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There was a time when you could do almost anything in a web browser or could at least install extensions to do what the browser natively can't. While the craze of turning browsers into Swiss Army knives has mellowed down a bit, there's still plenty of things you can do with the software that would normally require a separate app for the same task. Ironically, Firefox is moving in the opposite direction and is removing FTP functionality that has been a staple in web browsers for decades.

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The most basic kind of protection against tracking that web browsers offer is Private Browsing mode, a.k.a. Incognito Mode that often blocks third parties and even the browser itself from tracking your movement through the Internet. This basic privacy measure isn't perfect, and it also causes some functionality to break. Unfortunately, one of those is being able to sign in to sites and services using a Facebook account, a problem that Firefox 90's new SmartBlock 2.0 is finally fixing.

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Despite all the magic that web apps and web browsers are able to do these days, much of the Web and the Internet in general still operates on top of decades-old technologies. This isn't just about applications like e-mail or IRC (yes, those still exist) but also technologies like TCP/IP, HTTP (without the S), and FTP. Those won't be going away anytime soon, at least without breaking the Internet, but some, such as FTP, are becoming more obscure to the point that Mozilla has decided to start its retirement from the Firefox web browser.

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Mozilla as an organization has been having trouble finding ways to generate revenue without betraying its principles and its community. One of the steps it has taken to keep operating despite that is to consolidate its resources to focus on efforts that have a bigger ROI. That involves restructuring, layoffs, and dropping projects it may no longer consider worthwhile. One of those, it seems, is the version of Firefox for Amazon devices which will no longer be supported after April.

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Mozilla has announced the launch of its latest version of the popular Firefox browser. The new version is Firefox 87, and with its launch comes a new feature called SmartBlock aimed at improving privacy while browsing. SmartBlock is described as an intelligent tracker blocking mechanisms for Firefox Private Browsing and Strict Mode.

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They may sound delicious but when it comes to the Web, cookies are almost like poison. Sure, they technically serve an important purpose but, like the real-world treats, they can be abused to harm people. That's why web browser makers are taking up arms against cookie abuse, each in their own way, and Mozilla's latest attempt is to completely confine those cookies in their own jars starting with Firefox 86.

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Some will say that cookies, at least most traditional cookies, are bad for your health and Web cookies have grown to become the same for your digital health. Created primarily to make it more convenient for users to revisit sites, again and again, the rather crude technology has been abused time and again to track users across the sites they visit. Browser makers are stepping up to fight such privacy invasions and the latest release of Firefox is designed to block another kind of cookie.

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It's been a while since we've heard of any announcement concerning Flash and most have probably presumed it was already dead anyway. After all, it was years ago when Adobe, who bought Flash creator Macromedia a long, long time ago, announced that it would eventually stop supporting the former darling of the Web. The clock is ticking and fate has finally caught up with Flash and Mozilla is making sure that its remaining users know that Flash will completely stop working in the latest version of Firefox coming next year.

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Mozilla was unsurprisingly very proud of its new Firefox on Android experience, which it dubbed "Daylight" but the backlash it received may have revealed a disconnect between the browser maker and its community. While the new browser in itself can really be considered an upgrade, the orphaned users of the most popular and most used Firefox add-ons see it as a step backward. Mozilla promised more addons would be coming soon and that day has come with Firefox extension soon growing from 9 to 19.

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Mozilla has decided that Firefox Send, its encrypted file transferring service, won't be returning. The reason for this decision is the same reason that compelled Mozilla to take the service offline in recent months: some users were taking advantage of Send to ship around malware and phishing attacks. In addition, Mozilla has also made a big announcement about its Firefox Notes product.

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There's a version of Firefox out there that'll close your old tabs automatically. Years after the tab nightmare began, we're finally at a place in this world where we're given the option to see old tabs close without our assistance. This option appears on Firefox 81 for Android, and it'll be on your Android smartphone in the very near future.

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A "completely overhauled" version of Firefox for Android was released today. This version of the web browser takes a revitalized approach to the web for mobile users, including a movable URL bar, faster speeds, and themes. Users will be able to access this app in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom first, starting today on August 25, 2020, while the USA will have a release date of August 27, 2020.

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