Fantastic Mr Firefox
Linux Format|April 2023
Nick Peers takes a trip down memory lane to reveal the story behind the rise - and slight fall - of Mozilla's popular web browser.
Nick Peers
Fantastic Mr Firefox

The last decade may not have been kind to Firefox and its parent Mozilla, but there’s no denying it’s still a vitally  important cog in the web browser marketplace. Google doesn’t simply dominate the market with its Chrome browser, it’s also got fingers in virtually every other browser out there. Whether you’re using Opera, Vivaldi or even Microsoft’s Edge browser, you’re actually using the same underlying browser engine – Google’s Blink – as used by Chrome and its open-source brother, Chromium.

While Apple continues to plough its own furrow, powering Safari and all web browsers on the iPhone and iPad through its own WebKit engine, those of us who naturally detest large monopolies have just one holdout to turn to, and that’s Firefox. It continues to develop its own browser engine – Gecko – and for that reason alone you should consider giving it a spin if you’re not already using it. But there’s more to choosing Firefox than a simple desire to stand up to the big boys: Gecko and its own variant, Goanna, are favoured by a number of privacy-focussed browsers, including Tor and Pale Moon, for its strong security and privacy credentials.

So, while Firefox and Mozilla continue to overcome setbacks and dwindling popularity, we’re keen to celebrate its continuing mission, which has barely changed since the days it emerged to take on another behemoth. Discover where Firefox came from, how it’s developed over the years, what off-shoots (successful or otherwise) it’s inspired, and where Mozilla plans to take it next.

Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Linux Format.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 2023-utgaven av Linux Format.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA LINUX FORMATSe alt
Create your first WebSocket service
Linux Format

Create your first WebSocket service

Mihalis Tsoukalos explains how to use the Go programming language to work with the WebSocket protocol.

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2023
Fantastic Mr Firefox
Linux Format

Fantastic Mr Firefox

Nick Peers takes a trip down memory lane to reveal the story behind the rise - and slight fall - of Mozilla's popular web browser.

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2023
Set up your terminal and email like it's 1983
Linux Format

Set up your terminal and email like it's 1983

Jump in the hot terminal time machine with Mats Tage Axelsson who emails from the command line using the latest technology.

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2023
Universal layer text effects with GIMP
Linux Format

Universal layer text effects with GIMP

Posters use them, films and presentations are hard to imagine without them: text effects. Attract attention with Karsten Günther and GIMP.

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2023
Jump to a federated social network
Linux Format

Jump to a federated social network

Nick Peers reveals how you can get up and running with this free, decentralised and non-profit alternative to Twitter.

time-read
9 mins  |
April 2023
Free our SOFTWARE!
Linux Format

Free our SOFTWARE!

Taking anything for granted is dangerous, so Jonni Bidwell and Mike Saunders revisit how the free software movement got started to help free us from proprietary tyranny!

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2023
Master RPI.GPIO
Linux Format

Master RPI.GPIO

Les Pounder goes back to the early days of the Raspberry Pi - and his career with this classic library! -

time-read
5 mins  |
April 2023
Waveshare Zero to Pi3
Linux Format

Waveshare Zero to Pi3

Transform your Pi Zero into a Pi 3, they promised Les Pounder, but it's more like adding on go-faster stripes.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2023
The Best OPEN SOURCE Software Ever!
Linux Format

The Best OPEN SOURCE Software Ever!

In an attempt to trigger controversy, Michael Reed and Neil Mohr unequivocally state these are the greatest free software apps ever. Probably. We’re just trying to be helpful.

time-read
10+ mins  |
April 2023
Linux-Mandrake 7
Linux Format

Linux-Mandrake 7

Simplicity and a wide range of applications make this a great distribution for all Linux users.

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2023