What’s All the Fuss About?
Mozilla reboots Firefox – but is it enough to put the once-popular browser back on the map?
Firefox Quantum
What is it?
It’s a major upcoming update for Mozilla’s Firefox web browser – technically version 57 – built on a completely new browser engine.
What’s so different about it?
It’s much faster – up to twice as fast as the previous version of Firefox, according to Mozilla’s own Speedometer benchmark tests ( www.snipca. com/25898). This could help pages load faster and make browsing the web feel snappier, though obviously other factors govern browsing speeds too, such as the speed of your broadband connection. Quantum is said to be leaner and much less resource-hungry than other browsers. Mozilla reckons its new browser consumes “roughly 30 per cent less RAM than Chrome”.
How does it manage that?
With Firefox Quantum, Mozilla applied something it calls the “Goldilocks principle” to its browser engine, so that it strikes what the company reckons is “the ‘just right’ balance between speed and memory usage” ( www.snipca. com/25904). This is mainly achieved by the way the browser works with multiple processes across all your CPU’S cores, rather than operating as a single process on a single core. So, for example, you can browse a web page smoothly in one tab, while other tabs load in the background using processes across other cores. Unlike other multi-process browsers like Chrome, though, Firefox Quantum doesn’t create a separate process for every tab you open, but shares up to four separate processes across however many tabs you open. This limits the amount of memory used.
Is there anything else new?
Yes. The browser has had a bit of a redesign, making it look cleaner and simpler. The rounded corners of previous versions have gone in favour of straight lines. And some toolbar functions – including bookmarks, history and synced tabs – have been neatly filed away under a new Library button (at the top right, see screenshot).
Are there any downsides?
Yes, a serious one. Firefox Quantum is so different to previous versions of the browser that it effectively renders many existing add-ons incompatible. Mozilla has invited add-on makers to update their extensions to work with Firefox Quantum and provided initiatives to help them do so. Mozilla says that around 5,000 add-ons have already been upgraded to work with the new browser. But, ultimately, it’s up to the developers themselves as to whether they want to migrate their tools to Quantum. Inevitably, many add-ons will stop working in the new version, frustrating some Firefox users.
So, should I switch to Firefox?
Maybe, though experience has taught us to be wary of browser developers’ speed claims. Microsoft, Google and Opera have all very publicly undermined each other’s browser-speed claims. We won’t know for sure whether Firefox Quantum lives up to Mozilla’s promises until we see the final release for ourselves. We’ll be testing Firefox Quantum and sharing our final verdict with you in a forthcoming issue.
When can I get it?
Firefox Quantum is due to launch on 14 November, but you can try the beta version now by heading to www.snipca. com/25897 and clicking on the ‘Or try beta’ link under the ‘Notify me’ button, then clicking Download next to the Beta option on the following page.