Firefox 101 Review 2022

Mozilla released Firefox 101 on May 31, 2022. This is the sixth major browser update in 2022.

This is the thirteenth update for the new Proton user-interface which was released in June 2021.

In this blog post, I cover some of the notable changes in this new browser update.

In the past couple of years, Mozilla has been releasing updates almost on a monthly basis for the Firefox web browser. However, not all of their updates include major changes and new features.

In this new Firefox 101 release, there is not much to report in terms of new features, but I will cover a few notable changes in this blog post.

First up, as usual there were several high and medium level security fixes implemented in this new browser update including fixes to bugs and security vulnerabilities to help keep Firefox users safe online.

Secondly, Firefox now supports the prefers-contrast media query which allows sites to detect if the user has requested that web content is presented with a higher (or lower) contrast.

Thirdly, Firefox now allows users to use as many microphones as they want at the same time, during video conferencing. Additionally, you can also switch your microphones at any time, if your conferencing service provider enables this flexibility to do so.

And finally, Mozilla had optimized the Download Flow in Firefox 98 in which you would no longer see a download prompt when downloading files in Firefox similar to how it is in Google Chrome.

Well, Mozilla has now rolled this back. In the Firefox Setting page, under General and Applications, you’ll find two download options: to save the files or; ask whether to open or save files (as I show you in the video below).

So, these were some of the notable changes in this new Firefox 101 browser update. You can check the list of detailed changes in the Release Notes.

In terms of the Browsermark Benchmark test results, the overall performance of Firefox remained steady compared to the earlier version. On the other hand, Google Chrome continues to outperform. Thanks for stopping by!

CREDITS: Browser Benchmark Tests Performed Using Browsermark from Basemark: http://web.basemark.com/ | Firefox information and logos used under Creative Commons License Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) | Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries | Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission | Images and graphics used are public domain via Pixabay unless otherwise mentioned | Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Firefox Hello Review

Say hello to “Firefox Hello” – you’re probably wondering what the heck is Firefox Hello. Mozilla upgrades their Firefox internet browser approximately once every six weeks. The latest on upgrade, Firefox 34, was released on December 1, 2014. This stable rapid release included a few new features, including several improvements and bug fixes.

One of the new features that Mozilla introduced with Firefox 34 was Firefox Hello. It is a WebRTC-based online communication service that allows users to voice and video chat with others using a WebRTC-enabled browsers. WebRTC, also known as, Web Real-Time Communication, is a Application Programming Interface (API) that enables voice and video communication from browser to browser.

One major benefit of using WebRTC is that you don’t need any additional third-party software to be downloaded, or plug-in to be installed. Furthermore, you don’t need to have an account to use Firefox Hello. The other advantage is that you can use Firefox Hello with other WebRTC-enabled browsers like Google Chrome and Opera. This online chat service is being offered via the OpenTok platform.

How to Use Firefox Hello?

Firefox Hello is quite simple to use. In order to start initiate communication with another party, you need to click the Firefox Hello (FH) button, which you will find in your toolbar. Once you click the FH button, it will generate a unique URL (or web link). You will then have to copy/paste this link into your browser address bar, and email the link to the person whom you wish to communicate with.

When the person clicks on the unique link, they will get a “Conversation Request” box with options to start communicating with you. It provides option to either voice and/or video chat. If you don’t see the FH button on your toolbar, check the section below to learn how to activate and set up Firefox Hello. You can check the video below to see how to use Firefox Hello to communicate with your friends and family.

Pros and Cons of Using Firefox Hello

Personally, I’ve used several types of online voice and video communication services. The one I use most frequently is Skype. However, with Skype, you need to ensure that both parties need to have the software downloaded and open a Skype account (or have a Hotmail/MSN email account). FH is still in Beta, so we can expect to see changes and improvements in the coming FF rapid release upgrades. 

The other good thing is that once the unique Firefox URL is generated, you can use that link specifically for certain people like your family, work or specific individuals. In the upcoming upgrades, we will be able to customize the URL and give it specific or recognizable names that make it easier to remember. 

