Mozilla Firefox 4
Encyclopedia
Mozilla Firefox 4 is a version of the Firefox web browser
, released on 22 March 2011. The first beta was made available on 6 July 2010; Release Candidate 2 (a base for the final version) was released on 18 March 2011. It was codenamed Tumucumaque
, and has been confirmed as Firefox's last large release cycle. The Mozilla team planned smaller and quicker releases following other browser vendors. The primary goals for this version included improvements in performance, standards support, and user interface.
There was one security update in April 2011 (4.0.1) and version 4 of the browser was made obsolete by the release of Firefox 5 in June 2011.
This marked a transition to giving much less weight to major version numbers, with 5 more major version numbers used by September of that year (5,6,7,8, and 9), compared to 4 in nearly a decade of Firefox development (1,2,3,4).
, Mozilla's Chief Technology Officer
, wrote about the plans for "Mozilla 2", referring to the most comprehensive iteration since its creation of the overall platform on which Firefox and other Mozilla products run. Most of these objectives were incorporated into versions 3.0, 3.5, and 3.6. The largest changes, however, were deferred to Firefox 4.0.
In early May 2010, Mozilla's plans for Firefox 4.0 were officially detailed through a blog post by Mike Beltzner, Firefox director.
On 25 May 2011, the Firefox release manager wrote in an email "Firefox 5 will be the security update for Firefox 4," confirming Firefox 4 had entered its "end of life" phase where Mozilla will no longer issue updates. Mozilla continued to issue updates for Firefox 3.6 after 4's EOL declaration. Only one update (4.0.1) was issued for Firefox 4 during its lifetime. Many looking for a copy of this version 4 will be directed to version 6 which won't work on earlier Mac Apple computers.
, with a new look designed to make it faster. Early mockups of the new interface on Windows, Early mockups of the new interface on Windows, Mac OS X
, and Linux
were first made available in July 2009.
New features include improved "doorhanger" notifications, Firefox Panorama (a feature that lets the user organize tabs into windows called "groups" and perform various operations on groups), application tabs, a redesigned extension manager, Jetpack
extensions support, integration with Firefox Sync, and support for multitouch displays.
Many changes were made to the user interface. By default, tabs are now on the top of the window. The "stop" "reload" and "go" buttons have been combined into a single button, placed on the right side of the address bar. The button changes dynamically based upon the current state of the page. On Windows Vista
and Windows 7, the menu bar
is hidden by default with the most common actions moved to a new "Firefox" menu in the upper left hand corner of the browser. Users can create persistent "app tabs", and customize the tab
bar, as well as the bookmark
and navigation bars.
2.0 engine, which adds and improves support for HTML5, CSS3, WebM
, and WebGL
. Also, it includes a new JavaScript engine (JägerMonkey
) and better XPCOM
APIs.
JägerMonkey
is a new JavaScript engine
designed to work alongside the TraceMonkey engine introduced with Firefox 3.5. It improves performance by compiling "non-traceable" JavaScript into machine language for faster execution.
Firefox 4 is the first version of Firefox to drop native support of the Gopher protocol; however, continued support is available through an add-on.
Firefox 4 introduces an audio API, which provides a way to programmatically access or create audio data associated with a HTML5 audio element. It allows, for example, to visualize raw sound data, to use filters or to show the audio spectrum.
Firefox 4 no longer relies on the underlying OS for text layout/shaping. Instead, it uses HarfBuzz. This allows for smart OpenType layout/shaping which is consistent across different operating systems.
JavaScript tests as well as improvements in supporting HTML5.
Since Firefox 4.0 Beta 5, hardware acceleration
of content is enabled by default on Windows Vista and Windows 7 machines using Direct2D
, on OS X using Quartz (basically CPU-only), and Linux using XRender
. Hardware acceleration of compositing is enabled by default on XP, Vista and 7 machines using Direct3D
, OS X and Linux using OpenGL
. Using hardware acceleration allows the browser to tap into the computer's graphics processing unit
, lifting the burden from the CPU and speeding up the display of web pages. Acceleration is only enabled for certain graphics hardware and drivers.
