Firefox creator Mozilla confirmed Meltdown and Spectre flaws could be used to extract login info from users online. The chances of this happening to the average user are slim, but still most certainly significant. This adds to the already-massive set of devices and situations in which either Meltdown or Spectre could have effects on computer users.
The back and forth between Google and Amazon has become both entertaining and also frustrating for consumers. It is the common folk who get caught in between the clash of the titans and, at least for Amazon Echo Show and Fire TV users, that meant being deprived of the time-wasting joys of YouTube. While peace negotiations are supposedly on the way, hope comes from a new, outside source. Mozilla has just announced that the Firefox web browser is now available on Amazon’s Fire TV platform and, yes, it can play web videos, including YouTube.
This week the folks at Firefox released Firefox Quantum, an update to their web browser that makes the internet seem faster. It actually is a little bit faster for the end user, as it were, and Mozilla's efforts make for the biggest update since the first version of the Firefox web browser. It's actually pretty impressive.
It isn't time yet for Firefox's biggest update, but Mozilla is serving up some small features as an appetizer. While not yet Project Quantum fast, the latest version of Firefox is still faster because it removes the need for convoluted processes and workarounds just to perform some of the most common tasks you do on the web, like filling out forms, taking screenshots, or sending links to your future self.
Once the browser that made Internet Explorer look like a dinosaur (ironic considering Mozilla's former mascot), Firefox has sadly been pushed to the background by the fast-paced development of Chrome, the novelty of Microsoft Edge, and even the persistence of Opera. Making up for lost time, opportunity, and market share, Mozilla is aiming or a quantum leap in progress with a new browser engine and new UI engine, all of which will come together in the next version aptly nicknamed "Firefox Quantum".
Although it may have been seemingly pushed to the sidelines, Firefox remains one the most popular browsers available on all major operating systems. And although it was late to arrive on iOS, it is making up for lost time by introducing new features like, finally, ad and content blocking. It is also adding new features to the Android version of its privacy-focused Firefox Focus which, almost ironically, removes one of the app's key strengths.
There was a huge hoopla a few years back regarding the switch to 64-bit processors on smartphones. While that was totally new on mobile, 64-bit has long been the name of the game on desktops and laptops. That said, most desktop software continued to straddle both 32 and 64 bit worlds, partly out of necessity to support those still running 32-bit versions of Windows. But for those already running on a 64-bit OS, Mozilla has this to say: use the 64-bit version of Firefox now and avail of the 39% discount on browser crashes.
A lot of people already live in their browsers, but there are still some things that browsers, even with advanced technologies, aren’t able to do. That’s especially true with applications and use cases that require sophisticated and resource-heavy graphics. Trying to prove that such is not the case anymore, Mozilla has just pushed out the latest version of Firefox that pushes performance to the limit. And what better proof of that than by adopting WebVR to bring virtual reality to the masses. The masses that have VR headsets, that is.
The web browser has long ceased being just a way to browse web pages. Google Chrome has proven we can live our entire computing lives inside the browser (or at least a browser engine), and some actually do that day to day. Mozilla, of course, isn’t going to take things sitting down. It has revealed three new to Test Pilot Experiments that also turn its Firefox web browser into a mini desktop, including the ability to turn Firefox into a file sharing service.
Firefox Focus is a bit of an odd duck. It launched first on iOS, where Firefox itself launched last. It had very limited features and a singled-minded focus on privacy. And yet it seems to have struck a chord with many mobile users, even on Android where the app has been around for less than a month. It managed to rake in 1 million downloads already in that time, encouraging Mozilla to roll out even more futures for the simple browser.
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.
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.