You can read the full release notes and grab a download at: http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/3.6b4/releasenotes/.

Over beta 2, beta 3 changes how applications can interact with Firefox to significantly reduce crashes, tweaks how scripts are executed to speed up loading, and more.

The full release notes, and a download, are here: http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/3.6b3/releasenotes/ . Users of beta 2 can upgrade by going to Help>Check for updates.

Read the full release notes and grab a download here. Those with beta 1 can use ‘Check for updates’ from the ‘Help’ menu in Firefox.

On October 7, Panda distributed a pre-beta 3 version to the most active beta testers, and a RTM version to the same group the week before the public release. I received a copy of both, and asked for permission to publish the review before the public release, but was declined. Parts of this review were written as early as a few days after the limited release, and the parts about the new website were written on release day.

Today, Panda released beta3 to the public, along with a new website.

Changes in beta 3

Beta 3 fixes what is certainly the most frustrating issue with beta 2, issues with the background scanning. In short, problems with on-access scanning conflicting with an initial full system scan were causing computers running cloud AV to slow down. I will detail later how users with the registry workaround can remove it.

Beta 3 also includes some interface changes, and a fix to behavior of blocking of suspicious files.

Backgroundscan and performance fixes

As I said earlier, beta 2 had a major performance issue with on-access scanning clashing with a full system scan going on in the background. Panda detailed how the background scanning could be turned off to avoid this, but now that it is fixed, here’s how to reenable it:

Remove the “BackgroundDisabled”=”-” entry from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Panda Security\Panda Service Host\ part of the registry. I found that a reboot was unnecessary to apply the change, but this might vary.

Caching and memory management behavior were also worked on, but I didn’t notice any improvement.

Interface changes, and a glimpse at 1.0

Beta 3 had some changes to the interface for a more visually pleasing look. Take a look at this screenshot of the main window:

When I clicked into the recycle bin, where possible viruses are kept, the window flipped over to the “other side” as in beta 2, but I noticed that it flipped more slowly, in an effort to make it more noticeable.

Beta 3 also tries to be more true to the “Set and forget’ claim with a small UI change:

Rather than a big red X when it detects a virus, it tries to be more positive with a check mark. Small, but a change all the same.

Recycle bin fix

My second biggest pet peeve with beta 2 was that when I unblocked a file detected as a virus, and then moved the file, it would be blocked again. This is fixed as well.

New website

Beta3 was released along with a new website, which has support forums, a realtime “activity monitor” showing what viruses are being detected, and an account system. The account system is a substitute for license keys, and requires verification through a link sent in an email. An account is required to activate the program.

Additional services are said to be in development for the website, but there is no indication as to what these might be.

Update (funny stuff): I just took a look at my account page and found something rather amusing. My registration expires on 22/10/2029. According to Panda, the web accounts are unlike license keys in that they don’t expire. Now we know when the world will end. >_>

Planned fixes in 1.0

In the email announcing the RTM version to active beta testers, Pedro gave a list of issues that will not be fixed until version 1.0:

* Scan other items and choosing Desktop or MyPC doesn’t scan all drives and folders. You have to individually click on each drive to scan the entire PC. Will also be fixed for v1.0.

* After install it uses 30-50% of CPU usage for approx 5 minutes while synchronizing against C.I. and checking system files. We will improve this much more for v1.0.

* On PCs with two monitors, interface shows up in the middle of the two monitors.

Update: Here it is: http://betafreak.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/review-cloud-antivirus-beta-3-final/

The software end of beta3 was released to some active beta testers about 2 weeks ago, so I already have an assessment of the changes ready to go, although I’m not allowed to disclose what they are (aside from the backgroundscan fix), or my thoughts on them, until the public release. I’ll throw in some comments on the website before I post.

Anyone who wants to try it out can grab direct download ISOs, as well as torrents, at http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease. Here’s a hint on choosing one: Most people will want the i686 ‘Fedora Desktop Live Media’, which allows users to try Fedora from the CD, as well as install it. Direct Download is easier, but BitTorrent can be faster, and takes the load off the servers. Just be sure you have a torrent client.

I don’t currently have a dedicated computer to use Linux on, so please let me know if you want to review it, I would happy to post one or more guest reviews.

Version 3.6 will include some Windows 7-specific enhancements, as well as performance increases for all OSes. Not enabled by default, but still cool is the visual tab preview, allowing users to take a look at the content if their tabs by pressing control+tab. To turn these on, go to about:config, search for ‘browser.ctrlTab.previews’, and set the value to ‘true’.

http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightly/3.6b1-candidates/build1/

As always, let me know if you have ideas for software I should report on, and feel free to send in reviews of Windows and non-Windows software. I would especially be interested in a guest review of the Ubuntu beta.