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Firefox
(Redirected from Firefox ESR)
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Screenshot of Firefox 55 running on Windows 10
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| Developer(s) | Mozilla Foundation and contributors Mozilla Corporation | ||||
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| Initial release | September 23, 2002 | ||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||
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| Preview release(s) [±] | |||||
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| Development status | Active | ||||
| Written in | C++, JavaScript, HTML, C, Rust[7] | ||||
| Operating system | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS[8] (Unofficial portsto BSDs, Solaris, OpenSolaris, illumos) | ||||
| Included with | Firefox OS, Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint | ||||
| Engines | Gecko, SpiderMonkey, WebKit(iOS only) | ||||
| Size | |||||
| Available in | 91 languages[15] | ||||
| Type | Web browser Feed reader Mobile web browser | ||||
| License | MPL 2.0[16][17] | ||||
| Website | mozilla | ||||
| Standard(s) | HTML5, CSS3, RSS, Atom | ||||
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| Origins and lineage |
| Category |
Mozilla Firefox (or simply Firefox) is a free and open-source[18] web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary the Mozilla Corporation. Firefox is available for Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems, with its Firefox for Android available for Android (formerly Firefox for mobile, it also ran on the discontinued Firefox OS), and uses the Gecko layout engine to render web pages, which implements current and anticipated web standards.[19] An additional version, Firefox for iOS, was released in late 2015, but this version does not use Gecko due to Apple's restrictions limiting third-party web browsers to the WebKit-based layout engine built into iOS.
Firefox was created in 2002 under the name "Phoenix" by Mozilla community members who desired a standalone browser, rather than the Mozilla Application Suite bundle. Even during its beta phase, Firefox proved to be popular with its testers and was praised for its speed, security, and add-ons compared to Microsoft's then-dominant Internet Explorer 6. Firefox was released in November 2004,[20] and was highly successful with 60 million downloads within nine months, which was the first time that Internet Explorer's dominance was challenged.[21] Firefox is considered the spiritual successor of Netscape Navigator, as the Mozilla community was created by Netscape in 1998 before their acquisition by AOL.[22]
Firefox usage grew to a peak of 32% at the end of 2009,[23] temporarily making version 3.5 the world's most popular browser.[24][25] Usage then declined in competition with Google Chrome.[23] As of September 2017, Firefox has between 5.96% and 13.6% of worldwide usage as a "desktop" browser, making it the second most popular web browser.[26][27][28][29] Firefox is still the most popular desktop browser in Cuba (even most popular overall at 67.37%[30]), Eritrea, and Germany, with 82.6%,[31]87.17%,[32] and 35.68%[33] of the market share, respectively. It is also the most popular desktop browser in many African and Oceanic countries.[34][35] According to Mozilla, as of December 2014 there were half a billion Firefox users around the world.[36]
Contents
[hide]History[edit]
The Firefox project began as an experimental branch of the Mozilla project by Dave Hyatt, Joe Hewitt, and Blake Ross. They believed the commercial requirements of Netscape's sponsorship and developer-driven feature creep compromised the utility of the Mozilla browser.[37] To combat what they saw as the Mozilla Suite's software bloat, they created a stand-alone browser, with which they intended to replace the Mozilla Suite.[38] On April 3, 2003, the Mozilla Organization announced that they planned to change their focus from the Mozilla Suite to Firefox and Thunderbird.[39] The community-driven SeaMonkey was formed and eventually replaced the Mozilla Application Suite in 2005.
The Firefox project has undergone several name changes. It was originally titled Phoenix, which carried the implication of the mythical firebird that rose triumphantly from the ashes of its dead predecessor, in this case from the "ashes" of Netscape Navigator after it had been killed off by Microsoft Internet Explorer in the "First browser war". Phoenix was renamed due to trademark issues with Phoenix Technologies; the replacement name, Firebird, provoked an intense response from the Firebird database software project.[40][41] In response, the Mozilla Foundation stated that the browser would always bear the name Mozilla Firebird to avoid confusion. After further pressure, on February 9, 2004, Mozilla Firebird became Mozilla Firefox.[42] The name Firefox was said to be derived from a nickname of the red panda,[43][44] which became the mascot for the newly named project. For the abbreviation of Firefox, Mozilla prefers Fxor fx, though it is often abbreviated as FF.[45]
The Firefox project went through many versions before the version 1.0 was released on November 9, 2004.
