What is Firefox: Definition and 76 Discussions

Firefox Browser, also known as Mozilla Firefox or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. Firefox uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages. In 2017, Firefox began incorporating new technology under the code name Quantum to promote parallelism and a more intuitive user interface. Firefox is available for Windows 7 or Windows 10, macOS, and Linux. Its unofficial ports are available for various Unix and Unix-like operating systems including FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, illumos, and Solaris Unix. Firefox is also available for Android and iOS. However, the iOS version uses the WebKit layout engine instead of Gecko due to platform requirements, as with all other iOS web browsers. An optimized version of Firefox is also available on the Amazon Fire TV, as one of the two main browsers available with Amazon's Silk Browser.Firefox was created in 2002 under the codename "Phoenix" by the Mozilla community members who desired a standalone browser, rather than the Mozilla Application Suite bundle. During its beta phase, Firefox proved to be popular with its testers and was praised for its speed, security, and add-ons compared to Microsoft's then-dominant Internet Explorer 6. Firefox was released on November 9, 2004, and challenged Internet Explorer's dominance with 60 million downloads within nine months. Firefox is the spiritual successor of Netscape Navigator, as the Mozilla community was created by Netscape in 1998 before their acquisition by AOL.Firefox usage grew to a peak of 32.21% at the end of 2009, with Firefox 3.5 overtaking Internet Explorer 7, although not all versions of Internet Explorer as a whole. Usage then declined in competition with Google Chrome. As of May 2021, according to StatCounter, Firefox has 7.79% usage share as a "desktop" web browser, making it the fourth-most popular web browser after Google Chrome (67.53%), Safari (9.86%) and Microsoft Edge (7.96%), or arguably even with Edge, while its usage share across all platforms is lower at 3.59% still slightly ahead of Edge by same amount, enough for third place (after Google Chrome with 64.47% and Safari with 18.69%).

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  1. phinds

    Problem with FireFox browser (BUT, it turns out, not with PF)

    I get PF to work just fine with Chrome and Edge but it's a mess with Firefox. I've cleared the cache, closed Firefox and opened it again. No joy. Anyone else using Firefox here and NOT having problems? Also, FYI, I'm using Windows 10 and Firefox says I have the latest version
  2. S

    Is Fedoraforum.org Experiencing a 403 Error?

    For the past few days I get a 403 error when trying to access fedoraforum.org (using Firefox). Is anyone else having this problem?
  3. BiGyElLoWhAt

    Bug What is the issue with previewing posts in Mozilla Firefox?

    It seems as though it's not only with latex, but with previewing in general. Sometimes restarting Firefox will fix it for me, but I've restarted it 2x now and nothing. It just doesn't preview. You hit preview, it locks out editing, but doesn't show you what your post looks like
  4. W

    Firefox " Restore Previous Session" no longer in toolbar

    Hi All, The option to "Restore Previous Session" is no longer in the Firefox pull down tool bar. Any Ideas?
  5. S

    Export only selected bookmarks/folders from Firefox

    There is a discussion here https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/831118 referring to a solution called Xmarks, which is now defunct. Someone has suggested doing this: ... but it doesn't work for me. When I copy-paste from one profile into another profile's Library, nothing happens. If I...
  6. phinds

    LaTeX Enabling Latex in Firefox 61.0

    In this thread https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/circuit-problem-involving-sources-and-resistors.950932/#post-6022243 things looked weird to me and I thought it was the poster's fault but now I see in other threads that there are weird strings of characters which I take to be Latex. I've...
  7. jim hardy

    Firefox won't display the PF page until I change magnification

    Firefox 59 intermittently displays only part of content on a page if i click menu bar and change magnification up or down one setting, ie from 100% to 90 or 110 it finishes but if change back to initial magnification it disappears again windows 7 firefox 59.0.1 anybody else seen that ? old jim
  8. MarkFL

    MHB Firefox Revamped: Update Brings Speed & Efficiency Boost!

    Earlier today, when I saw that Firefox was installing an update when I fired it up, I did my usual groaning facepalm and wondered what I might find broken this time. I've been a faithful Firefox user since 2004, shortly after it appeared on the market. But in recent years, my loyalty has been...
  9. olgerm

    How can I access webpage data in a browser extension?

