After last month’s major redesign, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that Firefox might take it easy with its latest update. With Firefox 90, the Mozilla has added a number of improvements mainly to the Windows version of its browser.
What’s New in Firefox 90
Identify a Compatibility Issues
Windows users receives special attention with this new version. Firefox 90 introduces a new about:third-party page to help users identify compatibility issues caused by third-party modules and applications.
New Update System
One of the main innovation that you can find in this new version of the browser is its new update system. Until now, Firefox only updated when the browser was running, forcing you to restart it to complete the installation. If you’re running Windows, the new Firefox 90 has a system to install updates silently using a background service. This new feature will allow you to have the browser always up to date. Firefox will download the new versions even when you are not using it and will install them automatically when you open it again. So from now on, Windows users don’t have to worry about keeping Firefox up to date anymore.
No More FTP Support
Mozilla has been upfront about its plans to drop FTP support from Firefox. As expected, Firefox 90 finally removed the support for built-in FTP client. Users will no longer be able to use Firefox as an FTP client. The change was met with mixed feelings from Firefox users. Whether it’s good or not, only time will tell.
Manageable HTTPS-Only Exceptions
Now users get the ability to add and manage HTTPS-Only exceptions from the Settings -> Privacy & Security menu. Previously, users could only exclude sites from verification via the lock icon in the address bar.
Other Improvements in Firefox 90
Firefox 90 also brings additional regular security fixes, developer adjustments, and newly added support for Fetch Met ADATA Request Headers on the web platform. In addition, the SmartBlock function of the Firefox browser has also been updated to version 2. For those unfamiliar, this is privacy feature in Firefox that intelligently fixes web pages that are broken due to Mozilla’s tracking protections.
Download Firefox 90
If you want to download and install Firefox 90 right now, it is available for Linux, Windows, and MacOS from the Mozilla FTP. Linux users probably will get an update for their Linux distros in the coming days.