As I mentioned earlier, you don’t need to have an account to use Firefox Hello, however, if you have a choice to open an account, one benefit of doing so is that you can create a contact list which makes it easier to communicate with others who are using Firefox. Unlike Skype, FH doesn’t support communicating with multiple people or have a group chat simultaneously. 

Also, unlike Skype, Firefox Hello doesn’t have the share-screen feature that allows you to share your screen with the party you’re communicating with.

How to Activate and Set up Firefox Hello?

If you’ve already upgrade to the latest version FF34 and you can’t find the Firefox Hello button on your toolbar, then look for it in the Customize mode. If you still can’t find it, you will have to change your Firefox preferences. Specifically change the value in “loop.throttled” preference from “True” to “False”. When I first upgrade to FF34, I didn’t have the FH button on my toolbar nor in the Customize mode. You can check the video below to learn how to activate Firefox Hello.

Have you used Firefox Hello? If so, feel free to share your comments and feedback about this new online communication service introduced by Mozilla.

In 2014, Mozilla introduced many new features, made several improvements, and increased overall browser performance to their Firefox web browser. You can check my full Firefox 34 Review.

Credits: Firefox logos and screenshots used under Creative Commons License Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Firefox 18 Review

Mozilla released Firefox 18, its latest Rapid Release internet browser version on January 8, 2013.

I’ve been using Firefox web browser for several years now and it’s been my favourite browser, but since I’ve been tried Google Chrome, I’ve definitely found a great alternative. In fact, Google Chrome which was behind Internet Explorer and Firefox, in terms of global usage, has now caught on with Internet Explorer and left Firefox behind.

With the new Rapid Releases being implemented approximately every 6 weeks, Firefox has been making improvements to their internet browser, but still lag behind. Let’s review some of the improvements implemented in Firefox in the last few Rapid Release versions starting with Firefox 18:

First off, there were over 2,900 bug fixes implemented in Firefox 18 including some security fixes. One of the major improvements in Firefox 18 was the faster performance in JavaScript via the new IonMonkey JavaScript engine. For Mac users, Firefox provides full support for OS X 10.7 (and up) high-resolution retina displays. Web Developers will see improvements in terms of support for new DOM property window.devicePixelRatio; improvement in startup time through smart handling of signed extension certificates; and support for W3C touch events implemented, taking the place of MozTouch events. As per the Peacekeeper browser benchmark test results, Firefox performed better than previous Firefox browser versions. However, Google Chrome continues to outperform Firefox, as you can see from the browser benchmark results below:

In Firefox 17, there were over 2,300 bug fixes implemented, though there were no noticeable new features implemented. Firefox 17 upgrade included Social API support which helps integrate social media sites in your browsing experience as well as support for Facebook Messenger in the Firefox sidebar. Another enhancement included were larger icons in the Firefox Awesome Bar which makes it easier to navigate through. The Peacekeeper browser benchmark test results showed no improvement over the previous version Firefox 16. As usual, Google Chrome outperformed Firefox as you can see from the results below:

In Firefox 16, there were over 1,900 bug fixes implemented including a couple of critical security fixes. Firefox 16 included Web Apps support for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems, and improvement in JavaScript responsiveness. Web Developers were treated to a new Developer Toolbar which includes buttons providing quick access to tools, error count for the Web Console, and a new command line for quick keyboard access. When I ran the Peacekeeper browser benchmark test, the results showed a slight drop in overall performance and Google Chrome continued to outperform:

Other significant improvements made in Firefox, in previous updates, were: optimization of memory usage for add-ons; silent background updates, which is similar to Google Chrome, if you have your browser set for automatic updates; new Pointer Lock API which helps better control the mouse; full screen support for Mac OS X Lion to enhance browsing experience; and new API which stops the screen from sleeping. Overall, Firefox still remains my browser of choice, though Google Chrome is soon becoming one of my favourites. For more detailed information on Firefox Rapid Release updates, visit Firefox Reviews.

