Mozilla the third significant release of the experimental Firefox Preview browser, developed under the code name . The release will soon be published in the catalog (requires Android 5 or newer). The code is available on . The first stable release is expected in the first half of 2020. After stabilizing the project and implementing all planned features, the browser will replace the Firefox edition for Android, with new releases of which being discontinued, starting from .
Firefox Preview The GeckoView engine, built on Firefox Quantum technologies, and the set of libraries , which are already being used to build browsers and . GeckoView is a variant of the Gecko engine presented as a separate library that can be updated independently, and Android Components includes libraries with standard components that ensure the operation of tabs, input autocompletion, search suggestions, and other browser features.
In :
- enhanced tracking protection features, allowing users to block tracking code ads, web analytics counters, social media widgets, hidden user identification methods, and cryptocurrency mining scripts similar to the desktop version of Firefox. By default, strict blocking mode is enabled. Developers estimate that enabling blocking accelerates page loading by an average of 20%. Tapping the shield icon opens a window with information about blocked elements, with the option to view a detailed list of blocks for the current site.
- By default, there is an option to open external links (links from third-party applications) in private mode.
- An option has been added for automatically clearing browsing history upon exiting the browser.
- Added the ability to choose the types of information to be synchronized across devices. Currently, only bookmarks and browsing history are available for synchronization.
- Additional behavior of automatic and background playback of video and audio.
- A user interface for viewing and managing downloads has been implemented. The download status is displayed through a widget in the notification area, allowing users to pause, resume, or cancel downloads. After a download is complete, a dialog appears to open the downloaded file.
- A new implementation of the browser menu has been offered instead of the Quick Action panel.
- self-repair the index new engines for accessing search engines.
- An option has been proposed for moving the navigation bar to the bottom or top of the screen.
- Configuration for setting a global scaling level applied to all websites.
Key Features of Firefox Preview:
- High performance. Firefox Preview is claimed to be up to two times faster than the classic Firefox for Android, achieved through compiler optimizations based on code profiling results (PGO — Profile-guided optimization) and by including the IonMonkey JIT compiler for 64-bit ARM systems. In addition to ARM builds, GeckoView is now also being compiled for x86_64 systems.
- Enabled by default are protections against tracking and various unwanted activities.
- A universal menu that provides access to settings, library (bookmarked pages, history, downloads, recently closed tabs), site display mode selection (desktop version of the site), text search on the page, private mode activation, opening a new tab, and navigation between pages.
- A multifunctional address bar featuring a universal button for quick operations such as sending links to another device and adding a site to the favorites list. Clicking on the address bar launches a full-screen hint mode, offering relevant input options based on browsing history and search engine recommendations.
- Use of the collections concept instead of tabs, allowing users to save, group, and share favorite websites.
After closing the browser, the remaining open tabs are automatically grouped into a collection that can then be viewed and restored. - The homepage features an address bar combined with global search functionality, displaying a list of open tabs or, if no pages are open, a list of sessions grouping previously opened sites based on browser sessions.
- There is a feature to send a tab or collection to another device.
Source: opennet.ru
