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Firefox browser add-on lets us try Firefox OS in an all-Mozilla universe
We’ve had the chance to experiment with early versions of Firefox OS for awhile — just not in Firefox the browser, where you’d nearly expect it to have shown first. At least one person appreciates that seemingly natural fit. A new Firefox OS simulator add-on, r2d2b2g, lets us try Mozilla’s upcoming mobile platform from within the company’s own browser for everything that doesn’t depend on native hardware, including the browser and Firefox Marketplace. The goal is ostensibly to let developers test truly optimized web apps, although the simulator is also a good excuse for the curious to try Firefox OS without the hassle of a dedicated client or a real smartphone. If you can get by the early state of the simulator and the Xzibit jokes that come with putting Firefox on your Firefox, the extension is already providing a glimpse of a web-focused mobile future to Linux, Mac and Windows users at the source below.
Happy 8th Birthday, Firefox!
On November 9 2004, eight years ago today, the Mozilla foundation has launched the first version of Firefox.
This anniversary may be confusing for some, as we’ve recently compiled a timeline of Firefox’s first 10 years. This is because the browser that would eventually become Firefox, called Phoenix, was actually launched as a beta in 2002. When the first full version of the browser was launched in 2004, it was renamed to Firefox.
Mozilla’s open source browser was seen as a breath of fresh air at the time when Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 dominated the market share, annoying many users with its numerous security issues.
Over the years, Firefox captured a sizable chunk of the market share from Internet Explorer, but in the last couple of years it has gotten some very serious competition in the form of Google’s Chrome and others. Currently, Firefox is the world’s third most popular browser, behind IE and Chrome.
For the future, Mozilla plans several important features, including a Windows 8-ready version of Firefox, as well as the Social API, which will enable integration of Facebook and other social networks with the browser.
Firefox begins testing Social API with Facebook Messenger, here’s how you can take part
You live a fast-paced life, and you don’t have time to stop your high-speed internet surfing just to check up on Suzie’s latest Facebook update. Mozilla understands your plight, digital denizen, and its “Social API” is here to help — Firefox browser users can beta test Facebook’s Messenger functionality right this minute, should they be able to pause for long enough to get it set up. Thankfully, that setup isn’t too strenuous, requiring little more than the latest beta version of the Firefox browser and an opt-in to the Social API program (via Facebook). Mozilla’s promising more social service integration as the beta rolls on (“soon”), but for now you can more readily stay in touch with Suzie at least, right?
Mozilla opens Firefox Marketplace for Aurora builds of Android, gives mobile a taste of web apps
Mozilla’s love of web apps is more than obvious; we just haven’t had a real chance to try the Firefox Marketplace that represents a large part of the company’s app strategy. The doors are at last open for a peek, although Mozilla has chosen the unusual path of giving mobile users the first crack: Android users willing to live on the bleeding edge of an Aurora build of Firefox can browse and run those web apps in Mozilla’s store. Everyone else willing to venture into the Marketplace will have to wait until their own Firefox builds receive a matching update, including that rare group with access to Firefox OS. We’re not quite in a rush to try a first wave of apps in an alpha-grade browser. Should you be the sort who thinks that even beta releases are too sluggish, however, your gateway to the Marketplace awaits at the source links.
Firefox introduces preliminary support for Social API, brings your networks into the browser
While you might use Firefox to access your social media of choice already, preliminary support for a new API has been introduced that could integrate key features into the browser itself. The aptly named Social API, will allow developers to embed services into the browser directly, letting you interact with friends and stay updated without having to open new windows, or keep hopping into different tabs. There’s no solid info just yet on how this will manifest itself, or how issues such as security and privacy might be addressed, but with testing beginning soon, we’re expecting the curtain to lift on the finer details soon. Interested developers can head to the source, for the other billion, you’ll just have to wait.
Mozilla Pulls Firefox 16 Over Security Issues
After releasing their new Firefox 16 just one day ago, Mozilla has had to pull their new Firefox browser from being downloaded from their website after security concerns were raised.
Mozilla is aware of Firefox 16 security vulnerabilities which were found in the current release that was only launched by Mozilla yesterday. So if you were one of the early adopters and installed Firefox 16 it might be worth your while downgrading to Firefox 15 until the security issues have been patched.
The security vulnerability within Firefox 16 could allow a malicious site to potentially determine websites users have visited, and have access to their URL or URL parameters.
