firefox

Although it probably had the biggest share in the web browser market, the bloat that was known as Internet Explorer soon dragged Microsoft's name down to the Internet Hall of Shame. Given than notoriety, it almost seemed that its new browser, Microsoft Edge, had an unfair disadvantage. Unsurprisingly, the company put its marketing and advertising machine into high gear, including tests that claim superior battery life for the Edge. However, most, if not all, of these proofs and counter-proofs were made by browser makers themselves. Fortunately, Linus Tech Tips decided it was time to have an independent test done, and the results might surprise you.

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Late last year, Mozilla launched Firefox Focus, basically the closest you could get to a "burner" browser that kept your online dealings private and erased your footprints after you close the app. Back then, it was made available only for iOS, which was a bit ironic considering it was the last platform Firefox was officially and natively available on. Half a year later, Mozilla has finally decided to grace the Android platform with its single-tabbed focus on privacy.

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Most computer users, be it on traditional desktops or mobile devices, mostly live in their web browsers. Almost all interactivity with the outside world happens through their favorite browser, from email to social networking to watching videos to plain old browsing. So it stands that the browser should also be one of the most reliable pieces of software on your device. With the latest Firefox 54 release, Mozilla inches closer towards doing just that with a new multiple process feature that takes advantage of modern computers' multiple CPU cores.

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Most of our interactions with our devices, be it a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone, happens in the web browser. We practically live in our web browers, something Google's Chrome OS is trying to exploit. So when browser become slow or, worse, crash, it can be an infuriating experience. Google Chrome has tried to address that problem by running each tab on a different process. Firefox will be doing something similar yet also different. Starting version 53, it will be running its "Quantum Compositor" on a separate process, ensuring not just faster performance but also stability.

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Netflix does not officially support Linux, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used on the platform. Linux users have been able to play Netflix streaming content using Chrome on Linux for the last couple of years, and now there’s a new browser with the same ability: Firefox. Netflix itself announced the new support, saying that those using Linux should be able to play content using Firefox as of yesterday.

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Browser-based games are nothing new, from Farmville to Plants vs. Zombies to Candy Crush Saga. Back then, smartphones weren’t as ubiquitous or as accessible as they are now. Browser games have since then taken a backseat, held back by limitations of web technologies and languages. Not anymore, promises Mozilla. With Firefox 52.0 and its fancy new WebAssembly feature, gaming on web browsers need no longer be limited to simplistic, usually 2D games. They can, and will, run more complex 3D games, without requiring a plugin.

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Mozilla might be best known as the creators of the Firefox web browser but it has also dipped its fingers in a few other products as well. Most notable is the Thunderbird e-mail client/PIM suite and most recent is Firefox OS for mobile and then for IoT. But here’s the rub: none of those endeavors have survived the test of time or of the market. Undaunted, Mozilla has just made its “first strategic acquisition” by buying Pocket, one of the most popular “read-it-later” services on the Web.

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Mozilla just can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to bringing Firefox outside of the confines of a traditional web browser. After killing its plans for a Firefox OS smartphone, it shifted its eyes towards the more nascent Internet of Things market. Now it is also giving up on that IoT thrust as well. The nonprofit organization has just told its workforce that it will be scrapping its IoT team, laying off as much as 50 people in the process.

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Mozilla has announced the rollout of an update to its Firefox browser that fixes a newly reported vulnerability, one that has left Tor users exposed. Not only has this vulnerability made it possible for Tor users to be deanonymized, Mozilla says the exploit is being actively used for this purpose. The vulnerability affects Windows, macOS, and Linux, though the exploit itself only works against Windows users.

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Almost all respectable modern web browsers these days, be they on desktop or mobile, offer a way out of obnoxious ads, activity tracking, and potential invasions of privacy. But more often than not, these features come at the cost of a bit of complexity, which can be intimidating for an already anxious user. Mozilla, who only last year was finally able to bring its Firefox browser in full to iOS, might have a solution. For iOS only as well. It is called Firefox Focus, and not only is it already private by default, it is also dead simple to use.

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Web browsers have practically become operating systems and desktop environments. Just look at Chrome OS. While Firefox OS hasn’t exactly taken on a similar form, and is, in fact, practically dead, Mozilla isn’t stopping in giving its own web browser some extra power so that you won’t have to leave Firefox just for some menial tasks. Expanding its Test Pilot group of experimental features Mozilla is giving Firefox the ability to play videos in a smaller window at a corner of your screen or take and immediately share screenshots, all within Firefox, of course.

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After one or two false starts, Mozilla was finally able to bring Firefox to iOS for good last November. But while it did bring essential features like bookmarks and password syncing, the Firefox that greeted users on Apple's mobile platform was a far cry from the smooth experience they have on the desktop or Android. More than half a year later, Mozilla is pushing out an update that is small in size (less than 50 MB) but big in features, bringing a much needed interface and functionality revamp that puts Firefox on par again with Apple's Safari or Google's Chrome on iOS.

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