Firefox

Firefox is a free and open-source web browser developed by Mozilla. Firefox is available for different operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, and Linux. The software’s key features include support for tabbed browsing. These live security notifications notify the user of vulnerabilities in the user’s browser while they are actively using it. They support tab bookmarking with drag-and-drop reordering capability via mouse or touchscreen within the Firefox browser window. Firefox also includes a browsing mode called “tiled rendering” that uses the same tab and window structure as the Mozilla browser. Firefox overtook the usage share from internet explorer.

About Firefox:

Firefox is well known for its many extensions through Mozilla’s add-on library. Extensions are written using WebExtension APIs that are compatible with Chromium browsers. 

The Mozilla Corporation created Firefox as an alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE). It was first released on November 9, 2004. It has steadily gained market share during the past decade because of its development for Unix-like platforms such as Linux, BSD, and macOS.

Firefox has used the Gecko layout engine since version 11, manufactured by Bonix GmbH of Germany. The current version of Firefox uses the same layout engine as Firefox for the Androids. Before version 55, Firefox had a different layout engine called Trident that used HTML script instead of pure JavaScript.

The Firefox source code is released under the Mozilla Public License (MPL) and the GNU General Public License (GPL) and can be downloaded from Mozilla’s official website. The MPL was created for the Netscape suite of browsers, while the GPL is used for the Firefox browser. This dual licensing scheme is intended to ensure that both groups of users have the same freedoms and accountabilities and prevent Firefox from becoming closed source software.

Licensing:

Firefox is based on the open-source Firefox web browser developed by Mozilla. It was first released in 2008 for Android smartphones and tablet computers running the 2.2 Gingerbread operating system. As of January 2018, Firefox has been downloaded more than a billion times from Google Play.

Installation:

Firefox was first released in 2008 for Android smartphones and tablet computers running the 2.2 Gingerbread operating system. It has since been updated to support different versions of Android, including Jelly Bean 4.1, KitKat 4.4, Lollipop 5.0, and Marshmallow 6.0, as well as Firefox-branded operating systems on tablets, such as Firefox OS 2.5 (Fennec).

Location-aware browsing:

Firefox allows web pages to request the user’s location directly, using geolocation APIs. If a web page is opened that requests location, a prompt will be displayed asking the user whether or not to share their location with the website in question. If the user agrees, their location will be sent via a JavaScript interface to the website. It is then up to the website’s code to handle this information appropriately.

Availability of the browser for mobile phones, tablets:

Firefox is available for mobile phones, and tablets in nearly every country and region. However, due to the fragmented nature of the Android operating system and the slow update process by mobile carriers and phone manufacturers, updates are not always available immediately worldwide. Users may be able to install Firefox updates manually or wait until the update is pushed out by their carrier or hardware manufacturer. Updates then come in waves to other users when the update is approved by each respective manufacturer or carrier, which can take several months after Mozilla releases an update to appear on an individual device.

Anonymity

When Mozilla developed Firefox for the Androids, it became clear that there would only be a limited number of options for browsing privately on an Android device.

How did Firefox overtake the usage share from internet explorer:

Firefox took the lead from Internet Explorer 7 in 2009 and overtook the usage share from Internet Explorer. From November 2009 to June 2011, Firefox 3.6 was the most popular version of Firefox, with usage share peaking at 35%, before being surpassed by Firefox 4.0 (with 20%). As Mozilla continued its rapid release schedule, new releases of Firefox would eventually make their way to the top of the install base share, relegating past versions to second place and overtaking the usage share from internet explorer in the process. It still gets counted in the best browsers in Androids, computers and tablets.

Conclusion: 

When Mozilla developed Firefox, it became clear that there would only be a limited number of options for browsing privately on an Android device. For example, private tabs in the browser are not possible, nor can they enable tracking protection (a feature available to desktop users).

The new browser will incorporate an in-process renderer based on the new Electrolysis technology introduced to Firefox with Firefox 43. It will also provide developers with better access to the browser’s APIs while retaining the same level of security features already available in current versions of Firefox.