However Mozilla has no evidence that the vulnerability which has been discovered in Firefox 16 is being exploited in the wild at the current time. However it’s probably best to uninstall Firefox 16 until Mozilla has been able to rectify the issue. For more information jump over to the Mozilla Security blog post. As always we will keep you updated as Mozilla releases more information about the security issue.
Update ** Mozilla has now released a patch for Android app you can download the latest version now from the Google Play store now.
Source: Mozilla version 15.0.1
Mozilla Firefox 16 disponibile per il Download
Da pochi minuti è disponibile sul web la nuova versione del famoso browser Mozilla Firefox, giunto ora alla release 16.0. L’azienda rilascerà l’aggiornamento solo domani, tuttavia per chi fosse interessato a provare il browser proproniamo a seguire i link per il download delle varie versione per Windows, MAC e Linux.
Download: Firefox 16.0 for Windows / 17.4 MB
Download: Firefox 16.0 for Linux / 18.9 MB
Download: Firefox 16.0 for MacOS / 33.3 MB
Le note di rilascio non sono ancora disponibili ma vi lasciamo con quelle indicate nella versione beta:
- NEW: Firefox on Mac OS X now has preliminary VoiceOver support turned on by default.
- NEW: Initial web app support (Windows/Mac/Linux).
- NEW: Acholi localization added.
- CHANGED: Improvements around JavaScript responsiveness through incremental garbage collection.
- DEVELOPER: New Developer Toolbar with buttons for quick access to tools, error count for the Web Console, and a new command line for quick keyboard access.
- DEVELOPER: CSS3 Animations, Transitions, Transforms and Gradients unprefixed in Firefox 16.
- DEVELOPER: Recently opened files list in Scratchpad implemented.
IonMonkey Javascript Arrives In Firefox 18 Bringing Extra Speed
Within the latest nightly release of Firefox 18 currently under development by Mozilla, the new Javascript engines called IonMonkey have appeared in their first release.
The new Javascript engines have been designed to bring extra speed to the Firefox browser,and are expected to be seen in a final release rolled out on January 1st, 2013.
The new IonMonkey Javascript engines will replace the current JaegerMonkey, which was first introduced back in 2011 with Firefox 4. Mozilla’s David Anderson explains:
“IonMonkey introduces loop-invariant code motion, sparse global value numbering, linear scan register allocation, dead code elimination as well as range analysis to the JavaScript engine.”
The latest version of Firefox including the IonMonkey Javascript engines can be downloaded from the Mozilla nightly channel right now, if you fancy putting it through its paces. Aurora developer version is due on October 9th 2012, and the Beta channel is likely to see IonMonkey on November 20th 2012.
Source: Toms Hardware
Mozilla Firefox OS: screenshot del nuovo sistema operativo e del Marketplace
Mentre molti stanno seguendo con interesse le vicende legate alla nuova release di Microsoft e di rado arrivano aggiornamenti anche sullo stato dei lavori per BlackBerry 10, in assoluto silenzio e discrezione lavorano i programmatori della Mozilla Foundation, che da quasi un anno stanno portando avanti lo sviluppo di Firefox OS (ex Boot to Gecko).
Non si hanno informazioni sui tempi di rilascio della prima versione del sistema operativo, ma alcuni screenshot sono arrivati in rete in questi giorni. In apertura abbiamo tre immagini ufficiali mandateci proprio dal team Mozilla, con la pagina iniziale del browser sulla sinistra, l’applicazione della radio al centro e galleria delle immagini sulla destra (somiglianza davvero spiccata con la visualizzazione delle immagini offerta dall’App QuickPic).
Firefox 16 beta arrives with web app hooks, Reader Mode for Android and VoiceOver for Macs
Firefox 15 is barely fresh off the vine, and we’re already looking at a beta version 16 for both desktop platforms and Android. Mozilla’s test release builds in the first support for web apps that play nicely with the Mozilla Marketplace; as long as titles have a slight amount of extra formatting, they can slot into Firefox without hiccups. More treats exist if you’re running certain platforms: the Android crowd receives a Safari-style Reader Mode that strips out the fluff from pages, while Mac users see the once test-only VoiceOver support flipped on by default to improve accessibility. Even developers get a little something special through a quick-access toolbar and more readily accessible CSS4 scripting. If any of this sounds tempting, there’s a pair of source links waiting for your attention.
Firefox per Android si aggiorna con novità importanti per Tablet!
