First release Firefox 2 up for grabs

The Mozilla Foundation announced on Tuesday the availability of Release Candidate 1 of its Firefox 2 browser but warned that its free, open source browser might have a few leftover bugs and suggests only experienced users and developers download the latest version.

Using Firefox 2 is supposed to mean safer surfing. The browser will reportedly detect when a fraudulent site - such as a bogus eBay or PayPal - has been accessed and will alert the user with a dialogue box and greyed-out window.

Besides stepping up security, the browser also has a new look. The toolbar is see-through until moused over, when it will appear to glow. The RC1 version of Firefox 2 includes dynamic bookmarks that give personalised or updated titles on the bookmark list - for instance, news websites will feature the latest headline instead of the name of the site. There's also a spell-check-as-you-go feature and the ability to resume the most recent browsing session, including any tabs that were open.

Firefox 2 RC 2 is scheduled for release the first week of October and the final version by the end of that month.

Firefox has been steadily gaining ground against market leader Microsoft's Internet Explorer since version 1.0 was officially released in November 2004.

According to web analysis company Net Applications, Firefox has 10 per cent of the web surfing market and Internet Explorer has 80 per cent.

Erica Ogg writes for CNET News.com