    I am trying to make a browser extension. Tutorial (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons) from mozilla webpage teaches to make these in javascript, but is it possible to make browser extension in some other programming language? How can I get URL of the tab user is watching. I tried...
  10. Y

    Help with Firefox Browser Issues

    My firefox browser is not behaving. 1) For a while, it crash like ones a day and I had to push and hold the power button to turn it off and then restart it. 2) Since this morning, I cannot get into my email and said that maybe my server prevent exchange of some cookies. Things I did before I...
  11. Borg

    Need a fix for Firefox SEC_ERROR_INADEQUATE_KEY_USAGE error

    I figured that I would post this in case someone may know the answer. I have a small server at home that is using a self-signed certificate. Firefox used to give a warning about this and then let you accept the certificate. However, newer versions just block the site without being able to...
  12. G

    Java Almost all older useful (physics) java applets blocked

    Hi. I have lots of bookmarks to splendid physics Java applets, but most of them are a bit dated. Many of them get blocked by current Java versions. To make them work I have to go to the Windows control panel, open Java control panel, add the page to the exception site list and restart the...
  13. StevieTNZ

    FireFox 37.0.2 - Return Search

    For some reason I managed to click on something that made the google search area on the toolbar disappear. How do I get it back? This is what it currently looks like: But I want it to look like this; Thanks!
  14. Y

    Problem with Firefox on my new laptop

    Hi I just bought a new I5 laptop with Win 7 Pro. I loaded Firefox. But I notice I have problem when I go to some forums and even ordering with Digikey. With Digikey, when I want to delete an item in the cart, it did not respond when I hit the delete key. With diyaudio.com forum, when I want to...
  15. Fredrik

    LaTeX Slooooow (Firefox, pages with LaTeX)

    Some pages are so slow for me now that they're essentially unusable. For example this one: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/tangent-space-in-manifolds-how-do-we-exactly-define.685722/#post-4349806 I've been having a lot of problems with the computer that I'm on now, so at first I thought...
  16. E

    MHB Desmos: Formula input in Firefox

    Is it just me or Desmos ruined its formula input? In the past when I typed x, /, 1, +, x I got $\frac{x}{1+x}$. Now I'm getting $\frac{x}{1}+x$. In fact, I can't figure out how to type $\frac{x}{1+x}$ at all. Even if I have $\frac{1}{1x}$ and the cursor is between 1 and $x$ in the denominator...
  17. Ackbach

    MHB VimFx Firefox Extension: Speed Up Browsing with Vim Keybindings

    I just discovered VimFx extension for Firefox: it installs some Vim-like keybindings for Firefox. Unfortunately, you don't get Vim keybindings for text boxes such as the one I'm in now. But you do get some very nice keyboard-only shortcuts for browsing that make sense to a Vim user. If you're...
  18. Saladsamurai

    Firefox Not Working: Shutdown during Update

    So I was forced to shutdown Firefox while it was updating. Needless to say, it is not happy with me. I'm running Win7. I have tried the obvious things. Uninstalled FF including all customizations. I also deleted the folder in "Program Files." FF will start up, but nothing ever loads. I...
  19. Y

    How to Troubleshoot High CPU Usage and Script Problems in Firefox?

    I have a lot of problem with Firefox lately ever since the latest version. It is very unstable. My latest problem is the cpu seems to be very busy and stop responding to the mouse and the fan turn on ( high power usage). There a numerous times a window popped up and said to stop the scrip. This...
  20. Y

    How to get rid of the tool bar in Firefox?

    I downloaded and installed a pdf converter, but it added the WS, Daily Deals...on the top of the page. I want to know how can I uninstall those program. I prefer not just disable it, but uninstall all the add on. Thanks
  21. K

    Why Does Firefox Keep Crashing and How to Fix It?

    Every minute or so, firefox crashes and this error message pops up. What's wrong and is there anything I can do to fix this?
  22. R

    What could be causing slow browsing in Firefox 8.0.1 and how can it be improved?

