The browser was originally called "Phoenix". Some time later, the browser was renamed "Firebird" due to a trademark conflict, but this name was later changed to "Firefox" for a similar reason. However, “Firefox” turned out to be a trademark of The Charlton Company in the UK, which was reflected in the “About” dialogue.
Firefox (“fire fox”) is a literal translation from whale, pinyin hǔo hú, which the Chinese sometimes call the red fox and the red panda, after which, according to the developers, the browser is named. Firefox is preferably abbreviated as "Fx" or "fx" rather than "FF" or "FX".
The browser is often mistakenly called “Mozilla”.
The Firefox project was started by Blake Ross and Dave Hyatt while they were working at Netscape Communications, formerly part of AOL Time Warner. Since the closure of Netscape Communications, the entire Mozilla project has been managed by the then-created Mozilla Foundation, which owns the trademarks Mozilla Firefox.
Firefox was spun off from the Mozilla Application Suite, the code for which was created from scratch at the Mozilla Organization to replace the code for Netscape Communicator 5, some of which was released under the free Mozilla Public License after losing the "browser wars".
The browser uses the free, portable Gecko engine, designed to support open standards. Firefox is developed by employees of its subsidiary Mozilla Corporation and volunteers around the world.
Version history:
Firefox 1.0
Firefox 1.0 (codenamed “Phoenix”) was a direct successor to Mozilla Suite 1.7 (running on the Gecko 1.7 engine) and had quite a lot in common with it in the user interface - for example, in the settings window the buttons were located not horizontally (as now), but vertically, in the Mozilla tradition. Improvements include an extension manager and the ability to automatically update by downloading a new version installer.
The 1.0.x branch was the only one (on this moment), in which the developers made serious changes to the API on the go, during its active use, which led to partial incompatibility of extensions for Fx 1.0.3 with versions 1.0.4-1.0.8
Currently no longer supported, has a significant number of unpatched security holes and is obsolete.
Firefox 1.5
Firefox 1.5 (codenamed Deer Park) was released on November 29 (according to other sources November 30), 2005, with regular updates for a year and a half.
Improvements in version 1.5:
Built-in automatic update system.
Faster and improved navigation.
Sorting tabs using the Drag and drop mechanism.
Improved pop-up blocker.
Clear Private Data function to delete personal information.
On May 31, Firefox 1.5.0.12 and Firefox 2.0.0.4 became available to the general public through the system automatic updates. These are standard security and stability updates. Also 1.5.0.12 is the final version of the 1.5 branch. Firefox 1.5.0.12 already contains an improved update mechanism that will allow users to “migrate” to Firefox 2 by installing a special patch. An update to the 2.x branch was offered to users on June 28, 2007.
Firefox 2
Firefox 2.0 (codenamed "Bon Echo") was released on October 25, 2006. In the first 24 hours since the official release of the browser, it was downloaded more than 2 million times. It is built on the basis of the improved Firefox 1.5 engine - Gecko 1.8.1. It has improved support for JavaScript, SVG, XML, slightly changed the browser design, and introduced an anti-phishing system developed by by Google. It was originally planned to add modern system bookmarks called Places, but due to difficulties in debugging it, it was only included in Firefox 3.0 (June 2008). Added text spell checking in web forms.
Firefox 3
On April 2, 2008, a completely stable version of Firefox 3.0 Beta 5 was released, which was included in Ubuntu 8.04 and Fedora 9.
In beta versions, the format of the default address autocompletion drop-down list has been changed, and the autocomplete algorithm has been improved. By beta 4, the dependence of the result position on what the user selects by entering a certain search string has been implemented.
Added the ability to use system settings access via proxy server ( environment variable$http_proxy) on the Linux platform, and a radio button to select it in the corresponding dialog, displayed only if the variable is set.
The DOM Inspector extension has been removed from the standard distribution. It is now available in add-ons.
On May 16, the first release candidate was released - Firefox 3.0 RC1, which has already been downloaded by more than 1.5 million people. It contained 10 serious mistakes(including three critical errors). The final version was supposed to be released only after all errors were corrected.
One of these "bugs" is actually a combination of features of the Linux implementation of fsync, the use of fsync in SQLite version 3.5.8, and the consequences of requiring this version of SQlite by several builds of Firefox shortly before 3.0 RC1.
