Category Archives: Mozilla

Definitions, Internet, Miscellany, Mozilla

What is a web browser, anyway?

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For the uninitiated, computer jargon often seems unintelligible. The resulting confusion even allows technical support people to determine a customer’s level of understanding by observing the way they use (and mis-use) common terms.

The confusion is understandable. If someone uses their computer only for web browsing and email, and especially if their email client is web-based, the dividing lines between hardware and software, software and service, and local and remote data… tend to blur.

Mozilla, the folks who develop and maintain the web browser Firefox, recently published a useful guide that disentangles some important, common terminology: “What is the difference between the internet, browsers, search engines and websites?”

Anyone who’s ever wondered how a web browser is different from “the Internet” should read the article. There’s a good chance it will clarify things for you.

Chrome, Firefox, Google, Mozilla

Changes coming to Chromium and Firefox

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There’s interesting news from the world of web browser software. And when I say ‘interesting’, I mean possibly extremely annoying, depending on which browsers you use, and how you use them.

First up, there’s been an interesting debate in the Firefox bug list, since 2014, about whether to change the behaviour of the Backspace key.

It’s possible that you weren’t even aware that you could use your keyboard’s Backspace key to navigate to the previous page in Firefox. This functionality has existed in most browsers at one time or another, but it was removed in Google Chrome version 52 in July 2016. It’s a convenient shortcut for doing the most common thing you can do in a web browser, and I have personally used it for years.

The problem is that some users apparently run into trouble when they try to use Backspace to erase the previous character in a text box on a web page, such as in a form, only to find that they have navigated to the previous page instead. This can result in the loss of form data, and I imagine that could be very annoying.

Because of the debate about this, Mozilla software engineers went so far as to track the usage of the Backspace key in Firefox. And while I applaud their methods, I don’t necessarily agree with their analysis. For example, they found that the Backspace key is the most pressed keyboard shortcut in Firefox, with forty million users pressing the key and triggering a ‘previous page’ navigation every month.

By comparison, the next most common keypress is Ctrl-F, which is the browser-universal key combination for searching within the current page. That keypress is used by about sixteen million users per month. Fifteen million users per month use F5 and Ctrl-R to reload the current page.

So far so good, but the Mozilla engineers somehow used this information to conclude that many of the Backspace presses (and subsequent navigation to the previous page) were unintentional. I don’t follow their reasoning, frankly. Isn’t it just as likely that that people frequently use the Backspace key to go to the previous page?

Regardless, Mozilla is changing the behaviour of the Backspace key in Firefox from version 86 onwards. That version is scheduled for release on February 23, 2021. There will be workarounds, so this isn’t likely to be a huge problem for most people, but there will clearly be a bit of fumbling as people get used to the change.

Meanwhile, Google is planning to cut off access to several of its services for Chromium-based web browser software, on March 15, 2021. This won’t affect Google’s own Chrome browser, but any browser built on the Chromium browser engine that isn’t Chrome will lose access on March 15.

The Google services involved include bookmark synchronization, the ‘safe browsing’ feature, search suggestions, spell checking, and others. It’s important to recognize that these functions are not necessary for basic browser use, and their loss likely won’t affect many users. Losing search suggestions and spell checking seem like minor annoyances at worst. Loss of the safe browsing feature is unfortunate, but other safeguards exist. Anyone who uses bookmark sync is going to be annoyed at losing that feature.

At the same time, it’s interesting to note that people who are using a non-Chrome Chromium browser to avoid using Google software never really accompished their goal if they used any of the soon-to-be-disabled features. They might as well have been using Chrome all along.

Google maintains that it was never their intention to make these services available to non-Chrome browsers. Which is why, despite having frequently expressed annoyance at Google for discontinuing software and services that they had strenuously promoted, this change doesn’t bother me.

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Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security, Thunderbird

Thunderbird 78.0

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Earlier this month, Mozilla released a new version of its free — and still excellent — email client: Thunderbird 78.0.

