'Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. As of August 2010[update], Firefox was the second most widely used browser, with 22.93% of worldwide usage share of web browsers, according to Net Applications.[8] Other sources put Firefox's usage share between 20% and 32%.[9][10][11]
To display web pages, Firefox uses the Gecko layout engine, which implements most current web standards in addition to several features which are intended to anticipate likely additions to the standards.[12]
The latest Firefox features[13] include tabbed browsing, spell checking, incremental find, live bookmarking, a download manager, private browsing, location-aware browsing (also known as "geolocation") based exclusively on a Google service[14] and an integrated search system that uses Google by default in most localizations. Functions can be added through extensions, created by third-party developers,[15] of which there is a wide selection, a feature that has attracted many of Firefox's users.
Firefox runs on various versions of GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and many other Unix-like operating systems. Its current stable release is version 3.6.8, released on July 23, 2010[update].[16] Firefox's source code is free software, released under a tri-license GNU GPL/GNU LGPL/MPL
History
Main article: History of Mozilla Firefox
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The Firefox project has undergone several name changes. Originally titled Phoenix, it was renamed because of trademark issues with Phoenix Technologies. The replacement name, Firebird, provoked an intense response from the Firebird free database software project.[20][21][22] In response, the Mozilla Foundation stated that the browser should always bear the name Mozilla Firebird to avoid confusion with the database software. Continuing pressure from the database server's development community forced another change; on February 9, 2004, Mozilla Firebird became Mozilla Firefox,[23] often referred to as simply Firefox. Mozilla prefers that Firefox be abbreviated as Fx or fx, though it is often abbreviated as FF.[24] The Firefox project went through many versions before 1.0 was released on November 9, 2004. After a series of stability and security fixes, the Mozilla Foundation released its first major update, Firefox version 1.5, on November 29, 2005. Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.12 is the final version officially supported under Windows 95.
Version 2.0
Main article: Mozilla Firefox 2
On October 24, 2006, Mozilla released Firefox 2. This version includes updates to the tabbed browsing environment; the extensions manager; the GUI (Graphical User Interface); and the find, search and software update engines; a new session restore feature; inline spell checking; and an anti-phishing feature which was implemented by Google as an extension,[25][26] and later merged into the program itself.[27] In December 2007, Firefox Live Chat was launched. It allows users to ask volunteers questions through a system powered by Jive Software, with guaranteed hours of operation and the possibility of help after hours. Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.20 is the final version officially supported under Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, and Windows ME.[28]Version 3.0
Main article: Mozilla Firefox 3
Mozilla Firefox 3 was released on June 17, 2008,[29] by the Mozilla Corporation. Firefox 3 uses version 1.9 of the Mozilla Gecko layout engine for displaying web pages. This version fixes many bugs, improves standard compliance, and implements new web APIs.[30] Other new features include a redesigned download manager, a new "Places" system for storing bookmarks and history, and separate themes for different operating systems. The latest version under 3.0 is Firefox 3.0.19.Development stretches back to the first Firefox 3 beta (under the codename 'Gran Paradiso'[31]) which had been released several months earlier on 19 November 2007,[32] and was followed by several more beta releases in spring 2008 culminating in the June release.[33] Firefox 3 had more than 8 million unique downloads the day it was released, setting a Guinness World Record.[34]
Version 3.5
Main article: Mozilla Firefox 3.5
Version 3.5, codenamed Shiretoko,[35] adds a variety of new features to Firefox. Initially numbered Firefox 3.1, Mozilla developers decided to change the numbering of the release to 3.5, in order to reflect a significantly greater scope of changes than originally planned.[36] The final release was on June 30, 2009. The changes included much faster performance thanks to an upgrade to SpiderMonkey JavaScript engine called TraceMonkey and rendering improvements,[37] and support for the Version 3.6
Main article: Mozilla Firefox 3.6
Version 3.6 is the release codenamed Namoroka.[43] Development for this version started on December 1, 2008,[44] and it was released on January 21, 2010.[16] This release uses the new Gecko 1.9.2 rendering engine.New features for Firefox 3.6 include built-in support for Personas (toolbar skins), notification of out-of-date plugins,[45] full screen playback of Theora video, support for the WOFF open webfont format,[46] a more secure plugin system, and many performance improvements.[16]
Out of Process Plug-ins
One minor update to Firefox 3.6, version 3.6.4 (code-named Lorentz) features out-of-process plug-ins (OOPP) (part of the Electrolysis project), which isolates execution of plug-ins such as Adobe's Flash or Apple's QuickTime into a separate process. This provides an uninterrupted browsing experience when a plug-in working in OOPP crashes, also known as Crash Protection. Only 3 plug-ins are isolated by default: Adobe Flash Player, Apple Quicktime, and Microsoft Silverlight. More plugins can be isolated by configuring browser configuration values. Starting with Lorentz, Mozilla plans to release non-intrusive changes as minor updates that previously included only stability and security fixes.[47] OOPP has been implemented only in the Windows and Linux build of Firefox 3.6.4, Mac support will be available in future versions. Firefox 3.6.6 changed the crash protection so it lengthens the amount of time a plug-in is allowed to be unresponsive to the point before the plug-in would quit.[48]Firefox for mobile
