• Web and OS Integration

Mozilla hopes to "blur the distinction between Web and desktop applications" with the next Firefox release, making it simpler for you to send files or create rich data on Web sites. The next Firefox could also become more integrated with your operating system, gaining OS-specific themes and the ability to use system-driven data such as dictionaries (for both Windows and Mac OS X). As a result of this shift, some older versions of operating systems -- namely, Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and lower -- .

Mozilla's Firefox Timeline

If all goes according to plan, the first Firefox 3.6 beta could see the light of day within about seven months. Assuming the timing remains constant, a final release would ship roughly a year from now, possibly even sooner.

Of course, plenty could change -- both in timing and in features. Mozilla is always looking at various tweaks and improvements, such as the introduction of an a la Chrome and other browsers. (Mozilla has been toying with such an idea since the .) For now, though, we'll just have to rely on 3.5 to keep our Firefox appetites satisfied, knowing that the next course isn't terribly far away.