The next version of the popular open-source Firefox will likely show up in June of 2005, not March as earlier expected, the browser's lead engineer wrote this weekend in his blog.

"In a move that I would hope should surprise exactly nobody, we're pushing back 1.1 by a little bit because of the realities of the work remaining to be done," wrote Ben Goodger.

The updated road map for Firefox 1.1 noted that beta should ship in early April, with a final edition to follow in June. The next major revision, dubbed 2.0, is still on track for release sometime during 2005, according to the road map.

Goodger, who last week announced that he had been hired by Google -- but will continue working on Firefox at least part time -- denied that the change in employers caused the delay.

"The slippage from March is not due to my move to Google, it is due to us needing to ensure the 1.1 release is of identical quality and scope as the 1.0 release," he wrote. "That means a period of testing, the localization system needs to be brought back online, etc. These things are done by more people than just myself, so quit with the wacky speculation."