    I recently downloaded & installed Firefox 8.0.1 on 2 Windows XP Pro Sp3 p.c.s - One in my Office & the other at home . It seems to be running great on the Office p.c. (This one has Norton 360 installed on it & fewer Start-up Programs ) . However , on the home p.c. , (which has Avast (Free) &...
  23. S

    Posting with Firefox? IE Works for Here

    For some reason only ie works when posting here
  24. J

    Really enjoying the new Mozilla firefox

    Hi there. I'm really enjoying the new(ish) firefox, it's almost as close to the perfect browser for me as you can get now, I can zoom around it with ease. However, there is one (small thing) that's annoying me: I have pinned my favorite pages up so that whenever I open firefox it loads them...
  25. MartinJH

    HTML Code for Firefox to Stop Right-Click Copying

    I realize HTML isn't strictly a 'coding language' or so I've heard. I have a good friend who has a site he needs to prevent users from 'right clicking and copy'. Its a guitar tab site and he has spent relentless hours transcribing a band whos songs are far from easy. So to prevent, to a certain...
  26. P

    Which languages are required to build a firefox addon ?

    Which languages are required to build a firefox addon...? Which languages are required to build a firefox addon...?
  27. P

    LaTeX Can't see Latex source in Linux (Firefox)

    I understand that I should be able to see the source for formulas/equations/math symbols people put in their posts, by right-clicking a symbol or equation. I seem to recall that I could do this but I am unable to do it now in Firefox (Ubuntu Linux Lucid). Is there something I need to install...
  28. Pengwuino

    Thank you firefox for saving my life

    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/leechblock/ BOOM. *Blocks physicsforums.com* *blocks facebook* *blocks my email accounts* *blocks ... various sites* How do I block actual humans though? Do I need to upload this addon onto my friend who won't stop calling me telling me the...
  29. H

    Discover Useful & Nifty Firefox Add-Ons

    Anyone have some useful or nifty Firefox addons? I'll add mine here: (made using the infolister Firefox addon) * Adblock Plus 1.1.3 * ChatZilla 0.9.86 * Delicious Bookmarks 2.1.072 * DownloadHelper 4.6.5 * Fasterfox Lite 3.8.2Lite * Fission 1.0.9 - loading...
  30. 2

    Which files/folders does Firefox store the last session when it crashes?

    I'm just curious if I want to look at a backup I made on my external hard drive a few months ago of a certain configuration. If I want to pull up what Firefox had then on the restore session? I know Flock is pretty much the same as Firefox, so if anyone knows anything about that either?
  31. Pengwuino

    Why are Firefox programmers making it a memory eater?

    My LORDY LORD, I'm running firefox right now with Gmail up, facebook, and a random website up. On facebook I am playing one of the stupid flash 10 games. I go to check my task manager and firefox.exe is taking up 600MB OF MEMORY! Seriously? I even check out process explorer and yes, 600MB...
  32. M

    Firefox 3.5.4 & Realplayer: Capturing Streaming Videos Problem

    Realplayer has a feature where you can capture streaming videos. It is set up to operate with Firefox 3.5 and IE8. I have been using this feature mostly under Firefox. However after the latest update from Firefox (3.5.4), the feature stopped functioning. Has anyone encountered this problem...
  33. R

    C/C++ Create Your Perfect Browser: Customize Firefox for You

    Create my own browser? I like firefox and all, but I can't get it to be PERFECT for me..
  34. C

    Cookies expiring early on Firefox 3?

    My login cookies (for sites like, say, physicsforums.com) seem to last only ~5 minutes instead of the usual long duration (1 year, in the case of PF). This started happening exactly when Firefox updated to version 3. This hasn't been a problem with my other computer which has been running FF3...
  35. RyanJ

    Firefox Guinness World Record Attempt

    Has anyone else been following the Firefox Guinness World Record Attempt? I'm going to put my name down just for the sake of it - plus if it goes through there would be an entry in the world record book that I actually contributed too :D Anyone else interested / heard about it?
  36. G

    Why does firefox completely die on macs?

