For those that are still using Firefox 3, Mozilla has updated the browser to close 9 security holes, 4 of which were rated critical.

A full list of changes can be found in the release notes, and the update is recommended for all Firefox 3 users.

The update will be pushed out to existing Firefox 3 users in the next 24-48 hours or can be updated from the Help menu.

With Firefox 3.5 barely out the door, the Mozilla team is already working on Firefox 3.7, which is expected to have a brand new user interface, tweaked for Vista and Windows 7 Aero.

Below is an initial mockup of Firefox 3.7 running in Windows Vista, with features including:

1. Embracing Glass: Toolbar and Tabs using Glass. Buttons translucent and slightly glossy to meld with the toolbar. Raised 3D look achieve tactile “feel”.
2. Page Button: Connect the Page button to the left side of the tab area. Directly connected to the Page.
3. Tools/Bookmark Bar: Connecting the Tools button to the side of the Window to emphasize the fact that it is used for customizing and changing the UI. Adding a button next to that to toggle the Bookmarks Bar which is turned off by default.

More screenshots are after the break.

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More news has surfaced about multi-process support for Firefox, with a prototype now completed.

Multi-process support gives each tabs, window, and plugins its own process. Browsers such as Google Chrome and Internet Explorer 8 already support this feature.

Benjamin Smedberg has blogged about the benefits of multi-processes:

• Increased stability: if a plugin or webpage tries to use all the processor, memory, or even crashes, a process can isolate that bad behavior from the rest of the browser.
• Performance: By splitting work up among multiple processes, the browser can make use of multiple processor cores available on modern desktop computers and the next generation of mobile processors. The user interface can also be more responsive because it doesn’t need to block on long-running web page activities.
• Security: If the operating system can run a process with lower privileges, the browser can isolate web pages from the rest of the computer, making it harder for attackers to infect a computer.

Firefox developer Chris Jones has posted a screencast demoing the new technology.

No word on a final release date yet, but we may see this technology in production version some time in late 2010. Currently the team are focusing on Windows and Linux versions.

Firefox 3.5 was downloaded more than 5 million times in 24 hours, but this is still 3 million less than the 8 million downloads when Firefox 3 was released.

With the release of Firefox 3.5, Mozilla have provided real time Firefox download information. Current downloads totals for 3.5 are nearing 9 million in just 2 days.

Overall Firefox downloads are estimated to be over 900 million.

Mozilla has finally released Firefox 3.5 final, the next installment in the Firefox series.

Firefox 3.5 is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3, and 12 times faster than Firefox 2.

New features includes support for HTML5 audio and video tags, private browsing, faster JavaScript engine and of course better stability and security.

A full list of changes can be found in the release notes, while the new browser can be downloaded from Firefox.

Fennec, the mobile version of Firefox has been updated for both Nokia and Windows Mobile phones.

Fennec Beta 2 for Nokia devices includes a new theme, built-in JavaScript error console, and improved add-on support. Full changes can be found in the release notes.

For the Windows Mobile users, Fennec Alpha 2 increases performance, polishes the user interface, plus a list of other changes in the release notes.

Download Fennec Beta 2 (“Maemo”) for Nokia devices
Download Fennec Alpha 2 for Windows Mobile

Mozilla has released Firefox 3.5 release candidate (RC) 3 overnight, just days after RC2.

The new build fixes a few bugs and increases overall stability. Changes can be found in the release notes.

The browser can be downloaded from the Firefox beta website, and a final release is expected next week.

Mozilla has released Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate 2 (RC2). With minimal changes since RC1 last week, the end is near for Firefox 3.5.

Firefox 3.5 final is still scheduled before the end of June.

A full list of changes can be found in the release notes. The new browser will be automatically downloaded for RC1 users, or can be downloaded directly from the Mozilla Beta website.

Included in Release Candidate 1 builds of Firefox, Mozilla has released the final iteration of the new Firefox 3.5 logo.

The icon was created by Anthony Piraino from the Iconfactory, and went through a total of 14 iterations over several weeks.

The new icon has a stronger 3D feel to it, with much more detail in the foxes tail.

The new logo is available in several sizes and formats and can be downloaded from the Mozilla Wiki.

Mozilla has just released Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate (RC) to the web.

Other than better stability, there doesn’t seem to be much new under the hood. A full list of changes since Beta 4 can be found in the release notes.

The browser is available on all major platforms from the Firefox Beta website. Existing Beta 4 users will have the update pushed out to them automatically.