, an emerging standard for Web privacy. The header signals the user's request to the web service that any web visitor tracking
service be disabled. In the future, this privacy request may become a legal requirement.
For comparison, Internet Explorer 9
usage share on 22 March 2011 was 0.87%, having launched about a week before on 14 March 2011. One potential reason for Firefox 4's higher usage share is the support for Windows XP and Windows 2000, which Internet Explorer 9 does not have.
However, at launch, Firefox enacted a method to prompt existing customers to upgrade, while IE users have not been prompted in such a manner. Instead, Microsoft prompts IE users to upgrade via Windows Update
several weeks after launch.
On 26 March 2011, Firefox 4 usage share exceeded the discontinued, 10 year old Internet Explorer 6
for the first time. On that date, 4 days after official launch day, Firefox 4 usage share was greater than that of all versions of Safari
and Opera
as well as all older versions of Firefox except Firefox 3.6. For comparison, Internet Explorer 9 usage share first exceeded that of Internet Explorer 6 on 1 May 2011 (48 days after release) and Internet Explorer 9 became the second most used Internet Explorer version for the first time on 22 May 2011 (69 days after release).
On the 19 June 2011 Firefox 4 reached its peak at 16.7% according to StatCounter. After that date, usage declined slightly due to weekly trends then dropped quickly due the release of Firefox 5.
This new feature, called on-demand session restore, overwrites the previous session on exit without prompting. The user can check whether there is a saved session at any time by viewing the History menu item "Restore Previous Session". If it is available (not greyed out) there is a restorable session available.
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
, released on 22 March 2011. The first beta was made available on 6 July 2010; Release Candidate 2 (a base for the final version) was released on 18 March 2011. It was codenamed Tumucumaque
Tumucumaque National Park
The Tumucumaque National Park is situated in northwestern Brazil inside the Amazon Rainforest state of Amapá. It’s bordered to the north by French Guyana and Suriname....
, and has been confirmed as Firefox's last large release cycle. The Mozilla team planned smaller and quicker releases following other browser vendors. The primary goals for this version included improvements in performance, standards support, and user interface.
There was one security update in April 2011 (4.0.1) and version 4 of the browser was made obsolete by the release of Firefox 5 in June 2011.
This marked a transition to giving much less weight to major version numbers, with 5 more major version numbers used by September of that year (5,6,7,8, and 9), compared to 4 in nearly a decade of Firefox development (1,2,3,4).
History
On 13 October 2006, Brendan EichBrendan Eich
Brendan Eich is a computer programmer and creator of the JavaScript scripting language. He is the chief technology officer at the Mozilla Corporation.-Education:...
, Mozilla's Chief Technology Officer
Chief technical officer
A chief technology officer is an executive-level position in a company or other entity whose occupant is focused on scientific and technological issues within an organization....
, wrote about the plans for "Mozilla 2", referring to the most comprehensive iteration since its creation of the overall platform on which Firefox and other Mozilla products run. Most of these objectives were incorporated into versions 3.0, 3.5, and 3.6. The largest changes, however, were deferred to Firefox 4.0.
In early May 2010, Mozilla's plans for Firefox 4.0 were officially detailed through a blog post by Mike Beltzner, Firefox director.
On 25 May 2011, the Firefox release manager wrote in an email "Firefox 5 will be the security update for Firefox 4," confirming Firefox 4 had entered its "end of life" phase where Mozilla will no longer issue updates. Mozilla continued to issue updates for Firefox 3.6 after 4's EOL declaration. Only one update (4.0.1) was issued for Firefox 4 during its lifetime. Many looking for a copy of this version 4 will be directed to version 6 which won't work on earlier Mac Apple computers.
User interface
Firefox 4 brings a new user interfaceUser interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
, with a new look designed to make it faster. Early mockups of the new interface on Windows, Early mockups of the new interface on Windows, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
were first made available in July 2009.
