Firefox 3.6 may no longer support Windows 2000

The Mozilla developers are currently discussing dropping support for older versions of Windows in the next version of Firefox (code-named "Namoroka), following the Firefox 3.5 release. As Firefox 3 no longer runs on computers running Windows 95, 98, ME or NT, future Windows 2000 compatibility in upcoming releases is being debated.

Windows 2000 is no longer being sold and official support ends in July of next year. Dropping support for Windows 2000 would also simplify the code for themes, as 2000 lacks the UxTheme API. Another proposal made by Michael Connor, a leading Firefox developer, was to require service pack 3 for Windows XP, however, that discussion is still open. In addition to Firefox, other applications based on the Gecko engine (version 1.9.2) would also be affected by the change, including the Thunderbird email client and the SeaMonkey browser suite.

Few current browsers are still available for Windows versions prior to XP. Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 SP 1 was the last to support Windows 2000, ME, 98 and NT. Apple's Safari browser and Google's Chrome browser require at least Windows XP (the latter requiring Service Pack 2). Opera is the only browser that still supports older retired operating systems, including Windows 95.

See also:

• Firefox 3.0.8 now available, a report from The H.
• Firefox and security certificates, a feature from The H.

(crve)