[German]Mozilla developers has released Firefox browser version 56 for Windows, Linux and macOS. Beside a screenshot tool there are many improvements and also fixes under the hood.
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Yesterday I launched my Firefox 55 portable and checked for updates. Then I noticed that an update for version 56 was available.
This will be the last Firefox version using the old Australis design. On November 14, 2017, Mozilla plans to realease Firefox 57, called Firefox Qantum, with a new design.
New screenshot function
The release notes mentions the screenshot function, which allows you to photograph and save parts of the browser window.
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This feature can be accessed via an icon next to the burger menu in the upper right corner. Then an area in the browser window can be selected and saved. The procedure can be aborted using the ESC key. However, the function is still beta.
Further improvements
The Firefox page enlisting the new features of the previous version can be found here.
- More responsive tab switching
- Faster page loading with less memory use
- Support for next generation web technologies, like WebVR and WebGL for gaming
The release notes contains, beside the mentions of the new screenshot function, the following details:
Today's release gives Firefox users a better experience with features like Firefox Screenshots, Send Tabs, and more control over the browser with an improved (and searchable) preferences section. It also includes incremental performance improvements that move us closer to our biggest release of the year, coming in November.
Added support for address form autofill (en-US only)
Updated Preferences
- Added search tool so users can find a specific setting quickly
- Reorganized preferences so users can more easily scan settings
- Rewrote descriptions so users can better understand choices and how they affect browsing
- Revised data collection choices so they align with updated Privacy Notice and data collection strategy
Media opened in a background tab will not play until the tab is selected. And there are the following improvments.
- Replaced character encoding converters with a new Encoding Standard-compliant implementation written in Rust
- Added hardware acceleration for AES-GCM
- Updated the Safe Browsing protocol to version 4
- Reduced update download file size by approximately 20 percent
- Improved security for verifying update downloads
Also the bug, that Firefox does not delete local databases correctly, has been fixed in version 56. But there are unresolved problems:
- Startup crash with RelevantKnowledge adware installed. Firefox Support has helpful instructions to remove it.
- Users running Firefox for Windows over a Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) may find that audio playback is disabled due to increased security restrictions. Learn how to mitigate this issue until it is corrected in an upcoming release
- Startup crashes with 64-bit Firefox on Windows 7, for users of Lenovo's „OneKey Theater" software for IdeaPad laptops. To fix this crash, please re-install 32-bit Firefox.
- Due to a bug in Mac OS X High Sierra, fullscreen mode has some issues
I was able to update my 32-bit Firefox portable to version 56 without any problems. Support for automatic migration from 32- to 64-bit Firefox is planned for version 56.0.1 in October. (via)
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