New features include improved "doorhanger" notifications, Firefox Panorama (a feature that lets the user organize tabs into windows called "groups" and perform various operations on groups), application tabs, a redesigned extension manager, Jetpack
Mozilla Jetpack
Jetpack is a project that develops tools and frameworks to ease development of Firefox add-ons. The project has produced the Add-on SDK, a set of APIs, a runtime, and a command-line tool for creating and running add-ons, and the Add-on Builder, a Web-based integrated development environment which...
extensions support, integration with Firefox Sync, and support for multitouch displays.
Many changes were made to the user interface. By default, tabs are now on the top of the window. The "stop" "reload" and "go" buttons have been combined into a single button, placed on the right side of the address bar. The button changes dynamically based upon the current state of the page. On Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
and Windows 7, the menu bar
Menu bar
A menu bar is a region of a screen or application interface where drop down menus are displayed. The menu bar's purpose is to supply a common housing for window- or application-specific menus which provide access to such functions as opening files, interacting with an application, or displaying...
is hidden by default with the most common actions moved to a new "Firefox" menu in the upper left hand corner of the browser. Users can create persistent "app tabs", and customize the tab
Tab (GUI)
In the area of graphical user interfaces , a tabbed document interface is one that allows multiple documents to be contained within a single window, using tabs as a navigational widget for switching between sets of documents...
bar, as well as the bookmark
Bookmark
A bookmark is used to keep one's place in a printed work. It can also refer to:* Bookmark , a pointer in an Internet Web browser* a marker of one's place in an electronic document...
and navigation bars.
Engine
Firefox 4 is based on the GeckoGecko (layout engine)
Gecko is a free and open source layout engine used in many applications developed by Mozilla Foundation and the Mozilla Corporation , as well as in many other open source software projects....
2.0 engine, which adds and improves support for HTML5, CSS3, WebM
WebM
WebM is an audio-video format designed to provide a royalty-free, open video compression format for use with HTML5 video. The project's development is sponsored by Google....
, and WebGL
WebGL
WebGL is a software library that extends the capability of the JavaScript programming language to allow it to generate interactive 3D graphics within any compatible web browser...
. Also, it includes a new JavaScript engine (JägerMonkey
JägerMonkey
JägerMonkey is a JavaScript engine released for Firefox 4 and later versions. It has "Method JIT" and a new assembler based on Safari's Nitro...
) and better XPCOM
XPCOM
XPCOM is a cross-platform component model from Mozilla. It is similar to Microsoft COM and CORBA. It has multiple language bindings and IDL descriptions so programmers can plug their custom functionality into the framework and connect it with other components.-The model:XPCOM is one of the main...
APIs.
JägerMonkey
JägerMonkey
JägerMonkey is a JavaScript engine released for Firefox 4 and later versions. It has "Method JIT" and a new assembler based on Safari's Nitro...
is a new JavaScript engine
JavaScript engine
A JavaScript engine is specialized computer software which interprets and executes JavaScript . Although there are several uses for a JavaScript engine, it is most commonly used in web browsers.-History:...
designed to work alongside the TraceMonkey engine introduced with Firefox 3.5. It improves performance by compiling "non-traceable" JavaScript into machine language for faster execution.
Firefox 4 is the first version of Firefox to drop native support of the Gopher protocol; however, continued support is available through an add-on.
Firefox 4 introduces an audio API, which provides a way to programmatically access or create audio data associated with a HTML5 audio element. It allows, for example, to visualize raw sound data, to use filters or to show the audio spectrum.
Firefox 4 no longer relies on the underlying OS for text layout/shaping. Instead, it uses HarfBuzz. This allows for smart OpenType layout/shaping which is consistent across different operating systems.
Performance
Firefox 4 has marked a major change in performance in comparison to former versions 3.6 and 3.5. The browser has made significant progress in SunspiderSunspider
Sunspider can stand for:* SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark, a system to benchmark the speed of JavaScript engines.* Solifugae an order of Arachnid , commonly called sun spiders....
