Firefox (web browser)

[Midas]

Privacy related changes coming to Firefox's next version -- "Do Not Track" (DNT) is being removed, replaced by "Global Privacy Control". See article for details:

According to Wikipedia, DNT was introduced in 2009 by researchers Christopher Soghoian and Sid Stamm, and Mozilla Firefox was the first browser to implement this feature. However, as we approach 2025, with growing concerns about online privacy and data protection, Mozilla believes that DNT is no longer an effective privacy measure. Many websites ignore the DNT signal. Therefore, Mozilla has removed the DNT signal from Firefox version 135.

@ https://windowsreport.com/
mozilla-firefox-removes-do-not-track-feature-support-heres-what-it-means-for-your-privacy/

[vevy]

The ability to do a secondary launch passing in a file or URL when using AllowMultipleInstances was removed some time ago from the Firefox Portable launcher. Firefox has been changing the way profiles work for a while and it was a choice between breaking multiple instances for many users or disabling the feature. It will likely be back at some point.

@JohnTHaller Will you let us know when this is added back? Thank you.

[JohnTHaller]

@JohnTHaller Will you let us know when this is added back? Thank you.

Gave myself a note to post in here when it's working again.

[vevy]

Much appreciated.

[Stephen Leibowitz]

New Firefox terms of use could push users to Google Chrome

[M1P0]

New Firefox terms of use could push users to Google Chrome

Choosing bubonic plague instead of cholera?

[Midas]

Granted, it's a worrying move on the part of Mozilla:

This type of one-sided agreement is more in line with “Big Tech” practices than the ideals Mozilla claims to uphold. Even worse, Mozilla reserves the right to suspend or terminate user access to Firefox at any time for any reason. Why does an “open” browser even need an enforcement mechanism that lets the company revoke access?

[Midas]

And then Mozilla went and made it even worse... Only to have to back peddle in a hurry.

Firefox maker Mozilla deleted a promise to never sell its users' personal data and is trying to assure worried users that its approach to privacy hasn't fundamentally changed. Until recently, a Firefox FAQ promised that the browser maker never has and never will sell its users' personal data.

@ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/02/
firefox-deletes-promise-to-never-sell-personal-data-asks-users-not-to-panic/

Mozilla has responded to user backlash over the Firefox web browser’s new Terms of Use, which critics have called out for using overly broad language that appears to give the browser maker the rights to whatever data you input or upload. The company says the new terms aren’t a change in how Mozilla uses data, but are rather meant to formalize its relationship with the user by clearly stating what users are agreeing to when they use Firefox.

@ https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/28/
mozilla-responds-to-backlash-over-new-terms-saying-its-not-using-peoples-data-for-ai/

[dot]

There's a registry tweak to get rid of the pesky update notifications in newer versions of firefox (portable): https://www.askvg.com/tip-disable-automatic-updates-in-mozilla-firefox/. I always thought a registry tweak couldn't possibly help with a portable FF version, but it does. None of the many (older) tricks offered on the Internet had helped. After applying the tweak and restarting FF Portable, in "About Firefox", as well as in the FF settings "General" > "Firefox Update", this line appears: "Updates disabled by your organization". If you delete the new registry entries, the line disappears (after a restart of FF Portable).

[Midas]

Topic update: main Firefox release is currently v141.0.3 (release notes at https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releases/).

FYI, ESR is currently v115/v140 and "Firefox 142 ships on August 19" (see https://whattrainisitnow.com/).

[rbon]

The only reason why I used until now Firefox Legacy build 115.26.0 (latest) was because it allowed to translate the web pages (also for it speed during surfing).

Since with the latest Firefox Legacy updates the 'Firefox Translations' extension no longer worked, I thought that a clean installation of the portable Build would resolve it.
But it was not.
Search on the web 'Translation is not working as Expected' I found these answers:
1. Question on Mozilla Support: https://support.mozilla.org/gl/questions/1487118
which refers to a series of bugs reported on Bugzilla:
2. Bugzilla: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?product=Firefox&component=Translations&bug_status=__open__&list_id=17395855
In practice there are 216 bugs open to date on 'Firefox Translations'.

Another 'advantage' of having installed Firefox Legacy again was that also the 'TWP - Translate Web Pages' component' https://addons.mozilla.org/it/firefox/addon/traduzir-paginas-web/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=search don't works anymore.
This is due to new requirements of this extension.

My solutions:
1. Firefox Legagy has completely removed
2. I now have installed r3dfox Portable on PortableApps https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/r3dfox-portable: build 140.0.4 for 64 bit.

Now with r3dfox Portable works only Firefox Translation.
But TWP - Translate Web Pages - don't works yet.

Remember, r3dfox is a bit harder to customize.

[loin2kolpotoru]

I am very sad to report www.portablefreeware.com dose not open on older version of firefox 52 and older.

[JohnTHaller]

I am very sad to report www.portablefreeware.com dose not open on older version of firefox 52 and older.

This isn't really related to this topic. Plus, Firefox 52 is 5 years old and insecure with multiple remote code execution exploits. If using Windows Vista or XP, please use r3dfox instead. It works out of the box on Vista and will work in a more limited fashion on Windows XP with the One Core API patches applied to the OS.

[Midas]

Mod note: The last 2 posts above were moved here from the sticky topic in "Site Matters | News and Announcements" forum: (https://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24767).

[dot]

Finally a sign of improvement (regarding user-friendliness) in FF, ever since poor good old FF, thanks to Mozilla's unfathomable policies, became (for me, i.e.) an almost useless pos:

Mozilla announced that as of FF v.147, hotkeys ("shortcuts") will become configurable again. A new "about:keyboard" will allow you to change hotkeys. I still can't believe this is true. Why introduce something useful all of a sudden? They already mentioned a drawback: that new feature will most likely not work properly with ALL keyboards. <eg>

Hotkeys once were easily configurable in old FF thanks to one of those hundreds (or thousands) of brilliant add-ons that had made of FF that unbeatable, beloved, endlessly configurable, "best browser in the world" that it was ...and which add-ons have become entirely useless thanks to Mozilla's autocratic rulings. A new add-on for configuring hotkeys doesn't work properly, as almost all other new add-ons don't work as well as the defunct old ones did. At least Mozilla's profitable collaboration with Google still works well ...and so does FF's steadfast connecting to Google at every single startup of FF (sadly Floorp, that Japanese fork, does so too). I'm surprised that no one ever mentioned that "feature".

I admit, I hardly can await the wonderful moment when FF v.147 comes out and there will finally be a reason for me to do an update after a long long time.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/customize-keyboard-shortcuts-firefox

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Mozilla_Corporation