Mar
04
2021
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Google speeds up its release cycle for Chrome

Google today announced that its Chrome browser is moving to a faster release cycle by shipping a new milestone every four weeks instead of the current six-week cycle (with a bi-weekly security patch). That’s one way to hasten the singularity, I guess, but it’s worth noting that Mozilla also moved to a four-week cycle for Firefox last year.

“As we have improved our testing and release processes for Chrome, and deployed bi-weekly security updates to improve our patch gap, it became clear that we could shorten our release cycle and deliver new features more quickly,” the Chrome team explains in today’s announcement.

Google, however, also acknowledges that not everybody wants to move this quickly — especially in the enterprise. For those users, Google is adding a new Extended Stable option with updates that come every eight weeks. This feature will be available to enterprise admins and Chromium embedders. They will still get security updates on a bi-weekly schedule, but Google notes that “those updates won’t contain new features or all security fixes that the 4 week option will receive.”

The new four-week cycle will start with Chrome 94 in Q3 2021, and at this faster rate, we’ll see Chrome 100 launch into the stable channel by March 29, 2022. I expect there will be cake.

Apr
08
2020
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Mozilla names long-time chairwoman Mitchell Baker as CEO

Mozilla Corporation announced today that it has chosen long-time chairwoman Mitchell Baker to be CEO, replacing Chris Beard, who announced last August he would be stepping down at the end of the year.

Baker represents a logical choice to lead the company. At a time of great turmoil in the world at large, she brings the stability of someone who has been with Mozilla Corporation since 2003. Writing in a company blog post, she certainly recognized the challenges ahead, navigating the current economic uncertainty and the competitive challenges the company faces with its flagship Firefox browser.

“It’s a time of challenge on many levels, there’s no question about that. Mozilla’s flagship product remains excellent, but the competition is stiff. The increasing vertical integration of internet experience remains a deep challenge. It’s also a time of need, and of opportunity. Increasingly, numbers of people recognize that the internet needs attention,” Baker wrote.

Baker has been acting as interim CEO since December when Beard officially left the company. In a blog post from the board announcing Baker’s official new title, they certainly recognized that it would take someone with her unique combination of skills and experience to guide the company through this next phase.

“Mitchell’s deep understanding of Mozilla’s existing businesses gives her the ability to provide direction and support to drive this important work forward,” they wrote. Adding, “And her leadership style grounded in openness and honesty is helping the organization navigate through the uncertainty that COVID-19 has created for Mozillians at work and at home.”

Mozilla Corporation was founded in 1998 and is best known for its flagship, open-source Firefox browser. The company faces stiff competition in the browser market from Google, Apple and Microsoft.

Mar
04
2016
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Why browser extensions change the way we work

browser-extensions Browser extensions change the way we work. They alter facets of your job by changing the experience of the apps on which you rely so they conform to your workflow — versus having to open 17 separate browser tabs just to complete a simple task. Historically, browser extensions were a little wild as far as how they were built. Read More

Nov
30
2015
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Mozilla Wants To Split Off Its Thunderbird Email/Chat Client, Says Mitchell Baker Memo

Screen Shot 2015-11-30 at 23.35.50 The Mozilla Foundation looks like it’s about to take another step in its bid to sharpen its focus on development around its Firefox browser. Mozilla now wants to once and for all hive off support for Thunderbird, the free email, chat and news client it first developed in 2004 but effectively stopped directly updating in in 2012. The plans were revealed in a company-wide memo penned… Read More

Mar
29
2009
0

10+ Best Firefox Addons for Security and Privacy

Any web developer today is probably running Firefox because of some of the great add-ons they have (i.e. WebDeveloper, Colorzilla, Firebug, Hackbar, etc…). But you may also want to install some addons for security:

Security and privacy are some of the major concerns these days while choosing a web browser to use. So much so that all the major players in the “browser wars” are providing or developing a private browsing mode.

Firefox with the myraid of add-ons that it has to offer is never far from action. Here are some of the top Firefox addons that you should install for better privacy and security

Check out this article for the list of 10+ Best Firefox Addons for Security and Privacy.

Mar
28
2009
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4 Essential Web Developer Addons for Firefox

I would argue the Firefox (currently #2), is probably the easiest of the browsers to develop for because of the great add-ons they have available. If you’re not already using any of the below, download them now:

  1. Web Developer: Next to Firebug, this is a very useful tool for manipulating and inspecting web pages.  It gives you tools for Javascript, Cookies, CSS, Forms, Images, Validations, and other useful utilities (I use the on-screen Ruler alot as well to get dimensions).
  2. Firebug: If you find yourself having to debug Javascript or integrate some of the popular frameworks, you’ll need this tool.  It has some overlap with Web Developer, but when you really need to inspect the DOM and debug Javascript, I can’t think of a better add-on.
  3. Colorzilla: Ever wish you had an eyedropper inside Firefox?  Well here’s your tool.  A small add-on that allows you get the colors from a page quickly without having to open up your graphics program or search the style sheet for the color.
  4. HackBar: When manipulating a URI is too cumbersome, you may want to invest in this little add-on.  Take a URI you’re on and split each parameter into a separate line in a small text editor in your toolbar.  Then you’ll have quick access to encode, encrypt, increment or decrement parameters easily for POST or GET calls.

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