JavaScript tests as well as improvements in supporting HTML5.
Since Firefox 4.0 Beta 5, hardware acceleration
Hardware acceleration
In computing, Hardware acceleration is the use of computer hardware to perform some function faster than is possible in software running on the general-purpose CPU...
of content is enabled by default on Windows Vista and Windows 7 machines using Direct2D
Direct2D
Direct2D is a 2D and vector graphics application programming interface designed by Microsoft and implemented in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and also Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and Platform Update Supplement for Windows Vista and for Windows Server 2008 & KB2505189 update...
, on OS X using Quartz (basically CPU-only), and Linux using XRender
XRender
The X Rendering Extension is an X Window System extension to implement Porter-Duff image compositing in the X server, to allow efficient display of transparent images.- History :...
. Hardware acceleration of compositing is enabled by default on XP, Vista and 7 machines using Direct3D
Direct3D
Direct3D is part of Microsoft's DirectX application programming interface . Direct3D is available for Microsoft Windows operating systems , and for other platforms through the open source software Wine. It is the base for the graphics API on the Xbox and Xbox 360 console systems...
, OS X and Linux using OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
. Using hardware acceleration allows the browser to tap into the computer's graphics processing unit
Graphics processing unit
A graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
, lifting the burden from the CPU and speeding up the display of web pages. Acceleration is only enabled for certain graphics hardware and drivers.
Privacy
Firefox 4 contains support for the "do not track" headerDo not track header
The do not track header is a proposed HTTP header field that would request a web application to disable their tracking of a user. The "Do Not Track" standard was created by researchers at Stanford University and is under discussion in the United States Congress and the Federal Trade Commission...
, an emerging standard for Web privacy. The header signals the user's request to the web service that any web visitor tracking
Web visitor tracking
Web visitor tracking is the analysis of visitor behaviour on a website. Analysis of an individual visitor's behaviour may be used to provide that visitor with options or content that relates to their implied preferences; either during a visit or in the future...
service be disabled. In the future, this privacy request may become a legal requirement.
Development
Nightly builds were marked as 4.0a1pre between February and June 2008, but were renamed to 3.1a1pre afterwards.Timeline
| Release | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha 1 | 10 February 2010. | Firefox 3.7 (Gecko 1.9.3) |
| Alpha 2 | 1 March 2010 | |
| Alpha 3 | 17 March 2010 | |
| Alpha 4 | 12 April 2010 | |
| Alpha 5 | 16 June 2010 | |
| Beta 1 | 6 July 2010 | The version number was changed to 4.0 (Gecko's 2.0) |
| Beta 2 | 27 July 2010 | |
| Beta 3 | 11 August 2010 | |
| Beta 4 | 24 August 2010 | |
| Beta 5 | 7 September 2010 | |
| Beta 6 | 14 September 2010 | |
| Beta 7 | 10 November 2010 | Originally scheduled for the second half of September, but was delayed in order to stabilize the new JavaScript engine and finish the planned features |
| Beta 8 | 22 December 2010 | |
| Beta 9 | 14 January 2011 | |
| Beta 10 | 25 January 2011 | |
| Beta 11 | 8 February 2011 | Ship eleventh revision of beta, with more betaN+ hardblockers fixed (14 betaN+ hardblockers not fixed) |
| Beta 12 | 25 February 2011 | Ship twelfth revision of beta, with all betaN+ hardblockers fixed. Mozilla senior engineering director Damon Sicore, urging his team to take this hill and push through to ship a release candidate by 25 February. |
| RC 1 | 9 March 2011 | Complete work on all blocking 2.0:final + bugs, generate release candidates |
| RC 2 | 18 March 2011 | Two very small, very isolated fixes in order to better protect Firefox 4 users. |
| 4.0 | 22 March 2011 | Release final version of Firefox 4.0. |
| 4.0.1 | 28 April 2011 | Fixed several security and stability issues. |
Reception
During the 24-hour launch period starting on 22 March 2011, Firefox 4 was downloaded 7.1 million times as counted by Mozilla's download stats site glow.mozilla.org and verified by Mozilla. Before the official launch, more than 3 million people had downloaded the second release candidate, which became the final version, resulting in a total of over 10 million downloads by the end of the launch day. In terms of the number of downloads for the first 24 hours, it failed to surpass the record-setting 8 million downloads attained by Firefox 3 in 2008. Downloads for the second day, however, were reported to be over 8.75 million in number, but because no on-site official from Guinness was there to monitor the numbers, the record attained by Firefox 3 has only unofficially been broken.Usage share
Usage share on official launch day was 1.95%, which is 0.34% higher than the day before according to website analytics company StatCounter.For comparison, Internet Explorer 9
Internet Explorer 9
Windows Internet Explorer 9 is the current version of the Internet Explorer web browser from Microsoft. It was released to the public on March 14, 2011 at 21:00 PDT. Internet Explorer 9 supports several CSS 3 properties, embedded ICC v2 or v4 color profiles support via Windows Color System, and...