Firefox 12 Review

Mozilla released Firefox 12, its newest web browser upgrade on April 24, 2012. In keeping with their Rapid Release upgrades, since March 2011, this is the tenth Firefox rapid release version. We will continue to see new Firefox updates every six weeks or so.

During these rapid release updates, Firefox has changed tremendously. In some of the updates, we saw many new features, cosmetic changes, faster performance, and many new tools for Web Developers. Also, during these updates, thousands of bug fixes and security vulnerabilities have been implemented, making Firefox a better browser, in most cases.

Firefox got a cleaner and uncluttered look, tab groups, faster speed, and some cool features for Web Developers like HTML5, WebGL, and Web Console with Firefox 4. In subsequent updates, we saw the introduction of the "Do Not Track" feature which enabled users to opt out of tracking behavioural type advertising. In Firefox 5, there were improvements in CSS animation, improved canvas, memory and JavaScript.

In Firefox 7, Telemetry was introduced which allowed anonymous and accurate opt-in tool. This update also made significant improvements in the way Firefox managed memory, for a speedy browser experience. In Firefox 8 and 9, we continued seeing bug fixes, security and stability improvements, including the introduction of Type Interface (TI) to improve JavaScript performance.

In Firefox 10, some improvements were made in terms of minimizing the issues due to add-ons incompatibility, as well as the introduction of Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release). There were several enhancements for Web Developers like anti-aliasing for WebGL, support for CSS 3D Transforms, and full screen API support.

In Firefox 11, a feature for importing of bookmarks, history, and cookies from Google Chrome was introduced. As well as users were able to synch add-ons across all devices. We also saw the introduction of Page Inspector 3D View allowing developers to get a 3-dimentional view of web pages.

And finally, in Firefox 12, over 1,800 bug fixes were implemented. Though there were no new features, other than the simplification of one step in the upgrade process, there were several improvements for developers in areas like Page Inspector, Web Console, Scratchpad, Style Editor.

I've used all of the above mentioned Firefox Rapid Release versions. Overall, I've found positive improvements in terms of performance and speed. I ran browser benchmark tests on many of these Firefox upgrades and saw improvements. However, Firefox has been losing ground to Google Chrome which is better in terms of overall performance based on my experience and results from the browser benchmark tests. Also, since upgrading to this latest version, I've experienced several Firefox crashes which I've seldom experienced before. I've reported this to Mozilla, so hopefully they can resolve this issue.

You can check my detailed Firefox Reviews on each of the above Rapid Release updates. This last Firefox 12 update is not the best one that I've seen. Based on the Peacekeeper Benchmark test results (see below), it fell short when compared to the performance of Firefox 11 and lacks compared to the performance of Google Chrome.

Firefox 9 Review

Firefox has been a popular internet browser for several years and Mozilla has been striving to enhance the web browser these past few years. In early 2011, Mozilla started releasing Rapid Release updates of their browser starting with Firefox 3.6.

Since then we've seen several Firefox updates with the current stable release, Firefox 9.0.1. I've beta tested a few of the rapid release updates and am currently using the latest version of Firefox. Personally, Firefox has been my favourite internet browser, but the past couple of upgrades have not been their best.

Overall, I've enjoyed the enhancements, new features, security and safety upgrades, however, since upgrading to Firefox 8 and Firefox 9, my internet browser seems to have become sluggish running some websites. I've tested the same websites on other browsers like Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, and they seem to run fine.

Especially, my Hotmail got really sluggish with the upgrade to Firefox 8. The problem seemed to have gotten better with the Firefox 9 upgrade, but it's still not up to par. Running Firefox in Safe Mode seems to better the performance of the browser, but then I can't use any of the add-ons.

Check my Firefox 9.0 Review, for a more detailed look at what's new including platform improvements, bug fixes, and Firefox release notes. Also, I ran a PeaceKeeper browser benchmark test (see below) on Firefox and Google Chrome, the latter still outperforms overall. I find Google Chrome much speedier and less prone to hangups.

See which internet browser is leading in terms of World Wide Usage.