Firefox 1.5 support ends today

Computerworld -

Mozilla Corp. will issue the last security update for its open-source Firefox 1.5 browser today. It will include an automatic update mechanism to give users the option of upgrading to Firefox 2.0.

"The upgrade offer will be enabled within in a few weeks," said Mozilla in a blog on its developer center.

The long-anticipated end to Firefox 1.5 support was originally slated for April 24, but last month, Mozilla pushed back the drop-dead date, saying it needed more time to craft the automatic updater. When Mozilla triggers what it has called "major updates," users will be offered an in-place upgrade to Firefox 2.0, which they can decline if they wish. Users can also permanently suppress the upgrade message so it never appears again.

Today's Firefox 1.5.0.12 will be the final security patch for the 18-month-old browser. Also due for delivery is Firefox 2.0.0.4. Both, Mozilla said, are "standard stability and security updates."

Firefox 2.0.0.4 will be posted here, while Firefox 1.5.0.12 will be available from this page of the Mozilla site. A list of the vulnerabilities patched by both updates will be posted sometime after 2.0.0.4 and 1.5.0.12 go live.

In related news, the Alpha 5 preview of the next Firefox, Version 3.0, will be available for download Friday. Mozilla has pegged Firefox 3.0's final code release for sometime this year.

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