Firefox 113.0 and Firefox ESR 102.11.0: A Comprehensive Review of The Mozilla Foundation’s Latest Offerings
The Mozilla Foundation, renowned for their dedication to providing a free, open-source and cross-platform web browser, has recently announced the launch of Firefox 113.0 and Firefox ESR 102.11.0. This new version boasts a myriad of enhancements ranging from substantial security updates to noticeable UI improvements, promising to provide users with an elevated web browsing experience.
Enhancements to Web Searches and URL Bar Functionality
One of the first features that strikes a chord is the improvement to the URL bar search functionality. At first glance, the changes might appear subtle, but users who have been wrestling with direct URL bar searches will appreciate this upgrade. Now, results are displayed in the default search engine while the search terms stay put in the URL bar, making it significantly easier for users to tweak their searches. This update allows the URL bar to function as a more intuitive search box that offers increased control over your search terms.
To activate this feature, users can navigate to Settings > Search, where under “Search bar” they can tick the checkbox stating “Show search terms instead of URL on the default search engine results page”. This customization option will ensure that users have the ability to get the most out of their search experience.
Another pivotal change revolves around the integration of a new results menu. This interface allows users to effortlessly remove Firefox Suggest history results as well as Firefox Sponsored Suggest entries. All you have to do is hover your mouse over an entry to reveal a button that offers a “Delete from history” option.
Noteworthy Improvements to the Picture-in-Picture Player
The Firefox’s Picture-in-Picture (PiP) player has also undergone significant enhancements. For those unfamiliar, the PiP player is a nifty tool that enables users to continue watching videos while simultaneously browsing the web. The player can now fully support full-screen videos on platforms like YouTube and comes with added buttons that permit users to jump backward and forward in the video. Moreover, a video duration bar has been included for users to visually track the length of the video being played.
Empowering User Privacy and Security
Moving on to privacy and security — the cornerstones of the Mozilla Foundation, the new versions of Firefox come equipped with several key improvements. Private windows now actively block third-party cookies and content tracker storage, thereby offering users a more secure browsing experience.
The auto-generated passwords by Firefox’s inbuilt password manager will now contain special characters by default, making these passwords more resilient to common cracking methods. Additionally, the Windows GPU sandbox, first introduced in Firefox 110, has been fortified to offer improved security.
Redesigned Accessibility Engine
Firefox 113 also introduces a revamped accessibility engine. According to Mozilla, this will lead to faster, more responsive, and more stable usage of screen readers and various other applications that use accessibility frameworks to interact with Firefox. This promises a seamless experience for users who rely on such tools.
Support for AV1 Animated Image Files and Other Enhancements
The new release also incorporates support for AV1 animated image files, and users migrating from Safari or Chrome-based browsers will now find their favicons included when importing bookmarks. Plus, users can now drag and drop files directly from Microsoft Outlook into the browser, a long-awaited feature.
OS-Specific Improvements and Security Patches
Mozilla has also included several OS-specific improvements like direct access to the Services submenu from context menus in macOS, and automatic support for the elastic scrolling effect in Windows. The update also includes a host of security patches and web platform changes, ensuring that Firefox stays updated with the latest cybersecurity threats.
Firefox 113.0, being a free and open-source download, is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. For users who prefer not to participate in the Rapid Release cycle, Firefox ESR 102.10.1 is also available.
Firefox 113.0 for Android
For Android users, Firefox 113.0 comes with hardware-accelerated AV1 video decoding and GPU-accelerated Canvas2D enabled by default. In addition to these performance improvements, the new version also introduces improvements to the PDF viewer UI and fixes a bug related to playing videos in landscape orientation.
Exciting Developments for Developers
For developers, Firefox 113 has significantly improved the “Search Files” functionality in the debugger, often referred to as “Project Search”. Several key enhancements include:
- Relocation of the panel to a conventional side panel, allowing the results list to remain visible while scripts are being opened in the editor.
- Display of results from minified and beautifully printed tabs, and results from the node_modules folder.
- Hidden results from skipped files.
- Support for global patterns and search modifiers, allowing case-sensitive searches or regular expression searches in specific parts of the project.
Other noteworthy features comprise support for printing inline scripts in HTML files and column breakpoints in printed sources. An exciting update for developers is the new ability to replace a JavaScript file in the debugger. By using the context menu entry “Add script override”, the file can be downloaded for local editing. After reloading the page, the local file will be used instead of the original script.
Overall, Firefox 113.0 and Firefox ESR 102.11.0 demonstrate Mozilla’s commitment to providing users and developers with a secure, intuitive, and highly functional web browsing experience. It’s clear that they’re constantly innovating and improving, always focusing on what truly matters to the people who use their products every day. The ongoing evolution of Firefox continues to impress and promises exciting developments in the future.
