Mozilla is responding to challenges from browser rivals Apple, Microsoft and Google by reviving private browsing mode features in Firefox.

The approach has been considered before but was sidelined in the run-up to the release of Firefox 3.0. However, the inclusion of similar privacy protecting features in Apple’s Safari and, more recently Google Chrome and IE 8 beta 2, has revived interest in the approach and spurred a decision to incorporate the technology in the first beta of Firefox 3.1, due out next month. The decision was made at a meeting of Mozilla developers on Tuesday.

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Mozilla released an experimental browser plug-in Tuesday that aims to connect the Web with language to help users perform common Web tasks more quickly and easily.

Ubiquity, created by Aza Raskin–son of Apple Mac pioneer Jef Raskin–is a command-line interface that allows users to use plain language to manipulate Web tasks, such as mapping, translation, shopping, or retrieving entries from Wikipedia, Yelp, and Twitter. The free Firefox plug-in allows for the creation of “user-generated mashups with existing open Web APIs,” according to a post on Mozilla’s site Tuesday. “In other words, allowing everyone–not just Web developers–to remix the Web so it fits their needs, no matter what page they are on, or what they are doing.”

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It’s official: Mozilla has set possibly the geekiest world record ever with the release of Firefox 3.

The open-source company said Wednesday that the browser’s 8,002,530 downloads in its first 24 hours of release set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloads in that period of time.

Mozilla Vice President of Marketing Paul Kim thanked Firefox fans in a statement, calling them “instrumental in achieving this record.”

“Our community members came together and not only spread the word, but also took the initiative to help mobilize millions of people to demonstrate their belief that Firefox gives people the best possible online experience,” he said.

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Apple caused quite a controversy over the weekend when the company made good on its promise to use iTunes as a way of pushing the Safari web browser on unsuspecting Windows users. The controversy arises from Apple’s decision to bundle the Safari web browser as a “update” for iTunes on Windows — despite the fact that Safari is a totally new, and potentially unwanted, application.

Software Update, Apple’s means of distributing iTunes updates on Windows, has previously only offered to update existing software. However, late last week that practice changed, and Apple began listing Safari for Windows as a “update,” which clearly, it is not.

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In 2006, Mozilla’s Firefox Internet browser boasted a mere nine days of vulnerability (the time between when a security threat is discovered and when it’s fixed) compared with Internet Explorer’s whopping 284 days. While the latter reigns as the most popular browser for U.S. users, it’s clear that Mountain View, Calif.-based Mozilla is working feverishly to ensure that cyber-surfers using its system are kept safe from hackers, phishers and other online threats.

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Mozilla is in informal talks with mobile operators about its mobile Firefox project, which the organization hopes will shake up the market as much as the introduction of the desktop browser did in 2004.

“Mozilla’s mission is to break open a closed market,” said Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla’s vice president of engineering, during a visit to London earlier this week. But “it won’t happen overnight.”

The impact, however, will be felt before year’s end. By then, Mozilla is aiming to release a mobile browser for two operating systems: embedded Linux and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile.

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A new Mozilla Foundation effort to improve its Thunderbird open-source e-mail software now has an official name–and its first public goals.

Thunderbird 3.0 is due to ship by the end of the year with a more comprehensive search feature and official integration of the Lightning calendar add-on, said David Ascher, chief executive of the newly named Mozilla Messaging subsidiary. The first alpha release will come sooner, though, for those who want to test the software.

“I’m expecting we’ll have some public releases probably within three months,” Ascher said.

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Firefox 3.0’s new anti-malware blocker, a tool that prevents some malicious pages from loading, is the browser upgrade’s most important new security feature, Mozilla Corp.’s head of engineering said today.

Officially dubbed Malware Protection, the tool warns users when they steer Firefox to sites that are known to install viruses, spyware, Trojan horses and other malicious code. When a user tries to reach a site on the banned list, a large red warning appears in lieu of the page. The warning says that the intended destination “has been reported as an attack site and has been blocked based on your security preferences.” A button labeled “Get me out of here!” returns Firefox to the browser’s home page.

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Mozilla’s chief of security has confirmed a vulnerability that could cause fully patched versions of Firefox to expose a user’s private data.

The confirmation, which was posted here by Mozilla’s Window Snyder, follows the release of proof-of-concept code by researcher Gerry Eisenhaur.

The bug resides in Firefox’s chrome protocol scheme and allows for a directory traversal when certain types of extensions are installed. Attackers could use it to detect if certain programs or files are present on a machine, gaining information to use in perpetrating another, more malicious exploit.

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Mozilla Labs has just introduced Weave, an experimental project that aims to deliver Mozilla’s vision for a web services integrated web browser.

Fortunately, this integration won’t be with a particular service provider (Facebook, MySpace, YouTube or any other). Instead, Mozilla will provide an extensible framework, a set of interfaces where other service providers can plug in to deliver their own content. At the same time, Mozilla will provide a few basic services as an extended feature for Mozilla products and as a working implementation of this framework.

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