Mozilla releases faster, safer, smarter version of Firefox browser

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Mozilla on Tuesday released Firefox 3.5, calling it the best performing version of its popular web browser ever released, offering better JavaScript performance, private browsing, native support for open video and audio, and location aware surfing.



Built through Mozilla’s global, open source development process, Firefox 3.5 is said to be more than two times faster than Firefox 3 and ten times faster than Firefox 2 on complex websites thanks to a new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine. The new version arrives roughly one year after the release of Firefox 3.0, which was also billed as "two to three times faster" than its predecessor.



Firefox 3.5 has undergone "extensive under-the-hood work to support new technologies" that will allow Web developers to create the next generation of Web content, Mozilla says. It also packs a handful of user-oriented features such as:



Open Video and Audio: Supports playback of video and audio content from within the browser, without the need for plugins. Web developers can use these technologies to design pages that interact with video content in new and interesting ways, offering richer interactive experiences beyond controlling playback and volume.



Privacy Controls: Like the "Private Browsing" feature of Apple's Safari web browser, an identically-named addition to Firefox 3.5 similarly prevents the browser from storing anything related to a browser session once it's been activated.



Unique to Firefox 3.5, however, is a new Forget this Site feature that removes every trace of a site from a user's browser. Users who want to remove all private data or activity from the past few hours can also use a Clear Recent History function, which is another Firefox-only feature that offers users more control "over what stays and what goes."



Location Aware Browsing: Location Aware Browsing is an optional feature that, when enabled, lets websites tap into a user's location information to find nearby points of interest and return additional, data-like maps of their particular area.







Firefox is currently the world's second-leading browser with a 22.5% share of the global web browser market. It trails only Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which maintains 65.5% of the market. Apple's Safari is distant third with just under 8.5% market share.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 92
    ddubres79ddubres79 Posts: 101member
    Ah Firefox, how you are faster than Safari 4 and support better color management for wide gamut displays!



    Plus it feels faster just from loading it up to browsing in general. So far so good.
  • Reply 2 of 92
    Just downloaded it and installed it!!! bad idea



    Just wiped off my Aero Fox theme and none of the favicons are showing on Bookmarks Toolbar.



    Do not use if you want to lose this Bookmarks Toolbar.
  • Reply 3 of 92
    patrollpatroll Posts: 77member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Firefox is currently the world's second-leading browser with a 22.5% share of the global web browser market. It trails only Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which maintains 65.5% of the market. Apple's Safari is distant third with just under 8.5% market share.



    Does anyone know what the share of Safari and Firefox is on Mac OS X?
  • Reply 4 of 92
    Great! Better ways so surf porn than IE8!
  • Reply 5 of 92
    Only because with Tab mix plus i can have multiple rows of tabs. No other browser does this and untill they do, i can't switch.



    Is there a hack/plugin for Safari 4 that allows mutiple rows of tabs ? Anyone ?



    Adi
  • Reply 6 of 92
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by The Apple Doctor View Post


    ...and none of the favicons are showing on Bookmarks Toolbar.



    Reopen those pages, the FavIcons should reappear.



    PS: I wish the bookmark bar on OS X would show FavIcons because I much prefer the little icon with no writing than having to put in a name for each item. I can so many more bookmarks in there with the icon only setup. Any way around that?
  • Reply 7 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Reopen those pages, the FavIcons should reappear.



    PS: I wish the bookmark bar on OS X would show FavIcons because I much prefer the little icon with no writing than having to put in a name for each item. I can so many more bookmarks in there with the icon only setup. Any way around that?



    Nope, it is buggered, favicons will not show anymore, only name of site, if you run the mouse over the bookmark toolbar, the booksmarks are shown as little indents, but no picture favicon.



    I guess we will have to wait for a Theme to be done that will allow it.
  • Reply 8 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by adisor19 View Post


    Only because with Tab mix plus i can have multiple rows of tabs. No other browser does this and untill they do, i can't switch.



    Is there a hack/plugin for Safari 4 that allows mutiple rows of tabs ? Anyone ?



    Adi



    Totally agree with the multiple tab rows! However, just checked and Firefox warns that TabMixPlus 0.3.7.3 is incompatible wit FF v3.5



    Oh well, I hope the developer updates TMP soon ;-)
  • Reply 9 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nukeman View Post


    Totally agree with the multiple tab rows! However, just checked and Firefox warns that TabMixPlus 0.3.7.3 is incompatible wit FF v3.5



    Oh well, I hope the developer updates TMP soon ;-)



    They have updated it. Check the Builds section of their forums : http://tmp.garyr.net/forum/



    Adi
  • Reply 10 of 92
    bobrikbobrik Posts: 36member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Firefox is currently the world's second-leading browser with a 22.5% share of the global web browser market. It trails only Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which maintains 65.5% of the market. Apple's Safari is distant third with just under 8.5% market share.



    Safari 8.5% is hardly global statistic, much more likely a US-only statistic (probably dressed up as "global"). E.g. OS X in Europe is roughly on 3%. Go figure.
  • Reply 11 of 92
    Can't wait to replace the mediocre new version of Safari.... hate it.
  • Reply 12 of 92
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Open Video and Audio: Supports playback of video and audio content from within the browser, without the need for plugins. Web developers can use these technologies to design pages that interact with video content in new and interesting ways, offering richer interactive experiences beyond controlling playback and volume.



    I don't know any web developers that want to interact with video content in new and interesting ways if it means sniffing browsers and providing multiple layers of alternate content to support other browsers. Maybe years from now when we have a video standard other than Flash.
  • Reply 13 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by The Apple Doctor View Post


    Nope, it is buggered, favicons will not show anymore, only name of site, if you run the mouse over the bookmark toolbar, the booksmarks are shown as little indents, but no picture favicon.



    I guess we will have to wait for a Theme to be done that will allow it.



    Favicons are working as desired for me. I use Chromifox theme.
  • Reply 14 of 92
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,239member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by adisor19 View Post


    Only because with Tab mix plus i can have multiple rows of tabs. No other browser does this and untill they do, i can't switch.



    Is there a hack/plugin for Safari 4 that allows mutiple rows of tabs ? Anyone ?



    Adi



    Count my vote against the idea of multiple rows of tabs. Talk about a user interface nightmare. So glad that Apple doesn't give into such ideas, because 3rd parties would just abuse them to bits.
  • Reply 15 of 92
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,239member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Can't wait to replace the craptastic new version of Safari.... hate it.



    Please elaborate on why.
  • Reply 16 of 92
    Some of my extensions were disabled
  • Reply 17 of 92
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DdubRes79 View Post


    Ah Firefox, how you are faster than Safari 4 and support better color management for wide gamut displays!



    Plus it feels faster just from loading it up to browsing in general. So far so good.



    I am loyal to safari

    It is a speed demon , Pages open before i even knew i wanted to open them .

    and some great new features !!!!



    Stay with safari and win free gifts



    9
  • Reply 18 of 92
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Can't wait to replace the craptastic new version of Safari.... hate it.



    Once I figured out that I had a dormant plug-in and removed it, Safari has been working fine for me.



    But I still use Firefox as my primary because of a certain plug-ins and certain behaviors that I prefer.
  • Reply 19 of 92
    brucepbrucep Posts: 2,823member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Can't wait to replace the craptastic new version of Safari.... hate it.



    Really ?? Or did you just want to use the word craptastic somewhere today ?
  • Reply 20 of 92
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Can't wait to replace the craptastic new version of Safari.... hate it.





    I don't hate Safari but I do prefer the old refresh button and the close tab hover x doesn't really appeal to me either. Otherwise it's ok. I use FF on Windows though.
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