Mozilla launches Firefox 46, as dull of an update as they come

[Shawn Knight]

Mozilla on Tuesday pushed Firefox 46 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. The latest version of the popular web browser is a pretty small update in terms of new desktop features with Mozilla instead focusing most of its attention on Android and behind-the-scenes security and stability improvements (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

The biggest change on the desktop side is GTK3 integration for Linux users (I told you it was pretty dull).

The full desktop change log is as follows:

• Improved security of the JavaScript Just In Time (JIT) Compiler
• Correct rendering for scaled SVGs that use a clip and a mask
• Screen reader behavior with blank spaces in Google Docs corrected
• WebRTC fixes to improve performance and stability
• Display dominator trees in Memory tool
• Allocation and garbage collection pause profiling in the performance panel
• Launch responsive mode from the Style Editor @media sidebar
• Added support for document.elementsFromPoint
• Added HKDF support for Web Crypto API
• Various security fixes

And the full change log for the Android release:

• Notifications about tabs opened in the background now list the URLs
• Firefox will request permissions at runtime instead of installation time (Android 6.0+)
• History and Bookmarks items added to menu
• Include default domains for inline autocompletion
• Clearer homescreen shortcut icons
• Add-ons that have not been verified and signed by Mozilla will not load
• Keep track of tab history under memory pressure
• Text to speech function in TalkBack now works while users swipe right
• Removed support for Firefox Sync 1.1 in favor of Firefox Accounts
• Top Sites panel now lists popular sites by default
• Dropped support for Android Honeycomb (version 3)
• Various security fixes

If you already use Firefox, your browser should automatically update to the latest version. Newcomers or those returning to Mozilla’s browser can download it by clicking here or download for Android here.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/64588-mozilla-launches-firefox-46-dull-update-they-come.html

 

[VitalyT]

Final update from FireFox...

... was saved by a taxidermologist...

Isn't he a cutie... the unfading possessive stare...

 

[oldikes]

Just switched to chrome, couldnt take the obscene CPU usage and hanging (only one additional plugin...) anymore. too little too late.

 

[Evernessince]

Just switched to chrome, couldnt take the obscene CPU usage and hanging (only one additional plugin...) anymore. too little too late.

This is ironic, I'm thinking of switching back to firefox. I can't stand that google tracks everything I do. I open my phone and can see them give me updates on product pricing on similar products to what I've searched, scores for a sport I have watched, ect.

 

[oldikes]

Just switched to chrome, couldnt take the obscene CPU usage and hanging (only one additional plugin...) anymore. too little too late.

This is ironic, I'm thinking of switching back to firefox. I can't stand that google tracks everything I do. I open my phone and can see them give me updates on product pricing on similar products to what I've searched, scores for a sport I have watched, ect.

thats the only reason I took so long to switch to begin with. I don't want to use chrome, but I need to be able to open a youtube video without my browser hanging for 15 seconds.

 

[Revolution 11]

Just switched to chrome, couldnt take the obscene CPU usage and hanging (only one additional plugin...) anymore. too little too late.

This is ironic, I'm thinking of switching back to firefox. I can't stand that google tracks everything I do. I open my phone and can see them give me updates on product pricing on similar products to what I've searched, scores for a sport I have watched, ect.

thats the only reason I took so long to switch to begin with. I don't want to use chrome, but I need to be able to open a youtube video without my browser hanging for 15 seconds.

Try Pale Moon. No Chrome tracking but also no Firefox hitching and hanging.

https://www.palemoon.org/

 

[Evernessince]

Try Pale Moon. No Chrome tracking but also no Firefox hitching and hanging.

https://www.palemoon.org/

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

 

[Evernessince]

thats the only reason I took so long to switch to begin with. I don't want to use chrome, but I need to be able to open a youtube video without my browser hanging for 15 seconds.

That's an issue for sure. How long does it take devs to iron out performance in their browsers? Firefox has had buxom time to optimize yet they are still slowly chugging along. At this point they have to realize that they will never get back their market share unless they stop dragging their feet.

 

[Puiu]

I can't believe that they are so far behind development.

 

[bazz2004]

Firefox has always been my browser of choice but I tried Pale Moon on my W10 netbook. It did not impress at all and I'm back with Firefox. It was my impression that Mozilla were working on a completely new, faster browser to replace Firefox. Did I get that wrong?

 

[deemon]

OH WHAT? Firefox didn't come with some new completely pointless feature this time? Like .... 3D web browsing ... or attached horoscope .... or left pocket?

(As a completely irrelevant sidenote... I just yesterday first discovered they finally released in last year december 64-bit firefox for windows .... so swapped mine out for this one. Biggest firefox upgrade in last 3 years for sure.)