Notable changes in Thunderbird 78.0

A total of fourteen security vulnerabilities are addressed in Thunderbird 78.0. That means it’s a good idea to install the new version as soon as possible; email clients are a popular attack vector for malware.

  • The compose window has been reworked subtly, to improve usability.
  • The recipient address fields (To, Cc, and Bcc) have been changed so that addresses are parsed into ‘pills’, and take less space.
  • The account setup screens have been changed to make them easier to understand.
  • The mail folder icons have been updated and can now be assigned custom colours.
  • On Windows, Thunderbird can now be minimized to the tray (aka the notification area) at the end of the task bar.
  • There’s now a global search box on the main window’s title bar. The display of global search results has been improved.

The release notes and What’s New page for Thunderbird 78.0 describe all the changes in the new version.

Getting Thunderbird 78.0

The new version is not yet available through the built-in updater, but it can be freely downloaded and installed from its main download page. If you’re already using Thunderbird and want to upgrade to 78.0, you can install it from the main download page and it will update your current version, leaving all your settings intact.

Mozilla released Thunderbird 78.0.1 a few days after 78.0. The new version addresses a few problems introduced by 78.0. That’s the version you’ll get if you go to the main Thunderbird download page.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 78

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Mozilla released Firefox 78.0 on June 30th, and followed up with Firefox 78.0.1 the next day, to fix a specific issue which “could cause installed search engines to not be visible when upgrading from a previous release.”

Changes in Firefox 78

The new Protections Dashboard, accessible from the Firefox menu or by browsing to about:protections, provides a summary of various protections provided by the browser. If Enhanced Tracking Protection is enabled, you’ll see the number of times Firefox has blocked social media trackers, cross-site tracking cookies, fingerprinters, and crypto-miners. If you’re using Firefox’s password manager, Lockwise, and you’ve signed up for breach alerts, those alerts will be shown here, along with references to exposed passwords.

The Firefox uninstaller will now offer an alternative to uninstalling Firefox when it’s not working properly: a Refresh button. “Refreshing Firefox can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its default state, while saving your essential information like bookmarks, and passwords.”

The new version also includes improvements to video calls and videoconferencing, as well as graphics performance.

Firefox 78 addresses thirteen security vulnerabilities in earlier versions.

Firefox updates itself automatically by default. If you’ve disabled that option, or just want to get the new version right away, navigate the browser’s ‘hamburger’ menu at the top right to Help > About Firefox. You’ll see an update button if a newer version is available.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 76 and 76.0.1

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Announced on May 5, Firefox 76 tightens up password management and related security in several ways:

  • Lockwise, the password manager built into Firefox, now prompts for your Lockwise master password when you try to show or copy a password. If you’re not using a master password, Lockwise will prompt for your device’s password. Previously, Lockwise only prompted for the master password once, on Firefox startup.
  • Firefox now checks all your saved passwords against records from known breaches. Any password known to have been revealed in any breach will show in your Logins & Passwords list with a special icon. A different icon is shown if the associated site was breached since you last changed your password for that site.
  • Firefox can now generate secure, complex passwords for you.

Other changes in Firefox 76 include improvements to the Picture-In-Picture feature, and native support for more complex audio applications, including Zoom. There are also some minor cosmetic tweaks to the address bar and bookmarks bar.

There are eleven security fixes in Firefox 76 as well.

Default installations of Firefox keep themselves up to date, but you can hurry the process along by navigating its ‘hamburger’ menu to Help > About Firefox.

Firefox 76.0.1

The release of Firefox 76 was followed up quickly by Firefox 76.0.1, which fixes two bugs, neither of which are security-related.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 75.0

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April 7’s announcement of Firefox 75.0 came just a few days after the release of Firefox 74.0.1, a special version that addresses two critical security vulnerabilities.

Firefox 75.0 features a reworked address bar, and includes fixes for another six security bugs.

