Mozilla Foundation Launches New Web Browser and End User Services
Mozilla 1.5, a new Web site, end user support, CD program, and technology preview releases signal increased end user focus
Mountain View, CA, October 15, 2003 - Three months after it was created, the Mozilla Foundation, the organization that shepherds the open source Mozilla project, announced a series of new products and services aimed at meeting the needs of end users. Today, the organization released version 1.5 of the Mozilla Web browsing suite and technology previews of its next generation Web browser and e-mail clients. In a move aimed at better serving consumers, the Mozilla Foundation also announced the availability of affordably-priced CDs, telephone customer support and unveiled a new Web site that showcases Mozilla's support for industry Web standards.
Now that we are an independent organization, we will continue to aggressively develop our core technologies, but we will also focus more heavily on serving end users," said Mitchell Baker, president of the Mozilla Foundation. "The services and products we're announcing today mark the beginning of this effort and are part of our plan for ensuring the long-term success and viability of the Mozilla project."
Mozilla 1.5 Released
Mozilla 1.5, the latest release of the Internet suite honored in July by PC World as “Best of 2003” in its category, is available for immediate download from http://www.mozilla.org/, where CDs of the software are also available. Mozilla 1.5 makes surfing the Internet a safer, more enjoyable experience with features such as blocking of pop-up advertisements, tabbed browsing (the ability to have multiple Web pages open in one window) and sophisticated spam controls. The Internet suite includes a Web browser, e-mail client, Web page design software and more.
Mozilla 1.5 includes numerous new features, bug fixes and performance improvements. Tabbed browsing, already one of the most acclaimed features in Mozilla, was further improved. Mozilla's mail client now features a built-in spell-checker. Numerous improvements were made to Mozilla Composer, Mozilla's GUI Web editor, including a "snap to grid" feature and better resizing of images, tables and absolutely positioned objects. Additionally, lots of bugfixes and new features were added to Chatzilla, the Mozilla chat client.
Redesigned Mozilla Web Site Launches
The Mozilla Foundation also unveiled a redesigned Web site that aims to meet the needs of end users and developers alike. The new site is built using the latest Web standards, including XHTML and CSS, and offers, among others, software downloads, numerous themes and extensions, tips and tricks for using Mozilla software and links to free community support message boards.
Mozilla CDs Available
The Mozilla Foundation announced the immediate availability of CDs that include both Mozilla 1.5 and technology previews of its next generation software. The CDs are available worldwide for just $3.95 (plus shipping and handling) and run on Microsoft Windows, Macintosh OS X and Linux operating systems.
End User Support Available
Telephone support is now available for end users of the Mozilla Internet suite for only $39.95 per incident.
Technology Previews of Next Generation Web Browser and E-Mail Software
The Mozilla Foundation also released technology previews of its next-generation Web browser and e-mail software, code-named Mozilla Firebird (version 0.7) and Thunderbird (version 0.3). The releases are available at Mozilla.org and on CD.
ABOUT MOZILLA AND THE MOZILLA FOUNDATION
The Mozilla Foundation's Mozilla Internet suite is rapidly emerging as the most widely acclaimed Web browser, with PC World's July issue honoring it as “Best of 2003” in its category, LinuxJournal Magazine giving it an “Editor's Choice Award” for “Best Web Browser” (July issue) and eWeek raving that “eWEEK Labs found the new features in Mozilla 1.4 ... to be remarkable improvements that enhance what was already the best browser option out there.” (July 1). The Guardian recently predicted that Mozilla.org's upcoming new products “could make Microsoft's offerings look very shabby indeed” (July 10).
The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to developing the open source Mozilla technologies and products. The Foundation is based in Mountain View, California.