Posted on 11/09/2011 4:36:27 AM PST by ShadowAce
Mozilla's rapid release train has pulled into the station on time, with the fifth major Firefox browser release of 2011. Firefox 8 is being released today, providing developers with new capabilities and offering users more security via a new add-ons policy.
"We're proud of the way Firefox continues to move the web forward in this release," Gavin Sharp, Firefox engineer and the Firefox module owner told InternetNews.com. "Our support for Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) in WebGL lets developers build incredible 3D experiences on the Web in a secure way."
Sharp noted that Firefox 8 also introduces a simpler way for HTML5 applications to provide a right-click menu, to provide a more complete experience. He explained that this release of Firefox introduces better support for Web applications, allowing them to provide context menu options without requiring complicated custom code.
"Adding this functionality to HTML will make adding custom context menus options easier for Web developers and more consistent and reliable for Web app users," Sharp said.
From a safety and security perspective, Mozilla is taking aim at third party add-ons with Firefox 8. On startup, Firefox 8 provides users with a menu with third party plugins disabled, offering users the choice of re-enabling them if they so choose. Sharp explained that in Firefox 8, add-ons can still be installed by third party programs, as in previous versions of Firefox.
"What's new in this next release of Firefox is that Firefox will notify users when this happens and get explicit permission before enabling them," Sharp said. "On upgrade, we will also prompt users to offer the option of disabling existing add-ons that the user may not have been aware of. We want users to be in control of their browser, and to avoid add-on surprises."
Firefox 8 also provides at least six security updates over the Firefox 7 release, with three updates identified by Mozilla as being critical. The three critical flaws include what Mozilla describes as, Miscellaneous memory safety hazards, memory corruption while profiling Firebug and a code execution via a NoWaiverWrapper issue.
Mozilla's first rapid release was the Firefox 5 browser which debuted in June. Since then, Mozilla has been releasing new Firefox browsers at a faster rate than ever before with Firefox 6 out in August and Firefox 7 in late September. Prior to the Firefox 5 release, new major browser releases often came a year or more apart.
"The new release process lets us deliver new features and improvements to our users faster than ever before," Sharp said. "We monitor the way the release cycle impacts our users, as well as the ecosystem of add-ons, plugins and other 3rd party software that interacts with Firefox, and we're making changes where needed."
Gnip
Now if they could only get the pop-up blocker to work...
“From a safety and security perspective, Mozilla is taking aim at third party add-ons with Firefox 8. On startup, Firefox 8 provides users with a menu with third party plugins disabled, offering users the choice of re-enabling them if they so choose.”
Love this feature! Had some things installed by third parties and had some stuff I no longer use. Clicked on the ones I wanted to remain and the rest went away. Notice my internet is now faster without the junk. Thanks firefox!
It doesn't work for you? I've not seen a pop-up (using Firefox) for years.
What's going on?
pop up blocker has worked great for years on firefox, that’s why I started using it in the first place.
i run firefox with adblock plus, beef taco (stops bad cookies), better privacy, and noscript.
Had to revert to a former version to get around the annoying page with "click to disable automatic updates to view page" when opening my email.
Or their ‘personal search completion settings’ to stop working. Can’t be turned off, stopped, ended or killed. Well, I haven’t figured it out yet.
With Firefox recent memory hogging, I almost switched to Chrome (which I was very hesitant to do), but we’ll see how 8 does here.
FF8 is out. FF10 is in beta testing.
I had to put FF5 back on my main XP machine, because FF7, which was supposed to correct part of the ongoing memory-hogging FF has become notorious for, didn’t. At one point, with only one window/tab open (and it blank), FF7 consumed over 400k of memory.
I did upgrade my Win7 laptop with FF7. The laptop has enough memory that memory consumption has not become a problem.
The big problem I find with the rapid release is trying to keep extensions/add-ons updated. I lost some that never made the FF upgrade beyond 3.6 series. I lost a couple of others that got shelved between FF5 and FF7.
==
FF needs to rethink their rapid release philosophy. It may be cute and fine for developers, but for productivity users, new releases are more trouble than they are worth.
Perform the following steps:
Sharp explained that in Firefox 8, add-ons can still be installed by third party programs, as in previous versions of Firefox.
“What’s new in this next release of Firefox is that Firefox will notify users when this happens and get explicit permission before enabling them,”
When did microsoft take over FF development?
Ditto.
Try the No Script plug/add on/in. I sometimes have to temp allow a popup to complete a page.
And FF 9 will come out next month-Dec. 20. Followed by FF 10 in Jan. But FF 11 is the one to watch for. Many new things. Silent update being among them.
It’s really a pain to have Mozilla issue new versions so fast; better if they just kept the same integer and changed the number to the right of the decimal point.
I’m still using FF 3.6 and will continue to do so until Mozilla stops with security updates. Reason is that developers don’t update their plugins as fast as new versions come out so they don’t work. It’s a real pain to abandon them or try to get them to work by doing so suggested work-arounds.
Pop ups are annoying, even Free Republic pop ups.
I just got my third one in the last 3 hours. I wish they could target those who don’t already donate.
I wish those who donated on FR were color coded so we knew who the freeloaders were and could guilt them into donating. LOL!
Just checked, I’m running FireFox 3.6.23.
Maybe that’s my problem! LOL!
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