Main article: Firefox for mobile
Firefox for mobile, codenamed Fennec, is a web browser for smaller non-PC devices, mobile phones and PDAs. It was released for the Nokia Maemo operating system (specifically the Nokia N900 and N810) on January 28, 2010,[49] and is under development for Android.[50] Firefox for mobile 1.0 uses the same version of the Gecko layout engine as Firefox 3.6. The user interface is completely redesigned and optimized for small screens, the controls are hidden away so that only the web content is shown on screen, and it uses touchscreen interaction methods. It includes the Awesomebar, tabbed browsing, Add-on support, password manager, location-aware browsing, and the ability to synchronize with the user's computer Firefox browser using Firefox Sync.[51]Future developments
Version 4.0
Main article: Mozilla Firefox 4
Tentatively scheduled for release in November 2010, Firefox 4 is currently in the beta stage with the fourth beta released on August 24, 2010. It will bring a new, "faster" user interface.[52] Early mockups of the new interface on Windows,[53] Mac OS X,[54] and Linux[55] were first made available in July 2009. Other features slated for Firefox 4 include a new Account Manager,[56] improved notifications, application tabs, a redesigned extension manager,[57] and support for multitouch displays and 64-bit systems.[58]On October 13, 2006, Brendan Eich, Mozilla's Chief Technology Officer, wrote about the plans for "Mozilla 2", referring to the most comprehensive iteration (since its creation) of the overall platform on which Firefox and other Mozilla products run.[59] Most of the objectives were gradually incorporated into Firefox through versions 3.0, 3.5, and 3.6. The largest changes, however, are slated to land with Firefox 4.
Firefox 4 is based on the Gecko 2.0 engine, which adds/improves support for HTML5,[60] CSS3, WebM, and WebGL.[61] Also, it includes a new JavaScript engine (JägerMonkey)[62] and better XPCOM APIs.
Features
Main article: Features of Mozilla Firefox
- Latest Firefox features[13] include tabbed browsing, spell checking, incremental find, live bookmarking, a download manager, private browsing, location-aware browsing (aka "geolocation") based on a Google service[14] and an integrated search system that uses Google by default in most localizations. Functions can be added through extension, created by third-party developers,[15] of which there is a wide selection, a feature that has attracted many of Firefox's users.
- 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.
Standards
Mozilla Firefox implements many web standards, including HTML, XML, XHTML, MathML, SVG 1.1 (partial),[80] CSS (with extensions),[81] ECMAScript (JavaScript), DOM, XSLT, XPath, and APNG (Animated PNG) images with alpha transparency.[82] Firefox also implements standards proposals created by the WHATWG such as client-side storage,[83][84] and canvas element.[85]Firefox passes the Acid2 standards-compliance test from version 3.0.[86] Firefox versions 3.6 and 4.0b4 do not pass the Acid3 test; they score 94/100[87] and 97/100[88] respectively. It is unlikely that Firefox will pass the Acid3 test in the near future, since implementing SVG custom font support is a very low priority for Mozilla, as of May 2010.[89]
Firefox also implements[73] a proprietary protocol[90] from Google called "safebrowsing" (used to exchange data related with "phishing and malware protection"), which is not an open standard.
Security
Firefox uses a sandbox security model,[91] and limits scripts from accessing data from other web sites based on the same origin policy.[92] It uses SSL/TLS to protect communications with web servers using strong cryptography when using the HTTPS protocol.[93] It also provides support for web applications to use smartcards for authentication purposes.[94]The Mozilla Foundation offers a "bug bounty" to researchers who discover severe security holes in Firefox.[95] Official guidelines for handling security vulnerabilities discourage early disclosure of vulnerabilities so as not to give potential attackers an advantage in creating exploits.[96]
Because Firefox generally has fewer publicly known unpatched 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.[97][98][99][100] The Washington Post reports that exploit code for critical unpatched security vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer was available for 284 days in 2006. In comparison, exploit code for critical security vulnerabilities in Firefox was available for 9 days before Mozilla shipped a patch to remedy the problem.[101]
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.[102] Symantec later clarified their statement, saying that Firefox still had fewer security vulnerabilities than Internet Explorer, as counted by security researchers.[103] As of March 19, 2010, Firefox 3.6 has no (known) unpatched security vulnerabilities according to Secunia.[104] Internet Explorer 8 has four unpatched security vulnerabilities, the worst being rated "moderately critical" by Secunia.[105]
In October 2009 Microsoft's security engineers acknowledged that Firefox was vulnerable since February of that year due to a .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Windows update that silently installed a buggy 'Windows Presentation Foundation' plug-in into Firefox.[106] This vulnerability has since been patched by Microsoft.[107]
All patched vulnerabilities of Mozilla products are publicly listed.[108]
Portable versions
See also: Portable application
There is a portable edition of Firefox for Windows, which can be used from a USB Flash drive. This particular distribution makes it possible to run Firefox (and many of its extensions) on corporate/government networks in lieu of the default browser. This can be especially helpful for any user who does not possess administrative rights on the system being used.
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