Hacker News with Generative AI: Firefox

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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Tell HN: Pocket (acquired by Moz) only works with FF now (ycombinator.com)
They've pulled their browser extensions and integrations except for Firefox.
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'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 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.
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.
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.
Firefox no longer posts on X, now on Bluesky (bsky.app)
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 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.
Tell Mozilla: it's time to ditch Google (mozillapetition.com)
Former Facebook execs are running Firefox adtech (goblin.band)
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Certificate will expire on 14 March – update Firefox to prevent add-on breakage (mozilla.org)
On 14 March a root certificate (the resource used to prove an add-on was approved by Mozilla) will expire, meaning Firefox users on versions older than 128 (or ESR 115) will not be able to use their add-ons.
Firefox for Android starting to share location data with third parties (ycombinator.com)
Today i got a notification on my phone, that firefox is changing how it handles my location data and that it might be shared with third parties[1].
Ask HN: With trust in Firefox gone, is Chrome-ish the only option? (ycombinator.com)
As a privacy conscious user that loves open source software, I'm really puzzled regarding browsers right now. It's confusing.
Verifying Firefox Sync privacy claims (afarah.info)
Recent controversy and a history eroded trust on Mozilla's privacy claims for some, with commenters worrying about Firefox Sync, which can synchronize your browser history etc between devices, relying on Mozilla servers for it. A reasonable concern at first glance. But what data actually gets sent to Mozilla, if any? Let's verify.
Firefox: Use the sidebar to access tools and vertical tabs (mozilla.org)
Firefox 136 brings the features that fans wanted (theregister.com)
Mozilla's Firefox 136 is out today. Despite recent Mozilla moves, it's still a better choice for the privacy-conscious than Chrome.
Firefox 136 Desktop gets Vertical Tabs (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.