    I have been using my bros old mac computer and whenever I use firefox, after a little while it will just completely stop working and you won't be able click on anything. I thought this was just a problem with my MAC, but I have also noticed that the same thing happens on my bros new MAC and his...
  37. T

    LaTeX Latex Extension (Beta): Firefox Only

    LaTeX extension (beta) http://www.mathphyswiki.com/index.php?title=Latex_extension Firefox only, sorry. It's supposed to help with doing latex. Some issues left. It crashes sometimes. I'm taking suggestions on anything, from adding a function to a UI overhaul. I haven't even settled on a...
  38. N

    Firefox 2.0 Launches Tomorrow: Get the Latest from Mozilla!

    It has been announced that Mozilla will release it's latest and greatest(?) software on Tuesday. Although the official download site is not yet ready, I think one can download it from their FTP site (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
  39. Pengwuino

    Firefox Latest Update: Crashing Issues?

    Has anyone else had firefox just become a total crash-o-matic since the latest patch? I fear having a shockwave or Flash session going less it blow up my computer.
  40. Gokul43201

    Restore Firefox Default Profile: Fix 'Firefox is Already Running' Error

    I opened the browser (Firefox 1.0 on Windows XP) and got a message window saying something along the lines of : Choose profile to open (default was the only profile that existed). I clicked on default and got an error message - something like "Firefox is already running an instance of this...
  41. N

    For Homework Helpers Who Use Firefox

    I know how most of you feel when you have to type "Please show some of your work", "We don't do your homework for you" etc over and over again. Well, here's something that would make that task easier. https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1063/ This is an extension that'll paste email...
  42. S

    Firefox Pop-up Problems: 130 Objects Found - Need Help!

    I have a major problem with firefox. I thought firefox was soppsed to prevent this problem: I'am having a lot of pop-ups today:cry: . I never had this many pop-ups before. I did a anti-spyware search and found about 130 objects. I'am currently doing an avast through scan. Does anyone know...
  43. A

    Introducing Firefox: A Refreshing Change

    Well I have written a small introductory article about firefox here is the link "[URL http://linuxondesktop.blogspot.com/2006/05/firefox-refreshing-change.html do tell me ho do you like it
  44. RadiationX

    MATLAB How to view Matlab Demo's using Firefox

    Does anyone know how I can view Matlab demo's in my firfox browser? I can use Internet Exploret,but firfox is my desired browser. I believe that I need to set a new protocol in firefox but I don't know how to do it. Anyone have any Ideas or having a similar problem?
  45. dduardo

    View Rendered Source: Cool Firefox Extension for Web Developers

    I'm sure any web developer would appreciate this extension: http://jennifermadden.com/scripts/ViewRenderedSource.html
  46. dduardo

    Firefox Blamed For Engagement Breakup

    This has to be the wierdest/funniest bug report ever submitted: http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=330884 If you follow the steps to reproduce the bug it always ends in: "Break-up with fiancé." :rofl:
  47. tandoorichicken

    LaTeX Latex Image Copy for Physics Lab - Firefox Preview

    Just copying a latex image for a physics lab. firefox doesn't let you preview the latex in a post. G=\frac{V_{out}}{V_{in}}=\frac{R_{out}}{\sqrt{R_{in}^{2} + \frac{1}{\omega C}^2}}
  48. M

    Opinions on Opera Browser: Better than Firefox? (For Dial-Up Users)

    I'd like an opinion on the browser, Opera. I happen to like it, but I'm wondering how good it actually is in your opinions? If Firefox has any significant advantages? I have dial up, so I don't have much bandwidth.
  49. EnumaElish

    Events possibly related to antivirus software and/or Firefox

    On my XP-pro (SP2) operated machine I have come across messages in the event viewer such as: In addition, when I let McAfee Virtual Tech scan the PC it returned the following: Does anyone have an idea as to whether these are related, and how to solve each?
  50. N

    Firefox Issues (personal, not a flaw perse)

    I have been using Firefox v happily for a long time now, however, after upgrading to Version 1.5 on my laptop it has lost the ability to access the internet! Some additional info: the laptop connects to the web via a wireless LAN, firefox DOES load but displays the 'Page cannot be...
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