies users of new versions of Firefox to ensure that the browser is always up to date.
* Help: A new online help system makes this one powerful, friendly browser.
* Extension/Theme Manager: New Extension and Theme Managers provide a convenient and secure way to manage and update the hundreds of add-ons that set Firefox apart from other browsers.

Mozilla Firefox also includes numerous bug fixes and incremental improvements, including faster page load speed.

Later this week, the Foundation will also release a new version of its Internet suite, Mozilla 1.7 (including a web browser, mail client, Internet Relay Chat client and web page editor), and a new preview release of Thunderbird, its standalone email application.