Companies to be Bob the Builder with Firefox 3.5

Mozilla is working on a program that will give firms the opportunity to build their own bespoke browsers, using the upcoming version of Firefox.

Big companies will be able to slot such a customised browser more easily into their corporate environment, reports IDG.

The Build Your Own Browser program won’t kick off until after Mozilla’s oft-delayed Firefox 3.5 arrives. A release candidate build of the browser is expected within the next fortnight.

The open source outfit said it planned to provide firms with a web app that will allow them to pick and choose a variety of customisations for the browser.

Additionally, the surfing tool can be given a brand makeover through a technology named Personas. Users can code a skin over the top of the browser with a company’s logo on it, Mike Beltzner told IDG.

Of course, convincing companies in the first place to ditch Internet Explorer in favour of Mozilla’s rival browser might prove an uphill task. However, a program such as this might lure the odd one or two away from the main competition.

But Mozilla won’t be handing over software similar to Microsoft’s IE installation pack. It has instead made it possible for users to build their own multiple-machine installers for Firefox, said Beltzner.

Elsewhere down at the Mozilla ranch, the organisation released a post-beta, pre-release candidate version of Firefox 3.5 yesterday. ®