Mozilla Firefox Overview of A Decade

It was there when web browsing first became a necessity, it always makes the web faster and safer, and now, Mozilla Firefox is celebrating a decade of being all things to all people. We’ve put together the most popular features from over the past ten years that make up Mozilla Firefox, and we think you’ll find them very interesting.

Firefox has gone through 10 major releases in the last 10 years with many more minor ones. In short: 

- Firefox 4:    Easier navigation and more customizable interface. Interactive bookmarks bar (Favorites), Tag Manager for tagging documents, tools for export without losing their formatting information (HTML5).

- Firefox 5:    The sidebar (left column) was completely redesigned: Organize your bookmarks on the new Awesome Screen and easily switch to another tab with Tabs on Top. An animated download indicator appears when a large file is downloading, along with an easy-to-manage downloads list.

- Firefox 6:   Added HTML5 <canvas> support to allow web designers and developers to draw in a browser without requiring Flash. Also included Faster startup and page load, CSS3 3D properties and WebGL, which enables hardware acceleration of 3D graphics in any compatible web browser without the need for special plugins.

- Firefox 7: Option for Flash in browser, to be used for short videos or games while the rest of the page can be viewed as HTML5. Enhanced H.264 video support in order to display video content from YouTube in a format that is better suited than standard 360p. Firefox has moved forward by adding features such as "Browser XUL" (XUL - an acronym for XML User Interface Language). This enables web developers to create applications using Mozilla's open source tools that can be launched without the need to install any plugins on Firefox. 

- Firefox 8: A redesigned interface with a new tab by default and the option to have multiple windows in addition (Alt + T). Facebook button to add them directly to your Instant Messenger. Firefox's download history from the "Downloads" section in the sidebar.

- Firefox 9: Faster page load times, a new Application button that allows users to get additional features for free or pay for them in a click, Mozilla's first Metro style application (wrapped and slide up), which is presented following an indication of the start menu 

- Firefox 10: Overhauled exclusive features include "Blocks", which allow you to save links until you are ready to view them (e.g. links that I am interested in, but can wait until later). "Tiles" allow you to personalize the new tab page by adding specific items to your new tab page. "App tabs" allow you to launch applications such as Facebook and social media sites from the new tab page.

- Firefox 11: The feature of Firefox 11 is the implementation of extensions for Android. 

- Firefox 12: This version shows a notification of a photo, if you have finished downloading in a single window. You can also make use of HTML5 data-attributes to style various elements on web pages and HTML5 video controls on YouTube. Another notable feature is using Google Public DNS in place of your ISP's default DNS servers.

- Firefox 13: "Find in Page" is a feature that comes in handy for those who have a lot of information to process. You can continue to browse the web while mail item is sent, or right after you start downloading a file. You will now be able to quickly add something you've seen to your "favorites" with the keyboard shortcut [Ctrl]+D.

- Firefox 14: The main feature of this release is an redesigned interface with many new features for developers, including support for web games and HTML5 video applications. Also included are e10s (for better performance), Multiprocess Windows on Linux (better support for background tasks), and WebSockets.

Conclusion: 

Mozilla has been an innovator in the development of open source web browsers. It has introduced many technology and web standards to help make the internet better and to protect user privacy. Mozilla Firefox uses the Gecko layout engine for rendering web pages, which implements current and anticipated web standards. Current versions of Mozilla Firefox additionally use a security model that is based on sandboxing to limit the damage that successful exploitation can do. It also uses non-standard extensions such as "Tracking Protection" to block forms of online advertising often deemed undesirable.