“This build reduces the memory footprint at runtime and significantly improves performance,” said Mozilla Vice President Mike Beltzner. RC2 added automatic memory cycle counters, systems for memory defragmentation, and also changed about a hundred code fragments (through which memory leaks occurred). The browser also received additional security mechanisms when working with protected web pages. Bookmarks, web activity history, cookies and passwords are now stored in a secure format. The JavaScript engine has been revised.
Release candidate 3 has been released. This version fixes the browser freezing bug in operating system Mac OS X 10.5.3, Windows and Linux versions remain unchanged.
On June 17, 2008, Firefox 3 was released, based on the Gecko 1.9 platform, which has been developed over the past 34 months. The new platform includes more than 15,000 changes that improve performance, increase stability and accuracy of content display, and simplify and improve code. The new platform makes Firefox 3 a more secure, easier to use, and more customizable product with many different features for developers of websites and Firefox add-ons.
Firefox 3.5
Firefox 3.5 is the next stable release and was released on June 30, 2009. Codename: Shiretoko. Gecko version is 1.9.1.
This release of Firefox came out as version 3.5, not 3.1 as originally planned.
This decision was made in order to more accurately highlight the numerous changes made since the release of Firefox 3.0 last summer. This includes a number of changes to tab management, web standards compatibility fixes, a heavily redesigned JavaScript engine, and privacy improvements including a new private mode, allowing users to delete all personal data at the end of the session.
In addition, the final version of the browser has changed to a new logo. The image remains largely the same, with the exception of the fox's tail, which symbolizes the fire engulfing the Mozilla planet.
Firefox 3.6
Firefox 3.6 is the next stable release and was released on January 21, 2010. Codename: Namoroka. Gecko version is 1.9.2.
At the preliminary testing stage, the release was referred to as version 3.2.
The main features of Firefox 3.6 are:
Improved performance: reducing the time it takes to start the browser and open tabs, increasing responsiveness when executing user commands.
Support for lightweight themes that do not require restarting the browser (Personas), tighter integration with Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.6, fixes to the smart address bar and autofill form.
Firefox 4.0
Version following Firefox 3.6. It was decided to release it under version 4.0, and not 3.7, as planned at the alpha testing stage. Firefox 4.0 will be released in early 2011.
One of the key areas in development was numerous corrections in the interface. For example, it is planned to place the tab bar in the window frame, get rid of the status bar, and the add-on manager will be redesigned. A grouping option will also be added. open tabs.
The basic browser package will include Firefox extension Sync, which will allow users to sync their bookmarks, list of open tabs, history and saved passwords between multiple computers and mobile phones.
In addition, Firefox 4.0 will include a new JavaScript engine, Jägermonkey, which will increase the speed of execution of JavaScript code several times.
- Audio/video .ogg files, as well as .pdf files, are now processed by Firefox if no application is specified for them (Windows only);
- A form for searching the Internet has been added to the new tab page;
- WebVTT has been implemented and enabled;
- Variable support in CSS blocks. It is now possible to create variables with the prefix “--” (previously “var-” was offered) and the possibility of their subsequent use using the var() instruction.;
- CSP 1.1 nonce-source and hash-source are enabled by default;
- Dialogs generated by the onbeforeunload event no longer block access to the rest of the browser;
- Developer tools: The Eyedropper tool has been added to the color palette;
- Developer Tools: Editable Box Model;
- Developer Tools: Improved Code Editor;
- Developer Tools: Console stack trace;
- Developer Tools: Copy as cURL;
- Developer tools: Styling console logs;
- Developer Tools: Add-on Debugger;
- Developer Tools: Canvas Debugger;
- Fixed search for partially selected link text from the context menu.
