Hacker News with Generative AI: Firefox

Silencing Firefox's Chattiness for Web App Testing (secureideas.com)
Firefox is one chatty browser! Even if you don’t actually use it for anything, it’s constantly making requests out to the internet for things like updates, checking network status, and sending telemetry data back to Mozilla. When using Firefox for web app testing, I’ve often noticed the constant stream of additional requests that get in the way. It’s possible to ignore them, but it turns out that it’s also really easy to disable most of that traffic.

Web Development, Testing, Firefox, Privacy

11 points by wslh 31 days ago | 1 comments

Firefox Profiler (firefox.com)

Web Browsers, Performance, Firefox

7 points by lnkl 35 days ago | 0 comments

Tell HN: Mozilla is preparing to remove bookmark keywords (ycombinator.com)
On Bugzilla there's an active ticket [0] tracking progress to remove bookmark keywords from Firefox, in order to consolidate them into Search.

Mozilla, Firefox, Web Browsing, Search, Bookmarks

16 points by RheingoldRiver 36 days ago | 2 comments

Ask HN: Was Mozilla Ever Independent? (ycombinator.com)
This is based on the revelation that Firefox (and I'm assuming Mozilla itself) relies on at least 85-90% of its operating revenue from Google's search deals. For decades now, Mozilla insisted and promoted that it was a non-profit independent organization, and that extended to Firefox. That 85-90% revenue figure is now calling 15-20 years of those statements into question for me.

Mozilla, Firefox, Business, Non-profits, Revenue

12 points by dabockster 53 days ago | 5 comments

Firefox could be doomed without Google search deal, says executive (theverge.com)
Firefox could be put out of business should a court implement all the Justice Department’s proposals to restrict Google’s search monopoly, an executive for the browser owner Mozilla testified Friday.

Firefox, Google, Antitrust, Business, Technology

6 points by Khaine 55 days ago | 3 comments

Firefox could be doomed without Google search deal, says executive (theverge.com)
Firefox could be put out of business should a court implement all the Justice Department’s proposals to restrict Google’s search monopoly, an executive for the browser owner Mozilla testified Friday.

Firefox, Google, Antitrust, Business, Law

13 points by recvonline 56 days ago | 6 comments

WebGPU is officially shipping in Firefox 141, July release date (groups.google.com)
I intend to enable WebGPU on Windows in the early beta stages of Firefox 139, which enters beta this coming Monday, April 28.

WebGPU, Firefox, Web Browsers, Software, Release Dates

11 points by astlouis44 59 days ago | 1 comments

Firefox tab groups are here (mozilla.org)
What happens when 4,500 people ask for the same feature? At Firefox, we build it.

Web Browsers, Firefox, User Features

807 points by TangerineDream 59 days ago | 441 comments

Intent to expose WebGPU in early beta Fx139 (groups.google.com)
I intend to enable WebGPU on Windows in the early beta stages of Firefox 139, which enters beta this coming Monday, April 28.

WebGPU, Firefox, Beta, Browsers, Web Development

12 points by astlouis44 66 days ago | 0 comments

Betterfox - about:config tweaks to enhance Mozilla Firefox (github.com/yokoffing)
Betterfox is an opinionated preference list inspired by the law of diminishing returns and the minimum effective dose.

Firefox, Browser Enhancements, Customization, Open Source, Web Browsing

25 points by CyMonk 66 days ago | 0 comments

Exploring on-device AI link previews in Firefox (mozilla.org)
Ever opened a bunch of tabs only to realize none of them have what you need? Or felt like you’re missing something valuable in a maze of hyperlinks? In Firefox Labs 138, we introduced an optional experimental feature to enhance your browsing experience by showing a quick snapshot of what’s behind a link before you open it.

Firefox, Web Browsing, Artificial Intelligence, User Experience

3 points by keyboardJones 66 days ago | 0 comments

Firefox starts testing "Link Previews" (mozilla.org:443)
We’ve just introduced a new experimental feature in Firefox Labs on Beta and Nightly called Link Previews, and we’d love for you to give it a try and let us know what you think.

Web Browsers, Firefox, User Experience

10 points by ReadCarlBarks 74 days ago | 8 comments

Hardening the Firefox Front End with Content Security Policies (attackanddefense.dev)
Most of the Firefox User Interface (UI), including the address bar and the tab strip, are implemented using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript plus some additional custom components like XUL. One of the advantages of using web technologies for the front end is that it allows rendering the frontend using the browser engine on all desktop operating systems.

Security, Web Development, Firefox

185 points by evilpie 79 days ago | 68 comments

Firefox Release 137.0 (mozilla.org)
Release Notes tell you what’s new in Firefox. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can also file a bug in Bugzilla or see the system requirements of this release.

