Last Firefox 4 beta released?

Firefox

The 12th Firefox 4 beta has been released and Mozilla has indicated it will be the final one before the release candidate is uncloaked.

The team has had to fix over 7,000 bugs since the first beta was released, causing delays to the release of the official version of the browser.

Just a few changes have been brought in with the latest Firefox 4 beta, as Mozilla said it delivered "improved performance and responsiveness" when viewing video content.

"We are in the final stages of the Firefox 4 beta cycle," Mozilla said in a blog post.

"We are working closely with the community of add-on developers to ensure their Firefox Add-ons are ready to customise the features, look and functionality of Firefox 4 beta."

The 12th beta, which can be downloaded here, also features a boost in Flash performance, alongside additional bug fixes.

The additional beta means Mozilla will miss its February release target.

A 13th beta still hasn't been completely ruled out.

Firefox release manager Christian Legnitto recently said the browser maker reserved the right to issue a 13th beta if there were more issues to resolve.

It's been a fairly turbulent time for Mozilla recently, with three beta versions introduced in just over a month.

Earlier this month, it emerged Mike Beltzner, director of Firefox, would be leaving the company after his work on the latest browser was completed.

Tom Brewster

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.