- Added the ability to update the page of synchronized tabs by pulling from top to bottom;
- Added support for rearranging panels on home page(about:home);
- Integration of the Generational Garbage Collector, which allows you to achieve higher performance and reduce memory consumption in the situation of storing a large number of objects that live for a short time;
- The OdinMonkey optimization module for code using the asm.js style uses a new additional level of optimization (backtracking allocator), which allows for better generation of machine instructions when running JIT. The downside of the new method is increased compilation time and higher resource consumption due to more complex search methods optimal solution, That's why this method not used by default for regular code, but quite applicable for Asm.js. In the octane-zlib test, enabling a new optimization level increased performance from 45,000 to 50,000 points;
- Used the new mozilla::pkix library to check the validity of digital certificates. The new library is more reliable by checking all available certificate verification chains. The library code is written in C++ and is only 4167 lines, which significantly simplifies its maintenance (the previous library was unnecessarily complicated and consisted of 81865 lines due to the fact that it was translated from Java to C);
- The OpenType MATH table is partially implemented (section 6.3.6), more details in the documentation about mathematical fonts and MathML Torture Test;
- Added translations for the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu;
- Removed the CAPS framework for defining site-specific permissions (via capability.policy.* parameters). In particular, attempts to use this functionality to provide access to the clipboard will no longer work. The only exception is the checkloaduri permission, which can still be used as before to allow sites to load file:// URIs;
- Firefox Hub APIs;
- WebVTT has been implemented and enabled;
- Support for variables in CSS blocks. It is now possible to create variables with the prefix “--” (previously “var-” was offered) and the possibility of their subsequent use using the var() instruction;
- Support for the navigator.sendBeacon interface is enabled by default, for asynchronous transfer of small portions of data from the browser to the server;
- For arrays, added support for the Array.prototype.fill() method, designed to fill the entire array or part of its elements with a specific value;
- New built-in object Object.setPrototypeOf();
- CSP 1.1 nonce-source and hash-source are enabled by default.
It is called “Ognelis”, “FF” and “Mozilla”. Some users think Mozilla Firefox browser the worst thing that has ever been created, citing as arguments a lot of security holes and the program's love of fatal errors. The opposing side calls this browser ideal, putting it on par with the best programs for and surfing in . A difficult to explain psychological effect has long been noticed: as soon as a person works in Firefox for some time, he falls in love with it forever. Becoming his follower, admirer and adept.
Today, the Mozilla Firefox Internet browser ranks third in the world in popularity among all and a confident first place in the “Free Software” category.
However, there are countries where the popularity of Firefox is higher than the global one. So, let's say, in Russia Firefox is the second, and in Germany it is the first. It is precisely what preceded such a deafening glory of this program that we will talk to you today.
Creation of Firefox. Start
And the history of Firefox began with the fact that Netscape Communications really wanted to create a browser that would grab some piece of the pie from the incredibly popular Internet Explorer. Yes, yes, I was not mistaken, everything is correct: today in limbo and revived only by efforts, the IE browser at the end of the 20th century was extremely, simply fantastically popular.
It is quite natural that other companies did everything to repeat this success. Yes, let's be honest, the Netscape 5 browser completely failed in the battle with Internet Explorer in 1998, but still did not disappear without a trace - it was on its “remains” that the creation began new program for surfing the Internet. Or rather, the program was essentially written, so to speak, “from scratch”; only some ideas and pieces of open source code were taken from Netscape 5. At the core modern browser Firefox is based on the freely portable Gecko engine.
Until 2002, the development of the new browser was neither shaky nor slow. As often happens, the crisis became a motivational kick for intensive work on the project. In 2002, AOL Time Warner Corporation, which owned Netscape Communications, decided to close the unprofitable project. However, the development of the new browser was not curtailed, but was separated into a separate structure of the Mozilla Foundation.
By the way, the AOL Time Warner corporation helped the new company a lot at the initial stage, supplying it with computer equipment, giving some initial funds and transferring intellectual property rights.
Creation of Firefox. Continuation
It was from the moment we gained independence that the development of the project began to gain serious momentum. Already on September 23, 2002, the first version 0.1 was released. Frankly, the first release did not attract the attention of either the general public or specialists. Moreover, the program was so “raw” that many changes were made by the developers literally at full speed, at the time of using the program. Of course, this subsequently led to some compatibility problems. And yet, a beginning was made: the browser saw the light of day and began to actively develop.
Significant date in history Mozilla browser Firefox can be safely considered November 9, 2004. On this day the first stable version 1.0 was released. Sorry for the cliches, but the appearance of this version was akin to the effect of a bomb exploding. New browser users loved it so much that in just a year more than 100,000,000 people installed it. Moreover, Firefox scored 25 million downloads in the first 100 days after the program was posted on the Internet. Impressive numbers.
Then there were versions 1.5 (2005); 2.0 (2006); 3.0 (2008); 4.0 (2011) and so on. Each version improved, optimized something, and pulled new operating systems and additional functions into its orbit. As of March 2014, the Firefox browser already has 27 stable versions, each of which only increased the army of fans of the program.