The new address bar functionality may trip up some users initially, but it does appear to be an overall improvement. The changes are as follows:

  • Searching using the address bar on smaller screens is now optimized, and should be less confusing.
  • Clicking the empty address bar, or clicking on an address in the address bar, will now show a list of ‘top sites’. These are the sites you visit most often.
  • The address bar is now slightly larger, and expands slightly when clicked. The font is also larger, and suggested URLs are shortened to provide more useful context.
  • When entering search terms, Firefox will now suggest additional terms it thinks may be relevant.
  • If you start entering a URL that is already open in another tab, Firefox will show a ‘Switch to Tab’ entry in the suggestions.

Depending on your configuration, Firefox will typically update itself in the days following a new release. If you prefer to do this yourself, or you’re not sure which version you have, navigate Firefox’s ‘hamburger’ menu (at the top right) to Help > About Firefox. If a newver version is available, you’ll be given the opportunity to install it.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Privacy, Security

Firefox 74.0

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A new version of Firefox fixes some annoying problems with pinned tabs, improves password management, adds the ability to import bookmarks from the new Chromium-based Edge, resolves some long-standing issues with add-on management, introduces Facebook Container, and addresses several bugs, including twelve security vulnerabilities.

The release notes for Firefox 74.0 provide the details.

Starting with Firefox 74.0, it is no longer possible for add-ons to be installed programmatically. In other words, add-ons cannot be added by software; it can only be done manually by the user. Add-ons that were added by software in previous versions of Firefox can now be removed via the Add-ons manager, something that was previously not possible.

Facebook Container is a new Firefox add-on that “works by isolating your Facebook identity into a separate container that makes it harder for Facebook to track your visits to other websites with third-party cookies.” People who are concerned about Facebook’s ability to track their activity across browser sessions and tabs can use this add-on to limit that tracking, without having to access Facebook in a separate browser.

You can wait for Firefox to update itself, which — assuming that option is enabled — may take a day or so, or you can trigger an update by navigating Firefox’s ‘hamburger’ menu to Help > About Firefox. You’ll see an Update button if a newer version is available.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Security

Firefox 73.0

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There’s another new version of Firefox: 73.0. Despite the major version bump, there are no big changes. However, it’s an important update, because it addresses several security vulnerabilities. There are also fixes for a few long-standing annoyances.

According to the security advisory for Firefox 73.0, six security bugs are addressed in the new version. None of them are flagged as having Critical impact, but they all look nasty.

Firefox’s page zoom feature is very handy for viewing web sites with unfortunate font size choices. It’s not new: Firefox has had this feature for years. What is new is that you can now set a global zoom level, which seems likely to be useful for folks with impaired vision.

To zoom the page you’re looking at, hold down the Ctrl key and move your mouse’s scroll wheel up and down. To change the global zoom level, click Firefox’s menu button, and select Options. In the General section, change the Default Zoom setting.

Firefox now shows web page background images with a border when Windows is configured to use high contrast mode. Previously, background images were disabled in high contrast mode.

Firefox will now only prompt to save login credentials if at least one form element has been changed.

To see which version of Firefox you’re using, navigate its menu to Help > About Firefox. If a newer version is available, you should see a button or link to install the update.

Firefox, Mozilla, Patches and updates, Privacy, Security

Firefox 72.0 and 72.0.1

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Security fixes and some welcome changes to notifications and tracking protection were released in the form of Firefox 72.0 on January 7. Firefox 72.0.1 followed the next day, adding one more security fix.

Site notifications are those annoying messages that pop up when you’re browsing web sites, asking — somewhat ironically — whether you want to see notifications for that site. You can still choose to see those, but now Firefox lets you suppress them. To control notifications, navigate Firefox’s Settings to Privacy & Security > Permissions, then click on the Settings button next to Notifications.

Firefox’s already helpful tracking protections were enhanced in version 72 with the addition of fingerprint script blocking. Fingerprinting is a technique used by many companies to better understand you and your online behaviour. While arguably harmless (it’s mostly about providing better ad targeting) fingerprinting is also creepy and a privacy concern. By default, Firefox now blocks scripts that are known to be involved.

Current versions of Firefox default to updating themselves automatically, but you can check for available updates by navigating Firefox’s menu to Help > About Firefox.