mozilla

Firefox flirts with Blekko for 'instant' search

Mozilla may not have a dedicated in-house search engine division the way that Google and Microsoft do, but it does have a new partnership with alterna-search Blekko.

The Blekko add-on (download), developed by Mozilla Labs' Prospector team, aims to cut down on the repetitive search behaviors of many Firefox users. Mozilla says that its research indicates that people often search for the same term, not because they're looking to find it again but because they're attempting to navigate elsewhere. This add-on, like Google's Instant search feature, cuts down on the extra steps by pre-caching sites, showing preview … Read more

Firefox gets a 'reset' button

Mozilla wants to cut down on the number of people who complain about Firefox not working properly, and they're giving you a one-click way to do it.

A new feature called Reset Firefox gives you the ability to "reset" the browser while keeping your personal data. Currently available in Firefox 13 beta for Windows, Mac, and Linux, the feature works by migrating your bookmarks, passwords, cookies, and form data to a new default profile. Then it kills off the old one, and you've got a clean Firefox installation without having to troubleshoot anything.

It does not … Read more

Native Android Firefox finally beta-ready

Mozilla updated Firefox for Android beta (download) today with an interface and underlying code that have been in development since the end of 2011.

The new beta features are nearly the same as those in the current stable build of Firefox for Android, except that the browser now supports Adobe Flash. That's a notable difference from Chrome for Android beta and the default Android browser, although Firefox isn't the only Android browser to play Flash content on Web sites.

However, the changes in this beta go beyond a new interface and Flash support. The browser loads pages significantly … Read more

Bing pings Facebook

In today's show, we're Binging our friends, casting spells in Kindle's library, and bracing ourselves for the return of the browser wars:

Microsoft's Bing search engine now includes Facebook integration. When you search for something on Bing, a side panel will pop up and show which of your friends might help you with your search. So for example, if you search for hotels in Chicago, Bing will point out which of your friends live in Chicago.

Microsoft is also in the news today for stirring up the browser wars again. According to Mozilla, Microsoft is preventing … Read more

Hands-on Boot to Gecko: Interesting, but far from baked

NEW ORLEANS--Mozilla may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to mobile technology, but that may change early next year. Its mobile operating system code-named Boot to Gecko is developing rapidly, but it will face challenges both technical and tech cultural.

Judging from my colleague Stephen Shankland's take on how Boot to Gecko performed at its public unveiling in February, Mozilla has definitely made progress with the phone. The build I used was installed on a Samsung Galaxy S II.

The interface appears to be a mix of traditional iOS-style app icons, and Windows Phone-style … Read more

Mozilla CEO pushes for HTML 5 over mobile apps

NEW ORLEANS--Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs believes that mobile users want more choice and are ready to be freed from the shackles of app ecosystems.

Speaking today at the CTIA show here, Kovacs said that just like consumers moved from the walled garden of AOL when the Internet first went commercial, they are now ready to move from the walls erected by Apple and others in the app market places. He said that new standards, such as HTML 5, will help set mobile subscribers free.

"In the early days of AOL we were within their walls," he said. "… Read more

Mozilla is first major tech company to denounce CISPA

Despite big name tech companies -- such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Oracle -- supporting the controversial Internet surveillance bill that passed in the House last week, Mozilla has come out against the legislation.

"While we wholeheartedly support a more secure Internet, CISPA has a broad and alarming reach that goes far beyond Internet security," the tech company wrote to Forbes reporter Andy Greenberg. "The bill infringes on our privacy, includes vague definitions of cybersecurity, and grants immunities to companies and government that are too broad around information misuse."

Mozilla is the first major tech company to … Read more

Firefox Aurora slightly tightens security

Following the release of Firefox 12 earlier this week, Mozilla's latest browser build for developers shows off some new security tweaks and implements some game-centric APIs.

Firefox 14 Aurora (download for Windows, for the Mac, and for Linux) also brings native full-screen support to Macs, and the location bar can finally autocomplete URLs.

The security tweaks involve some minor interface adjustments. The Site Identity Manager, which is the block of color on the left of the location bar, has been changed so that it's easier to understand. Going forward, gray globe will be the default icon for a … Read more

Firefox beta moves closer to SPDY

Firefox 13 has moved to the browser's beta channel today, bringing with it default support for SPDY, some elbow grease on default landing pages like the Home page, and better memory management for open tabs.

Firefox 13 beta can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Having SPDY active by default means that, for sites that support it, they will appear in your browser faster than before. SPDY is also a more secure protocol than HTTP, which it's the successor to, because it uses SSL encryption for all sites.

The new Home page, available at about:home, puts … Read more