New Releases, Software, Firefox, Browsers

5 points by ksec 83 days ago | 0 comments

Tell HN: Pocket (acquired by Moz) only works with FF now (ycombinator.com)
They've pulled their browser extensions and integrations except for Firefox.

Web Browsers, Firefox, Acquisitions, Software, Tech News

13 points by anon6362 85 days ago | 18 comments

Firefox 137.0 released with vertical tabs (mozilla.org)
Firefox’s new sidebar lets you move tabs to the side, pin key sites and keep your AI assistant handy.

Firefox, Web Browsers, User Interface, AI

12 points by Ianvdl 86 days ago | 2 comments

Firefox's vertical tabs came to life with a little help from our community (mozilla.org)
If you’ve ever had more tabs open than you can count, you know the struggle: tiny, unreadable tab titles, constant scrolling, and that moment of panic when you close the wrong one. Enter vertical tabs, a long-requested Firefox feature designed to make tab management and multitasking easier.

Firefox, Web Browsers, User Interface, Community, Productivity

4 points by HieronymusBosch 86 days ago | 0 comments

Firefox 137 starts rolling out tab groups (mozilla.org)
Release Notes tell you what’s new in Firefox. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can also file a bug in Bugzilla or see the system requirements of this release.

Web Browsers, Software, New Releases, Firefox

7 points by ReadCarlBarks 87 days ago | 2 comments

Mozilla warns Windows users of critical Firefox sandbox escape flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mozilla has released Firefox 136.0.4 to patch a critical security vulnerability that can let attackers escape the web browser's sandbox on Windows systems.

Security, Firefox, Windows, Software, Vulnerability

6 points by akyuu 92 days ago | 2 comments

Firefox Is Finally (Re)Adding Support for Web Apps (omgubuntu.co.uk)
A few months back Firefox announced it was finally adding support for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) after years of ignoring its own user’s requests to do so.

Web Browsers, Firefox

105 points by pahbloo 93 days ago | 95 comments

Firefox no longer posts on X, now on Bluesky (bsky.app)

Social Media, Firefox, Bluesky

18 points by 3adawi 100 days ago | 0 comments

Take a New Look at CSS Shapes (2018) (smashingmagazine.com)
This week, CSS Shapes ships in a production version of Firefox with the release of Firefox 62 — along with a very nice addition to the Firefox DevTools to help us work with Shapes.

CSS, Web Development, Web Design, Firefox

16 points by Tomte 103 days ago | 6 comments

My Favorite Firefox Extensions (alexn.org)
In my previous post, I mentioned that I now use Firefox as my main browser and you should too. Firefox’s strength is its extensions, with many available on Android devices as well. Here’s a list of my favorites.

Firefox, Web Browsers, Extensions, Productivity

12 points by todsacerdoti 104 days ago | 3 comments

A look at Firefox forks (lwn.net)
Mozilla's actions have been rubbing many Firefox fans the wrong way as of late, and inspiring them to look for alternatives.

Mozilla, Firefox, Web Browsers, Open Source

565 points by sohkamyung 105 days ago | 372 comments

I-cant-believe-its-not-webusb: Hacking around lack of WebUSB support in Firefox (github.com/ArcaneNibble)
It turns out that there is a way for a web page to access USB devices without requiring WebUSB and its associated political disagreements!

Web Development, Firefox, USB, Security, Hacking

314 points by todsacerdoti 105 days ago | 288 comments

Mozilla Warns Users to Update Firefox Before Certificate Expires (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mozilla is warning Firefox users to update their browsers to the latest version to avoid facing disruption and security risks caused by the upcoming expiration of one of the company's root certificates.

Security, Firefox, Mozilla, Browser Updates

13 points by m463 106 days ago | 5 comments

Mozilla Likely Been Sharing Aggregated Firefox Data with Advertisers Since 2017 (quippd.com)
TL;DR: With Firefox 56, Mozilla combined Firefox Health Report and Telemetry data into a single setting called “technical and interaction data”, which was then enabled by default. This included data about advertising within Firefox’s New Tab page, along with a lot of other technical information about the installation of Firefox. The Firefox preferences UI makes no mention of usage of this technical data for advertising purposes.

Privacy, Mozilla, Firefox, Advertising, Data

10 points by mimasama 107 days ago | 2 comments

Mozilla sees surge in Firefox users thanks to EU's Digital Markets Act (cyberinsider.com)
Mozilla reports a significant rise in Firefox usage across the European Union, crediting the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for breaking long-standing barriers to browser choice.

Mozilla, Firefox, EU, Web Browsers

11 points by namanyayg 107 days ago | 0 comments

Mozilla closes support thread 2 days before baked-in CA TLS certs expire (mozilla.org)
Important update! On March 14, 2025, a critical root certificate in Firefox will expire. If you’re still using an older version (before Firefox 128 or ESR 115.13+), it’s crucial to update to Firefox 128 or newer to avoid issues with add-ons, DRM-protected content, and other features.