Mozilla ha appena annunciato che il nuovo Firefox per tablet Android è ora disponibile per il download nel Google Play Store. Gli stessi miglioramenti delle prestazioni che hanno reso Firefox per Android veloce sono ora disponibili per i tablet. Secondo il comunicato ogni funzionalità è più rapida: dall’avvio ai tempi di caricamento delle pagine, dal panning allo zoom e alle performance delle applicazioni web.
Firefox 15 to arrive in finished form on August 29th, promises truly stealthy updates for all (update 2: stand-alone, Android too)
Mozilla has been keeping to a tight schedule of having a completed Firefox release every five to six weeks, and it’s very much on track. The browser team’s Ehsan Akhgari has confirmed that a properly polished version of Firefox 15 should reach the download servers on August 29th. When it does arrive, the new release will primarily expand the silent updates that Windows users first saw in Firefox 12: future iterations on all platforms will install themselves in the background and should be truly ready to go the next time the browser starts. Beyond this deliberately subtle change, the finished version 15 upgrade should still support Opus audio as well as clamp down on out-of-control memory use from add-ons. We’re looking forward to not noticing the differences very shortly.Update 2: It’s now easier to get a stand-alone copy if you’re not updating, since Mozilla just updated the Firefox front page to reflect the new version. Android users are also getting an update through Google Play that brings earlier speed updates to tablets, a personalized start page and a whole host of extra fixes, some of which come directly from the desktop Firefox 15.
Google teases hackers with $2 million in prizes, announces Pwnium 2 exploit competition
The folks in Mountain View are starting to make a habit of getting hacked — intentionally, that is. Earlier this year, Google hosted an event at the CanSecWest security conference called Pwnium, a competition that challenged aspiring hackers to poke holes in its Chrome browser. El Goog apparently learned so much from the event that it’s doing it again — hosting Pwnium 2 at the Hack in the Box 10th anniversary conference in Malaysia and offering up to $2 million in rewards. Bugging out the browser by exploiting its own code wins the largest award, a cool $60,000. Enlisting the help of a WebKit or Windows kernel bug makes you eligible for a $50,000 reward, and non-Chrome exploits that rely on a bug in Flash or a driver are worth $40,000. Not confident you can break Chrome? Don’t let that stop you — Google plans to reward incomplete exploits as well, noting that it has plenty to learn from unreliable or incomplete attacks. Check out the Chromium Blog at the source link below for the full details.
Native Firefox Android browser adds speed, Flash, HTML5 and a fresh look (hands-on)
After a brief stretch in beta followed by some vague teasing, Firefox’s native Android app update is finally set to hit Google Play. While there are a raft of bells and whistles — a new welcome page, curvy Australis tabs, Flash and HTML5 support, for starters — it’s the browser’s newfound speed that is getting the MVP treatment. That rapidity is as good a place as any to start a quick hands-on, especially since the native browser lag on one of our older handsets, a Galaxy S, often makes us want to hurl it through a pane of glass. Mozilla claims it built Firefox to a new benchmark it developed called Eideticker, resulting in an overall browser experience twice as fast as the stock Android one. As advertised, initial loading is quasi-instant, and navigation, zooming and tab switching seemed smooth as well, even on the two-gen-old phone.
Feature-wise, preferences and other desktop settings imported easily with Firefox Sync’s shared password system, and the unfortunately named “Awesome Screen” is the new home page shown above, from which it’s fairly simple to launch your preferred sites. Flash and HTML5 generally displayed correctly despite a few minor rendering bugs, and the curved tabs and other design touches make it one of the more elegant Android browsers we’ve played with. Unfortunately, many sites display in full because they don’t yet detect Firefox as a mobile app, but the installation of the Phony 3.2 add-in lets it impersonate other smartphone browsers, and it seemed to work well. We also didn’t like that tabbed browsing now requires two taps to get to another page, unlike the previous version, but we imagine that was needed for the increased speed. Overall, Firefox is a welcome addition to the Android ecosystem — we bet you’re just as eager to start browsing as we are, so stay tuned for the app to hit Google Play later today, or jump past the break for a quick speed demo from the kind folks at Mozilla.
