Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Firefox 4 hits the streets

By

Competition in the Web browser market is heating up, and fresh on the heels of Microsoft releasing Internet Explorer 9, Mozilla has set Firefox 4 loose upon the world. Long the number-two browser behind Internet Explorer, Firefox 4 offers to give users a new look at the Web with improved performance and new technology, enhanced security features, and a wealth of customization and personalization options that enable users to make the browser truly their own. However, the stakes have perhaps never been higher for Mozilla, which faces stiff competition from the likes of Google Chrome, as well as Microsoft’s brand-new IE9.

Firefox 4 (Mac)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Like Chrome and IE9 before it, Firefox 4 looks to streamline the browser interface, eliminating clutter, moving tabs to the top of the window, and shifting the application’s emphasis to discoverable features rather than in-your-face annoyances. However, that doesn’t mean Firefox 4 is more difficult to use—in addition to performance enhancements (like support for hardware graphics acceleration, the new JägerMonkey JavaScript engine, and other serious performance boosts) Firefox 4 features a new “Awesome Bar” that enables users to type terms and words into the address bar to match bookmarked sites, browsing history, open tabs, and bookmarks, making it easy to get back to things. The Awesome Bar also adapts to users’ habits, adjusting its offerings based on what users select.

Firefox 4 (Awesome Bar)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Many Web users keep some sites open all the time—like email, social networking, and other services—and in Firefox 4 those sites can be set up as “App Tabs”—permanent icon tabs on users’ tab bars. Firefox 4 also offers a tab “Panorama” view that enables users to visually organize their tabs into logical groups. Firefox 4 also sports a new sync feature that enables users to manage their browsing histories, bookmarks, and open tabs across mobile and desktop versions of Firefox. Firefox 4 retains access to the vast array of skins and add-ons that have been developed for the browser, so users can enhance and customize their browsing experience.

Firefox 4 (Tab Groups)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Under the hood, Firefox 4 includes support for a number of new technologies, including WebGL 3D graphics, support for open font formats like TrueType, OpenType, and WOFF, substantially improved support for CSS3, support for high-definition video and Google’s WebM video format, a new graphics engine that support things like inline SVG graphics—plus Firefox 4 makes audio data accessible to JavaScript, supports Windows 7 multitouch, and an experimental Web console that lets the curious see how the Web operates under the hood.

Recommended Videos

Firefox 4 also takes steps to improve users’ security online: a new “Instant Web Site ID” feature offers one-click access to a site’s identity information, including details like how many times a user has visited it. (Hint: if a site claims to be PayPal and you’ve never been there before, it’s not PayPal.) Firefox 4 also offers a Private Browsing mode, a new “Forget This Site” feature that wil remove any trace of having visited, and a new “Do Not Track” feature that tries to tell sites that you don’t want to be included in any behavioral tracking they do—of course, sites have to play along with that and actually honor the request from Firefox.

Related

Firefox 4 is a free download for Mac OS X (Intel-based Macs running Mac OS X 10.5 or later only), Windows 2000+, and Linux. And if you’re curious about how the Firefox 4 rollout is going, check out glow.mozilla.org.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
ChatGPT can laugh now, and it’s downright creepy
OpenAI's Mira Murati introduces GPT-4o.

We all saw it coming, and the day is finally here -- ChatGPT is slowly morphing into your friendly neighborhood AI, complete with the ability to creepily laugh alongside you if you say something funny, or go "aww" if you're being nice -- and that's just scratching at the surface of today's announcements. OpenAI just held a special Spring Update Event, during which it unveiled its latest large language model (LLM) -- GPT-4o. With this update, ChatGPT gets a desktop app, will be better and faster, but most of all, it becomes fully multimodal.

The event started with an introduction by Mira Murati, OpenAI's CTO, who revealed that today's updates aren't going to be just for the paid users -- GPT-4o is launching across the platform for both free users and paid subscribers. "The special thing about GPT-4o is that it brings GPT-4 level intelligence to everyone, including our free users," Murati said.

Read more
Best HP laptop deals: Get a 17-inch workhorse for $370 and more
An open HP Spectre x360 16 sits on a table, angled so that the screen and keyboard can be seen.

HP is one of the best laptop brands on the market, and if you're thinking of picking up a new laptop, then you may want to consider one of its many varieties of laptops. Not only that, but HP usually has some form of deal going on each of its sub-brans, so whether you're looking for an HP Omen gaming laptop or a Spectre X360 2-in-1 convertible, you'll likely find a good deal on it. Of course, it can be hard to navigate the dozens of different types of laptops HP has, which is why we've gone out and collected some of our favorite deals to help save you the trouble. This list includes the classic Envy model, but we also have an entire article dedicated to HP Envy deals, so check that out too. That said, if you can't find quite what you're looking for below, be sure to check out these other great laptop deals and gaming laptop deals as well.
HP Laptop 15z -- $250, was $500

If you need a budget laptop for basic tasks, you can't go wrong with the HP Laptop 15z. With its AMD Athlon Silver 7120U processor, AMD Radeon Graphics, and 8GB of RAM, it's going to be a dependable device for doing online research and working with productivity apps. The laptop features a 128GB SSD with Windows 11 Home pre-loaded, and a relatively large 15.6-inch HD screen for its low price.

Read more
M4 vs. M3: How much better are Apple’s latest chips?
An official rendering of the Apple M4 chip.

Apple has announced the M4 chip, its successor to the M3 that’s currently found in a bunch of Macs and iPads. The M3 is an excellent chip and a real leap above the M2 that came before it, so the question is whether the M4 can manage a similar feat.

Right now, the M4 is only in the iPad Pro, and that means information about how good it is and what it does is rather limited. But if you’re interested in finding out more, you’re in luck, as we’ve gathered up everything we know about Apple’s M4 chip and compared it side by side with the M3. If you want to learn more about Apple’s next chip -- and how it compares to the M3 -- read on.
Where can you find these chips?

Read more