Tag: Nightly

Mozilla Releases Firefox OS Simulator 1.0, Per-Window Private Browsing

Mozilla will be releasing its new mobile operating system, Firefox OS, into the wild early next year. The non-profit needs help from developers to make sure its launch goes smoothly, and so it released a simulator to help people get acquainted with the HTML5-powered OS. Now that it’s been a few weeks since its release, Mozilla is ready to take off the training wheels.

It was announced today that Firefox OS Simulator 1.0 is now available for download. This latest release features a number of bug fixes and support for more Linux distributions. It’s still going to be labeled as a preview despite reaching version 1.0, but that’s only because Firefox OS is still in development. Mozilla still encourages developers to get apps ready for Firefox OS’ launch early next year.

You can grab the Firefox OS simulator right here. While you’re using it, Mozilla encourages users to file bug reports on its GitHub page.

In other news, Mozilla has introduced a new feature into the Nightly build of Firefox – per-window private broswing. In short, the new feature allows users to set up private browsing on a per-window basis without having to close the entire session. Users can also open a link in a private window by just right-clicking the link and selecting “Open Link In New Private Window.” It’s an oft-requested feature, and one that will now go into extensive testing as part of the regular Nightly releases for Firefox.

You can grab this latest feature in the Nightly build for Firefox here. It’s a feature that’s over 19 months in the making as Mozilla has rewritten the entirety of its private browsing code, but it’s worth it for those who like to leave no trace when on the Internet.

December 11, 2012
Mozilla Details Firefox Release Channels

I’m sure many of you know about Firefox and you probably even used it at one point or another. You might even still be a huge fan of the browser, like me, and become invested in testing out new features seen in Beta, Aurora and Nightly.

If none of those things made sense, you probably aren’t aware of the Firefox release channels. Similar to Chrome’s release channels, Firefox splits its release channels into four products: Firefox, Firefox Beta, Firefox Aurora and Firefox Nightly. Here’s a handy infographic created my Mozilla that breaks the release channels down:

Much to the chagrin of old school Firefox fans, Mozilla has also taken up a release schedule that mirror’s Chrome by updating every six weeks. Personally, I kind of wish Firefox went back to doing its own thing, but Web technology is moving too fast. Mozilla has to keep up so they can keep their promise of delivering the best open Web standards with each new release. Here’s a breakdown of the Firefox release timeline:

All of this is to drum up support for more people to test out the new features in the Beta and Aurora releases of Firefox. If you have a single profile, the Beta install will overwrite your stable install of Firefox. Keeping multiple profiles allows you to use multiple browsers at the same time. This way you can check back and forth between Beta and stable versions of each release.

Lastly, if you’re a Web developer, you should consider testing out Aurora or Nightly. Aurora is definitely the better bet since its relatively stable and built for Web developers and enthusiasts. Nightly is built on cutting edge tech and will crash often. It’s similar to Chrome’s canary build in that only hardcore Web developers should check it out. If you wish to download any of these versions of Firefox, just head over to the release channel page. Nightly has its own page which can be accessed here.

May 8, 2012
Firefox Nightly Making Small Changes To Site-Identity

You know how Firefox adds that little favicon site-identifier in the address bar? Firefox is about to make some changes to that to make Web sites more secure for users.

Jared Wein, a software engineer at Mozilla, announced on his personal blog some changes coming to site-identity. He points out how Firefox has always included the little lock favicon on the far left of the address bar to note that a Web site using a secure connection. This is especially important when it comes to using Web sites that collect information like credit card numbers for purchases.

Wein notes that some Web sites set their favicon to be a padlock to trick users into thinking that they are using a secure connection. That’s not cool and with the latest Nightly update to Firefox, Mozilla is removing favicons from the address bar.

In their place will be three visual notifiers that denote the security of the Web site in question. The first notifier takes on the form of a green padlock next to certificate owner’s organization name to denote a Web site that uses SSL certificates with Extended Validation.

The second is for Web sites that use SSL certificates without Extended Validation. It uses a gray padblock without the effective hostname. Wein claims the information is redundant “with our darkening of the effective hostname in the Web site address.”

The familiar globe icon will now be used for Web sites that don’t use SSL certificates or have mixed content.

What do you think about Mozilla’s new plans for site-identity in Firefox? Does it make Web surfing more secure? Let us know in the comments.

April 24, 2012