Mozilla has released version 40 of its Firefox browser for Android, Linux, Mac and Windows. The update is meant to iron out a lot of minor bugs and performance glitches that users may have encountered upon upgrading to Windows 10 as well as make it more sure or so Mozilla wants us to believe.
Choice
Since Windows 10 resets the default browser to Microsoft’s own Edge browser, the Firefox team has also taken steps to inform users on how to set Firefox as the default browser. This is an important move meant to make sure its loyal users do not become too cosy with what Microsoft is offering as an Internet Explorer replacement and forget about their beloved Firefox.
It is also important because thanks to Cortana integration, users can search for anything either stored locally or on the world wide web. In the case of the web, the set default browser is what opens up any links clicked on. Also, if a user has ignored Microsoft Edge which has Bing as the default search engine, they’ll find themselves using it every time they search anything on the web from the Windows 10 search button on taskbar or Cortana. When Firefox is set as the default browser, Windows 10 will remember your choices and simply use DuckDuckGo or Google rather than taking you to Bing.com for every search you’re making.
Security/Privacy
Certification of add-ons is a key feature of the version 40 update as users will finally be able to see which third party add-ons that they are currently using are certified. This is meant to shield Firefox users from rogue developers that may take advantage and hijack browsers.
Speed
On the mobile front (Android), Firefox users will find it easier to navigate as well as doing simple things like accessing their browsing history (requires just a long press on the back and forward navigation buttons). Like on the desktop, security is also front and centre and protection against unwanted downloads is guaranteed for mobile users as is the promise to not overload smartphones by taking up too much of the memory when loading photos (JPEG) hence speeding up things.
