Developer: Firefox 1.1 to be Delayed

Firefox lead engineer turned Google developer Ben Goodger announced on his Web log late this week that version 1.1 of Firefox will be delayed.

The next major release of the browser had originally been scheduled for a March debut. However, Goodger said the release date had to be pushed back because of "the realities of the work remaining to be done," including a lot of bug fixes and testing to ensure a stable application.

While no solid date for a 1.1 release has been announced, Goodger did offer details on how to expect the next version of Firefox. An non-public alpha of 1.1 will be released followed by a public preview version, then several release candidates, and the final version of the browser.

Among the major changes and fixes expected in Firefox 1.1 are a fix to the bug that causes the browser not to retain the scroll position when going back and forward through Web pages. The update will also ensure certain Web sites and text display properly within the Mozilla-based browser.

Firefox 1.1 is an intermediate step on the way to version 2 of the open source browser, which is expected late this year.