Adobe Flash 11.3 checks in with security fixes, OS X silent updater and Firefox sandbox in tow
While feverishly revamping Flash with the all-new Next version — to keep HTML5 from killing it — Adobe is still plugging the current incarnation with smaller updates. To that end, Flash 11.3 just popped out of beta, which sees the company add a few notable goodies for the beleaguered plugin. On top of filling seven critical security holes, Adobe added a background updating feature for Mac OS X and signed the code in preparation for compatibility with Mountain Lion. That way it’ll align it with the upcoming Gatekeeper feature in the next OS X release, though you’ll have to dial its max security down one notch to get it. Lastly, sandboxing — already in Chrome — has been tacked on to Firefox as well, slowing hackers by isolating the plugin from critical system processes. All that fresh duct tape and polyfill should keep Flash rattling along — until Adobe can pull the gleaming Next platform out of the hangar. Meanwhile, click the source for the download links.
Firefox 13 final swings by with new home and tab pages, flaunts its SPDYness
It’s been barely over a month since the Firefox 13 beta began, but the wait for a completed version has felt especially drawn out. Thankfully, Mozilla has just wrapped up its work and set loose the polished code. The new release makes its changes felt right away, as you’ll see a new default home page with bookmarks and history. Opening a new tab page presents a list of most visited pages — a feature that we can swear we’ve seen in a few browsers before. A slightly fresher addition switches on Google’s SPDY protocol by default, which as its convenient acronym suggests should squeeze and streamline web traffic to load it faster. Mozilla won’t completely open the floodgates until tomorrow, but you can download Mac and Windows editions today from the source links below.
Statcounter: Chrome overtakes Internet Explorer in global browser share for the first time
Chrome’s share of internet use just inched past Microsoft’s Internet Explorer last month, laying claim to king of the web browsers. Statcounter’s analytics measured that 32.43 percent of its 15 billion page-views were done on Google’s browser, while Internet Explore took 32.12 percent and Firefox 25.55 percent. According to StatCounter, an upswing of over 0.6 percent to Firefox (from Internet Explorer) helped Chrome claim the top spot. The month rounds off some impressive growth for Chrome in 2012, which claimed second place in Statcounter’s results at the start of the year. Now, if Google could just get that mobile version out to more handsets, we could see how it fares against small-screen competition.
Firefox beta: Interfaccia rinnovata e nuove caratteristiche,disponibile in Play Store
Continua lo sviluppo travagliato di Firefox per Android, con una nuova beta version disponibile al download da Play Store. Interfaccia grafica completamente rinnovata e caratteristiche aggiuntive segnano un cambio di marcia da parte di Mozilla, nonostante i miglioramenti da implementare siano molti.
Mozilla Removes Favicons From Firefox URL’s
Within the latest nightly build released by Mozilla for their Firefox browser, the age-old favicon used by many sites in their URL’s has been removed and will no longer be supported in the URL address bar within Firefox. The favicon has long been used to provide an extra enhancement to websites allowing them to add a small image to the left side of their website URL.
The reason for the removal of the favicon after all this time, is due to a security issue says Mozilla. After unscrupulous websites have published the favicon as a padlock, making the site look secure to visitors, at first glance. However being far from secure in reality. Mozilla explains:
“Websites that use SSL certificates with Extended Validation will now have a green padlock next to the certificate owner’s organisation name.
Websites that use SSL certificates without Extended Validation will now have a grey padlock. The effective hostname will no longer appear next to the padlock. This information is redundant with our darkening of the effective hostname in the website address.
Websites that do not use SSL certificates or have mixed-content will fallback to a globe icon.”
The favicon is also used in bookmark lists to help users differentiate between different websites. Google removed the favicons from their Chrome browser some time back, but still allows them still to be used in bookmark lists and in the tabs used to separating pages within their browser. Lets hope that Mozilla follows a similar line with Firefox.
Source: TNW
Firefox 12 For Windows, Mac And Linux Now Available
Today Mozilla has made available their latest Firefox browser taking it to version 12. Since Mozilla has adopted a quicker release roll out similar to that used by Google for its Chrome browser, it means its only been five weeks since the launch of Firefox 11.
The new six week update cycle came Mozilla is now using allows it to keep development up to date an provide users with new features quicker than the older system which may have taken Mozilla months to roll out features between updates.
Witihn the latest update if you are using Windows, Mozilla has now removed the need for User Account Control prompts, whenever you wish to update, making it slightly easier and quicker to download the next update when its released.
Other creatures include a new “Find in Page” function, as well as now allowing URLs pasted into the download manager window to start downloading automatically. You can download the latest version of the Firefox 12 for Linux, Mac and Windows from the Mozilla website.
Source: Redmond Pie
