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Firefox 40 provides a 'fresh new look' for Windows 10

by Mark Tyson on 12 August 2015, 12:09

Tags: Mozilla

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Firefox 40 has been released by Mozilla. The developers say that the newly updated browser brings "all the features you love about Firefox to Windows 10, along with a fresh new look". It also helps those affected by the Windows 10 update changing their default settings to preserve an earlier Search Engine choice. Furthermore, for added security with Firefox 40, Mozilla has introduced an Add-On certification program and expanded malware protection.

Design

Firefox 40 officially supports Windows 10 and has a fresh new look, according to a Mozilla blog post. We are told that the interface has been tweaked to streamline navigation. There are bigger and bolder design elements, yet the UI designers have managed to make the web viewing area larger. (However, I've downloaded it a few minutes ago and if not told it was redesigned wouldn't have noticed anything).

Choice

With the recent launch of Windows 10, and its express settings directing people to browse using Microsoft Edge and Search using Bing, Mozilla is seeking to capture some wayward users back. Mozilla has published support materials showing users how to restore Firefox as the default browser in Windows 10. In a similar initiative Mozilla can help you preserve a previous choice of search engine for when you use the search field on the Windows 10 taskbar to search the Web.

Security

There have been a couple of significant changes to make browsing with Firefox 40 safer and more secure. Firstly Mozilla has introduced Add-Ons signing. Mozilla verifies and 'signs' add-ons that follow a set of guidelines to ensure that users' information will not be stolen of manipulated. This certification isn't meant to be any kind of censorship, its only to target malware and browser hijacking. This whitelist system will reduce the work required to maintain the current blocklist (blacklist). Mozilla states that "In future releases of Firefox, any third-party add-on that has not been certified will be disabled by default."

Another security improvement should be seen thanks to expanded malware protection while browsing and downloading files. Mozilla will query Google's Safe Browsing service and block a harmful download before it gets to your computer. Users can override the recommendation. This safe browsing service tie-in can be completely disabled for those who don't want any kind of data shared with Google.

For the full release notes for Firefox 40 you can check here. Downloads are available from here.



HEXUS Forums :: 16 Comments

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So they somehow made it look even more like Chrome than Australis did. I shifted over from Firefox to Chrome only like 2 months ago for 2 reasons, my main issues with Chrome have been fixed (horribly bookmarks reverted) and Firefox started having weird RAM usage issues causing it to stutter like mad, and the other was that Chrome, for all my issues with the UI, is faster. When Firefox adopted Chrome's UI it made sense that if I'm using the same UI either way, I may as well take the faster browser.

I still miss features from Firefox, like actual menus rather than chrome's in-tab settings windows, but on the whole with the way Firefox is headed I may as well just use chrome now. That said, I'm sure people still use Firefox for the extra privacy vs using chrome.
Just updated mine. I also think that this update would've slid by pretty much unnoticed if I let it auto update! Anyway, I really like the idea of the new addon signing! I just wish there was more detail for what the guidelines/requirements actually are. Does anyone know where I can see more detail on that?
Are these Add-on guidelines what you are looking for?

ZaO
Just updated mine. I also think that this update would've slid by pretty much unnoticed if I let it auto update! Anyway, I really like the idea of the new addon signing! I just wish there was more detail for what the guidelines/requirements actually are. Does anyone know where I can see more detail on that?
I can appreciate the certification/security aspect they've added for add ons but seriously they've spent time on ‘design’ for windows 10 (when they clearly haven't for any other version) when they could have been spending time on making the browser perform better by getting their multi core support finished for example.

They need to look at getting users back to firefox from chrome and even spartan (yes I know they did the default browser fix here too), most people left firefox because it was getting slow and bloated. I just think the mozilla dev's haven't got their priorities right.
Classic Theme Restorer - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/classicthemerestorer/

Puts it all back to how it was before the ludicrous Australis nonsense. And you can customise a whole lot more. Enjoy.