Articles about Firefox

The popularity of software betas and the Windows Insider program show that people are keen to get their hands on things earlier. There is a certain delight in tinkering with experimental tools, utilities and apps, and if this is the sort of thing that excites you, you'll be pleased to hear that Mozilla has brought Mozilla Labs back from the dead with a new site.

Not seen for a number of years, Mozilla Labs used to be home to experimental Firefox projects. Now, the relaunched version is home to more, including Project Things, Spoke, Hubs and more -- Firefox is no longer the sole focus.

Continue reading →

With the news that Microsoft Edge will be ditching its own browser engine in favor of Google’s Chromium, those wishing to strike a blow against monopolization the net should be looking at Mozilla’s Firefox, which continues to develop its own independent Gecko engine. Firefox Quantum 64.0 has just been released for desktop, along with Firefox for Android 64.0.

Mozilla has made its own pitch for why the news about Edge could be bad for the wider net, but in the meantime Firefox 64.0 delivers a smattering of new features, and various other changes.

Continue reading →

If a website suffers a security breach you may well decide that you want to give it a wide berth. The problem is that it is impossible for individuals to keep track of all of the breaches that take place, and Mozilla wants to help out.

After teaming up with Have I Been Pwned recently, Mozilla created Firefox Monitor to help inform people about breaches, and this is now expanding to more languages. On top of this, the organization has also now launched Firefox Monitor Notifications that will issue a warning if you visit a site that has been breached.

Continue reading →

Mozilla has announced a partnership with ProtonVPN as it explores new ways to keep people safe online.

Starting today, a select group of Firefox users in the US will see an ad for ProtonVPN encouraging them to take out a monthly subscription with the service. It's an experiment that is part of Mozilla's attempt to explore new revenue streams to help keep Firefox funded.

Continue reading →

Mozilla has released Firefox Quantum 63.0 for desktop, along with Firefox for Android 63.0.

Like the previous release there are no major highlights to report, but both Windows and Mac users will be encouraged to update thanks to the promise of performance improvements. The Windows build will also change theme to match Light and Dark modes in Windows 10.

Continue reading →

Following the footsteps of Microsoft Edge and Chrome, Firefox is -- at long last -- going to offer support for the delivery of notifications through Windows 10's Action Center.

The move will please many Firefox users as this is a highly-requested feature, and it brings Mozilla's web browser in line with its rivals. While there is no release date for the finished version of Firefox 64, Action Center notification support has already made its way into the nightly builds.

Continue reading →

Mozilla has partnered with Troy Hunt -- the brain behind data compromise checking service Have I Been Pwned -- to create its own data breach notification service. Called Firefox Monitor, the free service lets users check if any of their email accounts or personal data have been involved in data breaches.

More than this, Firefox Monitor can also keep an eye out for future data breaches and notify those who have signed up whether their data has been affected.

Continue reading →

A security researcher has developed an attack that exploits a Firefox bug, making it possible to crash the web browser.

Sabri Haddouche used his Browser Reaper website to share a live test version of the exploit -- the site is also home to exploits for Chrome and Safari. The Firefox attack uses JavaScript to crash or freeze the browser, with the effect of the exploit depending on whether the browser is running on Linux, Windows or macOS.

Continue reading →

Yesterday I revealed how Microsoft was interrupting attempts to install Firefox or Chrome on Insider builds of Windows 10 with an advert for its own browser, Edge.

This boneheaded move, designed to get people to try Edge for more than just downloading another browser, was rightly met with fury here and across the internet, and Microsoft has now pulled the "advert", claiming it was just a test. But a test for what? To see how far it can push users?

Continue reading →

Microsoft wants you to use its Edge browser in Windows 10. I mean, really, really wants you to use it. If you open Edge and search for "Chrome" or "Firefox" using Bing, Edge’s default search engine, you’ll be presented with a massive banner informing you that "Microsoft Edge is the faster, safer browser on Windows 10 and is already installed on your PC". Four boxes below then show you how Edge lets you browse longer, and faster, offers built-in protection and built-in assistance.

If that doesn’t stop you, then Microsoft has a new, much nastier trick up its sleeve -- when you go to install Firefox or Chrome it intercepts the action and pops up a window promoting Edge with the same line about how its browser is faster and safer. It then gives you a blue button to click to open Edge, or a grey one you can click to install the browser you actually want to use. Oh, and this window will keep appearing, unless you go into Settings and stop Windows 10 from offering you app "recommendations".

Continue reading →

Mozilla has released Firefox Quantum 62.0 for desktop, along with Firefox for Android 62.0. Version 62 ships with several minor new features, the most visible of which is support for up to four rows of personal customizations -- top sites, Pocket stories and highlights -- on the new Firefox Home menu.

Android users gain the most notable changes in Firefox 62: scrolling performance is improved, and there’s the promise of faster loading times over Wi-Fi by loading from the network cache if it’s quicker than the disk cache. Users also gain more control over notifications with the addition of a 'Product and feature tips' option.

Continue reading →

Mozilla has announced some of its plans for Firefox, and there's a strong focus on privacy. At an as-yet unspecified point in the "near future" the browser will block all tracking by default, although it is being trialed this month.

In addition to this -- which is a change from the current Do Not Track option -- Firefox will include a new set of options which Mozilla says will give users greater control over the information they share with websites. As well as helping to improve privacy, Mozilla is also hoping to improve the performance of its web browser with a new set of controls that it says will empower users and give them a voice.

Continue reading →

We recently wrote about a browser extension which added Windows' Timeline support for Chrome and Firefox -- the aptly-named Windows Timeline Support.

While we loved the addon for making Windows 10's Timeline rather more useful, the use of the word "Windows" in its name meant that the extension was taken down due to copyright violation. Now it's back with a new name.

Continue reading →

Mozilla is looking to change the design of the Firefox logo and it is seeking help -- which is just as well, because the designs it has come up with so far are awful.

The company says that it is looking to "evolve the Firefox brand" as it develops new apps and services beyond the browser it is currently associated with. The aim is to come up with a new branding system that can "embrace all of the Firefox products in the pipeline and those still in the minds of our Emerging Technologies group", and it wants to know what you think.

Continue reading →

Malwarebytes is one of the better tools for keeping your PC safe from the many threats you can encounter on the web, and today the company introduces a browser extension for both Firefox and Chrome.

Called simply, Malwarebytes Browser Extension (BETA) it blocks malicious websites and filters out unwanted content, which the company says results in "up to three times faster webpage load times".

Continue reading →