usage share on 22 March 2011 was 0.87%, having launched about a week before on 14 March 2011. One potential reason for Firefox 4's higher usage share is the support for Windows XP and Windows 2000, which Internet Explorer 9 does not have.
However, at launch, Firefox enacted a method to prompt existing customers to upgrade, while IE users have not been prompted in such a manner. Instead, Microsoft prompts IE users to upgrade via Windows Update
Windows Update
Windows Update is a service provided by Microsoft that provides updates for the Microsoft Windows operating system and its installed components, including Internet Explorer...
several weeks after launch.
On 26 March 2011, Firefox 4 usage share exceeded the discontinued, 10 year old Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6 is the sixth major revision of Internet Explorer, a web browser developed by Microsoft for Windows operating systems...
for the first time. On that date, 4 days after official launch day, Firefox 4 usage share was greater than that of all versions of Safari
Safari (web browser)
Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Inc. and included with the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. First released as a public beta on January 7, 2003 on the company's Mac OS X operating system, it became Apple's default browser beginning with Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther". Safari is also the...
and Opera
Opera (web browser)
Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by Opera Software with over 200 million users worldwide. The browser handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting on IRC, downloading files via BitTorrent,...
as well as all older versions of Firefox except Firefox 3.6. For comparison, Internet Explorer 9 usage share first exceeded that of Internet Explorer 6 on 1 May 2011 (48 days after release) and Internet Explorer 9 became the second most used Internet Explorer version for the first time on 22 May 2011 (69 days after release).
On the 19 June 2011 Firefox 4 reached its peak at 16.7% according to StatCounter. After that date, usage declined slightly due to weekly trends then dropped quickly due the release of Firefox 5.
Migration issues
Firefox 4 represents a departure in user interface layout and behaviour from previous versions. Users face some issues negotiating these changes, some of which are not documented in the release notes.Firefox button
The Firefox button, which has a new look, groups the menus in Firefox 4. It is displayed by default on the Windows 7 and Windows Vista operating systems. It can be displayed on other operating systems by selecting "Toolbars" from the View menu and unchecking "Menu Bar". The Menu bar can be restored by selecting "Options" from the Firefox button menu and checking "Menu Bar". Certain menu items, such as "Page Info" and "Import" (for importing bookmarks and other browser data), are not available from the Firefox button menu but remain available from the Menu bar. The Menu bar can be displayed temporarily by pressing and releasing the Alt key. Selecting a Menu bar command or pressing the Alt key again dismisses the Menu bar.Session data
A prompt to save the session (tabs and windows) was presented by default in Firefox 3, with the session restored on next start if the user selected the "Save & Quit" option. In Firefox 4, all sessions are saved. On next start, the session is available from the History menu.This new feature, called on-demand session restore, overwrites the previous session on exit without prompting. The user can check whether there is a saved session at any time by viewing the History menu item "Restore Previous Session". If it is available (not greyed out) there is a restorable session available.