Features[edit]
Features include tabbed browsing, spell checking, incremental find, live bookmarking, Smart Bookmarks, a download manager, private browsing, location-aware browsing (also known as "geolocation") based on a Google service,[46] and an integrated search system that uses Yahoo! Search, which is a front end of Microsoft search engine Bing, by default in most localizations.[47] Additionally, Firefox provides an environment for web developers in which they can use built-in tools, such as the Error Console or the DOM Inspector, or extensions, such as Firebug and more recently there has been an integration feature with Pocket. Firefox Hello was an implementation of WebRTC, added in October 2014, which allows users of Firefox and other compatible systems to have a video call, with the extra feature of screen and file sharing by sending a link to each other. Firefox Hello is scheduled to be removed in September 2016.[48]
Functions can be added through add-ons created by third-party developers. Add-ons are primarily implemented by means of the XUL and XPCOM APIs, which allow them to directly access and manipulate much of the browser's internal functionality. On August 21, 2015, Firefox developers announced that due to planned changes to Firefox's internal operations, including the planned implementation of a new multi-process architecture codenamed "Electrolysis" ("E10s", introduced to some users in version 48), Firefox adopted a new extension architecture known as WebExtensions, available to desktop version and Firefox for Android (considered stable in version 48). WebExtensions uses HTML and JavaScript APIs and is designed to be similar to the Google Chrome[49] and Microsoft Edge extension systems, and run within a multi-process environment, but does not enable the same level of access to the browser. Solutions will be available to allow older add-ons to operate within the new architecture, but by 2017, XPCOM and XUL add-ons will no longer be supported.[50]
Firefox can have themes added to it, so users can experience Firefox in a more personal way. There are websites where users can create and download personalized themes, with their choice of colors and images. This can make the experience of using Firefox more fun compared to other web browsers that do not offer custom-built themes. However, Mozilla has announced its intention to discontinue Firefox themes.[51] The Firefox add-on website also gives users the ability to add other applications such as games, ad-blockers, screenshot apps, and many other useful apps.[50][52]
Standards[edit]
Firefox implements many web standards, including HTML4 (almost full HTML5), XML, XHTML, MathML, SVG 2 (partial),[53][54] CSS (with extensions),[55] ECMAScript (JavaScript), DOM, XSLT, XPath, and APNG (Animated PNG) images with alpha transparency.[56] Firefox also implements standards proposals created by the WHATWG such as client-side storage,[57][58] and canvas element.[59] These standards are implemented through the Gecko layout engine, and Spidermonkey JavaScript engine.
Firefox has passed the Acid2 standards-compliance test since version 3.0.[60] Mozilla had originally stated that they did not intend for Firefox to pass the Acid3 test fully because they believed that the SVG fonts part of the test had become outdated and irrelevant, due to WOFFbeing agreed upon as a standard by all major browser makers.[61] Because the SVG font tests were removed from the Acid3 test in September 2011, Firefox 4 and greater scored 100/100.[62][63]
Firefox also implements[64] a proprietary protocol[65] from Google called "Safe Browsing", used to exchange data related with phishing and malware protection.
Since version 38 on Windows Vista and newer, Firefox supports the playback of video content protected by HTML5 Encrypted Media Extensions (EME). For security and privacy reasons[which?], EME is implemented within a wrapper of open source code that allows execution of a proprietary DRM module by Adobe Systems – Adobe Primetime Content Decryption Module (CDM). CDM runs within a "sandbox" environment to limit its access to the system, and provide it a randomized device ID to prevent services from uniquely identifying the device for tracking purposes. The DRM module, once it has been downloaded, is enabled and disabled in the same manner as other plug-ins. Since version 47,[66]"Google's Widevine CDM on Windows and Mac OS X so streaming services like Amazon Video can switch from Silverlight to encrypted HTML5 video" is also supported.
and that it is "an important step on Mozilla's roadmap to remove NPAPI plugin support. "[68] Upon the introduction of EME support, builds of Firefox on Windows were also introduced that exclude support for EME.[69][70]
Security[edit]
Firefox allowed for a sandbox security model to manage privileges accorded to JavaScript code, but that feature has since been deprecated.[71] It limits scripts from accessing data from other websites based on the same-origin policy.[72] It also provides support for smart cards to web applications, for authentication purposes.[73] It uses SSL/TLS to protect communications with web servers using strong cryptography when using the HTTPS protocol.[74] The freely available HTTPS Everywhere add-on enforces HTTPS, even if a regular HTTP URL is entered. Firefox now supports HTTP/2.[75]
The Mozilla Foundation offers a "bug bounty" (US$3,000 to US$7,500 cash reward) to researchers who discover severe security holes in Firefox.[76] Official guidelines for handling security vulnerabilities discourage early disclosure of vulnerabilities so as not to give potential attackers an advantage in creating exploits.[77]
Because Firefox generally has fewer publicly known security vulnerabilities than Internet Explorer (see Comparison of web browsers), improved security is often cited as a reason to switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox.[78][79][80][81] The Washington Post reported that exploit code for known critical security vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer was available for 284 days in 2006. In comparison, exploit code for known, critical security vulnerabilities in Firefox was available for nine days before Mozilla issued a patch to remedy the problem.[82]
A 2006 Symantec study showed that, although Firefox had surpassed other browsers in the number of vendor-confirmed vulnerabilities that year through September, these vulnerabilities were patched far more quickly than those found in other browsers – Firefox's vulnerabilities were fixed on average one day after the exploit code was made available, as compared to nine days for Internet Explorer.[83] Symantec later clarified their statement, saying that Firefox still had fewer security vulnerabilities than Internet Explorer, as counted by security researchers.[84]
In 2010 a study of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), based on data compiled from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), Firefox was listed as the fifth most vulnerable desktop software, with Internet Explorer as the eighth, and Google Chrome as the first.[85]
InfoWorld has cited security experts saying that, as Firefox becomes more popular, more vulnerabilities will be found,[86] a claim that Mitchell Baker, president of the Mozilla Foundation, has denied. "There is this idea that market share alone will make you have more vulnerabilities. It is not relational at all," she said.[87]
In October 2009, Microsoft's security engineers acknowledged that Firefox was vulnerable to a security issue found in the 'Windows Presentation Foundation' browser plug-in since February of that year. A .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Windows Update had silently installed the vulnerable plug-in into Firefox.[88] This vulnerability has since been patched by Microsoft.[89]
As of February 11, 2011, Firefox 3.6 had no known unpatched security vulnerabilities according to Secunia.[90] Internet Explorer 8 had five unpatched security vulnerabilities, the worst being rated "Less Critical" by Secunia.[91] Mozilla claims that all patched vulnerabilities of Mozilla products are publicly listed.[92]
On January 28, 2013, Mozilla was recognized as the most trusted internet company for privacy in 2012.[93] This study was performed by the Ponemon Institute and was a result of a survey from more than 100,000 consumers in the United States.