And it’s interesting that the name Firefox was not the first. Nowadays, few people know, but initially the browser was called Phoenix (“Phoenix”), then Firebird (“Firebird”), and only after both of these names were rejected due to copyright infringement by the developers, the well-known to the online community, a cute fiery fox. Which, by the way, is not a fox at all, but a red panda. At least, this is what the Chinese think, from whose language the name is literally translated.
The creators of Firefox
Today, both Mozilla Foundation employees and volunteers from all over the world are working to maintain the functionality and expand the capabilities of the browser. And yet, the browser has its own “fathers,” who are considered to be the creators of Firefox. There are only two of them - Blake Aaron Ross and Dave Hewitt. I think they deserve a few words.
I tried to remember below Interesting Facts that relate to the Firefox browser:
Firefox: predictions for the future
Nowadays, when colossal funds are circulating in the IT sphere, every successful decision is akin to the discovery of a real gold mine. And the Firefox browser is no exception in this case. For several years now, intensive work has been carried out to popularize it and integrate it with mobile devices. The scope of special extensions available to browser owners is expanding. Media seeding is also actively underway, thanks to which the popularity of Mozilla Firefox is constantly increasing.
In general, if you follow the download statistics, you can conclude that very soon another “redistribution of spheres of influence” awaits us. Considering that Firefox owners extremely rarely switch to other web surfing systems, we can expect a significant jump in the popularity of this truly very unusual and original browser.
- Audio/video .ogg files, as well as .pdf files, are now processed by Firefox if no application is specified for them (Windows only);
- A form for searching the Internet has been added to the new tab page;
- WebVTT has been implemented and enabled;
- Support for variables in CSS blocks. It is now possible to create variables with the prefix “--” (previously “var-” was offered) and the possibility of their subsequent use using the var() instruction.;
- CSP 1.1 nonce-source and hash-source are enabled by default;
- Dialogs generated by the onbeforeunload event no longer block access to the rest of the browser;
- Developer tools: The Eyedropper tool has been added to the color palette;
- Developer Tools: Editable Box Model;
- Developer Tools: Improved Code Editor;
- Developer Tools: Console stack trace;
- Developer Tools: Copy as cURL;
- Developer tools: Styling console logs;
- Developer Tools: Add-on Debugger;
- Developer Tools: Canvas Debugger;
- Fixed search for partially selected link text from the context menu.
- Added the ability to update the page of synchronized tabs by pulling from top to bottom;
- Added support for rearranging panels on the home page (about: home);
- Integration of the Generational Garbage Collector, which allows you to achieve higher performance and reduce memory consumption in the situation of storing a large number of objects that live for a short time;
- The OdinMonkey optimization module for code using the asm.js style uses a new additional level of optimization (backtracking allocator), which allows for better generation of machine instructions when running JIT. The downside of the new method is increased compilation time and higher resource consumption due to more complex methods for finding the optimal solution, so this method is not used by default for regular code, but is quite applicable for Asm.js. In the octane-zlib test, enabling a new optimization level increased performance from 45,000 to 50,000 points;
- Used the new mozilla::pkix library to check the validity of digital certificates. The new library is more reliable by checking all available certificate verification chains. The library code is written in C++ and is only 4167 lines, which significantly simplifies its maintenance (the previous library was unnecessarily complicated and consisted of 81865 lines due to the fact that it was translated from Java to C);
- The OpenType MATH table is partially implemented (section 6.3.6), more details in the documentation about mathematical fonts and MathML Torture Test;
- Added translations for the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu;
- Removed the CAPS framework for defining site-specific permissions (via capability.policy.* parameters). In particular, attempts to use this functionality to provide access to the clipboard will no longer work. The only exception is the checkloaduri permission, which can still be used as before to allow sites to load file:// URIs;
- Firefox Hub APIs;
- WebVTT has been implemented and enabled;
- Support for variables in CSS blocks. It is now possible to create variables with the prefix “--” (previously “var-” was offered) and the possibility of their subsequent use using the var() instruction;
- Support for the navigator.sendBeacon interface is enabled by default, for asynchronous transfer of small portions of data from the browser to the server;
- For arrays, added support for the Array.prototype.fill() method, designed to fill the entire array or part of its elements with a specific value;
- New built-in object Object.setPrototypeOf();
- CSP 1.1 nonce-source and hash-source are enabled by default.
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