 

[Evernessince]

Firefox has always been my browser of choice but I tried Pale Moon on my W10 netbook. It did not impress at all and I'm back with Firefox. It was my impression that Mozilla were working on a completely new, faster browser to replace Firefox. Did I get that wrong?

Mozilla and friends.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servo_(layout_engine

Still a ways off and not entirely sure it will be completed.

 

[amghwk]

"Dull" because of update for Linux???

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Just switched to chrome, couldnt take the obscene CPU usage and hanging (only one additional plugin...) anymore. too little too late.

This is ironic, I'm thinking of switching back to firefox. I can't stand that google tracks everything I do. I open my phone and can see them give me updates on product pricing on similar products to what I've searched, scores for a sport I have watched, ect.

That's because you never clear your browsing history, internet cache and cookies. Something you should do regularly.

 

[Mandark]

Because That's as dull as they come...

 

[Uncle Al]

Why does an upgrade have to be "exciting"? If it works and is dependable, that alone is getting to be pretty darn exciting these days! ...

 

[robb213]

Eh, it works for me. Never hangs on me; the only time it does is due to some poorly written CSS script on someone's sub-reddit. Not that it didn't used to a long time ago.

To each their own.

 

[wiyosaya]

OH WHAT? Firefox didn't come with some new completely pointless feature this time? Like .... 3D web browsing ... or attached horoscope .... or left pocket?

(As a completely irrelevant sidenote... I just yesterday first discovered they finally released in last year december 64-bit firefox for windows .... so swapped mine out for this one. Biggest firefox upgrade in last 3 years for sure.)

I've been using Waterfox for some time now - 64bit. https://www.waterfoxproject.org/
It works well enough for me, and I don't have gagme drone tracking my every keystroke.

 

[WangDangDoodle]

I really don't understand where all this hatred for Firefox is coming from. It's open source, protects your privacy and works with the internet. What exactly is the problem here? Also, this is the second time I'm reading a article on TechSpot where Firefox is getting dragged through the mud for no good reason. What's with that, TechSpot?

 

[Evernessince]

That's because you never clear your browsing history, internet cache and cookies. Something you should do regularly.

I run CCleaner weekly.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I run CCleaner weekly.

Aha! That's good but you could also install CCleaner Enhancer addon and run that once in a while, then remove it. You'd be surprised by the amount of crap it finds removes and space it frees up. You should also go into your Google settings and manually clean everything once in a while. Google then doesn't know what ads to try ram down your throat and useless suggestions to recommend, it gets more confused than a fire (red) ant in an all girls boarding school and remains mum for a while until it gets used to your bad habits again.

 

[learninmypc]

I really don't understand where all this hatred for Firefox is coming from. It's open source, protects your privacy and works with the internet. What exactly is the problem here? Also, this is the second time I'm reading a article on TechSpot where Firefox is getting dragged through the mud for no good reason. What's with that, TechSpot?

People need something to complain about whether good or bad. Imagine living in the beautiful #PNW where they complain about the weather regardless.

 

[Evernessince]

Aha! That's good but you could also install CCleaner Enhancer addon and run that once in a while, then remove it. You'd be surprised by the amount of crap it finds removes and space it frees up. You should also go into your Google settings and manually clean everything once in a while. Google then doesn't know what ads to try ram down your throat and useless suggestions to recommend, it gets more confused than a fire (red) ant in an all girls boarding school and remains mum for a while until it gets used to your bad habits again.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have to try them out later today.

 

[QuaZulu]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have to try them out later today.

Ah, you see, those hoops are why I continue to resist Chrome. Next thing someone will say, "You have to press up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A to get into the 'clear everything' mode."

 

[LordLestat]

I really don't understand where all this hatred for Firefox is coming from. It's open source, protects your privacy and works with the internet. What exactly is the problem here? Also, this is the second time I'm reading a article on TechSpot where Firefox is getting dragged through the mud for no good reason. What's with that, TechSpot?

Let's see..

Because they have abandoned power users for Google Chrome and general simple users? Because they try to change Firefox into some bad version of Google Chrome with copying the Chrome UI, Chrome features, Chrome extension system and throwing away everything which made Firefox famous like advanced UI customization, features and user choice? Or because they dislike traditional society values? Or is it that they hate Google so much who used them and has thrown them away after their contract ended that they can not move on and try to beat Google with being more Chrome than Chrome?

They are the same like Opera. Both are selling-out to be attractive to simple and Chrome users and abandoning their origin user base of expert users. You see, the list to dislike Mozilla (and Opera) is quite long and this are just the more serious points.