In February 2013, plans were announced for Firefox 22 to disable third-party cookies by default. However, the introduction of the feature was then delayed so Mozilla developers could "collect and analyze data on the effect of blocking some third-party cookies." Mozilla also collaborated with Stanford University's "Cookie Clearinghouse" project to develop a blacklist and whitelist of sites that will be used in the filter.[94][95]
Version 23, released in August 2013, followed the lead of its competitors by blocking iframe, stylesheet, and script resources served from non-HTTPS servers embedded on HTTPS pages by default. Additionally, JavaScript could also no longer be disabled through Firefox's preferences, and JavaScript was automatically re-enabled for users who upgraded to 23 or higher with it disabled. The change was made due to its use across the majority of websites, the potential repercussions on non-experienced users who are unaware of its impact, along with the availability of extensions such as NoScript, which can disable JavaScript in a more controlled fashion. The following release added the ability to disable JavaScript through the developer tools for testing purposes.[96][97][98]
In January 2015, TorrentFreak reported that using Firefox when connected to the internet using a VPN can be a serious security issue due to the browser's support for WebRTC.[99]
Beginning with Firefox 44 (2016), all extensions must be signed by Mozilla to be used in release and beta versions of Firefox. Firefox 43 blocked unsigned extensions, but allowed enforcement of extension signing to be disabled. All extensions must be submitted to Mozilla Add-ons and be subject to code analysis in order to be signed, although extensions do not have to be listed on the service in order to be signed.[100][101]
In Firefox versions prior to 7.0, an information bar appears on the browser's first start asking users whether they would like to send performance statistics, or "telemetry", to Mozilla. It is enabled by default in development versions of Firefox, but not in release versions.[102] According to Mozilla's privacy policy,[103] these statistics are stored only in aggregate format, and the only personally identifiable information transmitted is the user's IP address.
As of 2016, Firefox is the last widely used browser not to use a browser sandbox to isolate Web content in each tab from each other and from the rest of the system.[104] Version 50 includes a limited sandbox that isolates the content rendering process (separated thanks to the Electrolysis project), which will be progressively enhanced to improve security.[104][105]
Localizations[edit]
Firefox is a widely localized web browser. The first official release in November 2004 was available in 24 different languages and for 28 locales, including British English, American English, European Spanish, Argentine Spanish, and Chinese in Traditional Chinese characters and Simplified Chinese characters.[106] As of October 2017, currently supported versions 56.0.2 and 52.4.1esr are available in 89 locales (79 languages).[15]
Platform availability[edit]
The desktop version of Firefox is available and supported for Windows, macOS and Linux, while Firefox for Android is available for Android (formerly Firefox for mobile, it also ran on Firefox OS). In September 2013, the Windows 8 Touch interface, optimized for touchscreen use, was introduced on the "Aurora" release channel; however, the project has since been cancelled as of March 2014, with Mozilla citing a lack of user adoption of the beta versions.[107][108][109]
Legend:
Old version
Older version, still supported
Latest version
- Notes
- Firefox for iOS is not listed in this table as its version numbers would be misleading; it uses version numbers that do not correspond to any of the other Firefox versions. Those share a core component, the Gecko rendering engine, and track its version numbers, whereas the version for the iOS operating system uses the operating system's rendering engine (WebKit), rather than Mozilla's (Gecko).
- In March 2014, the Windows Store app version of Firefox was cancelled, although there is a beta release.[123]
- In September 2016, the development of Firefox OS was stopped.
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