Tag: mozilla firefox

Mozilla Unhappy About Extra Effort to Change Default Browser in Windows 10

If you’re one of the 14 million users around the world who has installed Windows 10, you know what we’re talking about. Windows 10 has made Microsoft Edge as the default browser, and while the reviews have been positive so far, it is far from perfect. So, when users try to make Mozilla or Google Chrome the default browser, they are redirected to the Settings, from where they can then change the default browser. While the procedure is easy, the effort has doubled and Mozilla is not happy at all.

In an open letter penned to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Mozilla’s CEO Chris Beard says that it “now takes more than twice the number of mouse clicks, scrolling through content and some technical sophistication for people to reassert the choices they had previously made in earlier versions of Windows. It’s confusing, hard to navigate and easy to get lost.”

To change your default apps, you have to go to Settings>System>Default Apps.

The default setting not only applies to the web browser but also to video files, music, photos and pretty much everything. In a blog post dated May, 2015, Microsoft explained that the move was made to reduce unwanted noise created by prompts. Not to forget, Microsoft has spent years and resources to develop Edge and has worked very hard to remove the ink stain known as Internet Explorer.

Following the open letter, Microsoft has released a statement saying: “We designed Windows 10 to provide a simple upgrade experience for users and a cohesive experience following the upgrade. During the upgrade, consumers have the choice to set defaults, including for web browsing. Following the upgrade, they can easily choose the default browser of their choice. As with all aspects of the product, we have designed Windows 10 as a service; if we learn from user experience that there are ways to make improvements, we will do so. “

July 31, 2015
Firefox Disables Adobe Flash Over Security Issues

Can’t play Candy Crush Saga on Firefox? In light of recent security flaws found in Adobe Flash, Mozilla has disabled Flash by default. For the past few days, Flash has been scrutinised for having security flaws, which was revealed when a leak of files of size 400GB happened during a hack on the Hacking Team, a spyware company.

In a tweet by Mark Schmidt, the head of the Firefox support team at Mozilla, the browser has disabled Flash version 18.0.0.203, meaning that Flash-based content will not work unless Adobe issues a patch to fix the security flaws. Users can of-course, enable it manually in the Settings menu.

http://twitter.com/MarkSchmidty/status/620783674561327104/photo/1

Adobe has now released a new version for Flash, 18.0.0.209, in which the security flaws have been fixed.

The dislike for Flash isn’t new. Just yesterday, Facebook’s new chief security officer asked Adobe to announce a “kill date” for Flash. In a tweet he said, “It is time for Adobe to announce the end-of-life date for Flash and to ask the browsers to set killbits on the same day. Even if it is 18 months from now, one set date is the only way to disentangle the dependencies and upgrade the whole ecosystem at once.”

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was also known to dislike Flash. In an open letter published in 2010, Jobs asked for the discontinuance of Flash, citing performance and security issues with the platform. He also named it the number one reason for a crash in various Mac systems.

A few months back, Google announced an updated version of its Chrome browser that would intelligently pause Flash. YouTube, which has supported it for a long time, dropped it in January in favour of HTML5.

It is only a matter of time before Adobe decides to drop Flash, considering that it already stopped the development of the mobile version back in 2011.

July 14, 2015
Mozilla Brings Out Firefox v35 with a Cool New Conversation Tool

Mozilla has launched the new version of its internet browser called Firefox Version 35 Final which will be followed by Firefox for Android 35.0 in the coming days. The latest version comes with various new features including new room-based conversion tool for Firefox Hello, improved geolocation tools and an integrated download manager for Android.

The new room-based chat model allows users to organise different conversations and contacts in groups, making it easy to keep track of old chats and start new ones with your contacts. The new version has also simplified the chat process by removing certain steps.

Now, when you start a conversation, a window opens showing a self-view until the person you have invited clicks on the link and joins you. When they do, you’ll be notified with an audio alert and the Hello icon will turn blue. According to Mozilla, Firefox Hello is the world’s first global communications system built directly into a browser.

Second important iteration in the Firefox v35 is the Firefox Marketplace for the desktop, however, it is currently in Beta. The marketplace is already available on Firefox OS and Firefox for Android, now the company is testing apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux with the help of selected users.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEPq4xFGzG0

Next up is the soon-to-release Android-build version with the promise of improved opt-in geolocation service with the help of your Wi-Fi and cellular signal. Along with this, Bing Search will provide secure search via HTTP and will be integrated with the Android download manager as well.

All of the aforementioned features will be available in Firefox toolbar and in the Customize mode. The v35 is already available for Windows, Mac and Linux as free, open-source download fon Firefox.com while the Firefox Version 35 for Android will be available shortly.

January 14, 2015