Mozilla releases Firefox 63.0.1
Mozilla releases one or multiple minor updates usually after a major release; the release of Firefox 63 is no exception to the rule as Firefox 63.0.1 will be rolled out today to the stable channel population of the Firefox web browser.
Firefox 63.0.1 is a minor bug fix release that addresses three issues in total that affect part of the userbase.
The new version of Firefox is not available through the browser's automatic updating functionality or on the Mozilla website as Firefox 63.0 is offered through these channels currently.
Firefox installations configured to check for updates automatically will pick up the new version later today or tomorrow at the latest.
Firefox 63.0.1
Firefox 63.0.1 is a bug fix release the corrects three issues in the stable version of the web browser. The first issue affects snippets on Firefox's New Tab page.
Snippets refers to information from Mozilla and the Firefox team that Mozilla may push to the browser's new tab page. It is a news section for Mozilla and Firefox related information that Mozilla uses heavily.
Snippets including onboarding messages for new users who open the New Tab page for the first time and announcements for existing users.
Michele Warther notes on Bugzilla that Mozilla is losing tens of millions of impressions each day because of the bug and that the organization was prepared to launch several new campaigns each week.
It means that new users don't get any onboarding messages in the 9 languages we support and existing users aren't getting any announcements (Monitor, Lockbox, US Elections, Referral Programs etc.) and that's just this week. We are losing 10's of millions of impressions each day and have an average of 5-7 new campaigns launching each week, it's a very big issue for us.
Firefox users who don't want to see snippets on the New Tab Page can disable the feature on about:preferences#home.
The second issue that is fixed in Firefox 63.0.1 is printing related. More precisely, Firefox's print preview feature highlighted to users that it showed the printout in 30% of the original size when it was using shrink to fit instead.
The third and final issue that is fixed in the new release addresses an issue in Japanese versions of Firefox. Firefox displayed placeholders in the message that it displays when the user attempts to exit Firefox.
The release notes are already live but the downloads are not, or at least not for everyone at the time of writing.
Aaand I’m out of the Mozilla band-wagon.
i’m getting a FF crash report after closing Firefox 63.0 tryed reinstall samething so it updated to 63.0.1 lastnite and samething crash after closing
Fine seeing Mozilla working on it
but,…i will definetely stay with the newly released BRAVE browser, better Performance, tweakable, loads now Chrome Extension, alls fine here.
Firefox, hmmm, other Chromeforks, hmmm, we will see where the Developement goes.
The first issue isn’t an issue :)
@Ray: it’s an issue for Mozilla, not for us users.
Firefox printing support is pretty horrendous. Rarely does a complex page print out correctly.
And when you complained about it, the devs and whiteknights are saying Firefox is for browsing not printing
@Anonymous: how about printing to a PDF 1st, then printing the PDF. It should not be like that, but it’s a possible workaround that is not too laborious.
I had noticed the second issue in FF63.0 (Firefox’s print preview feature highlighted to users that it showed the printout in 30% of the original size when it was using shrink to fit instead.). Otherwise, not concerned by snippets nor by the browser’s Japanese versions.
An issue I’m lingering to see fixed is the fact the network.cookie.cookieBehavior setting doesn’t include cookies set by webextensions, and that is a pain. ‘uBlock Origin’ when updating filters accesses servers among which some create a cookie even if network.cookie.cookieBehavior is set to block 3rd-party cookies, same with an RSS feed reader webextensions. Mozilla is adding floors to a building when the foundations remain uncompleted. Yet I wouldn’t change for any other default browser.
I’m normally using Debian or Linux Mint, but for a while I have to settle with Win7 x64 Ultimate…my list-based (updates every 3-4 days to the list) firewall. When I use Iridium (a Chromium for Windows) or Opera, the firewall’s gui doesn’t start flashing like crazy like it does when I turn on Firefox, behind an openvpn connection or not, only an ssh tunnel creating a socks5 proxy to a VPS will eliminate the somehow, from my home lan IP or the TUN/TAN 10.x.x.x IP I get when connected through openvpn, will incessently try to connect to 89.38.99.102, and when turning it on, one of the scarier hits, coming from me to them, so it’s something within Firefox (I’m running 64.0.2 right now) 64.71.134.0-64.71.134.127 range which is literally the “Hennessy” and another IP address I can’t say as of now, I would have to turn off Firefox and turn it back on. I’m aware some extensions could do this, but I have nothing in there that’s “bad” that I can imagine, although, I could see how Metamask and all the permissions it requests could be it, but I turned it off and it doesn’t change anything.
Ever since Quantum showed up, I’ve had to rely on other browsers, a lot. Especially in Windows. Malwarebytes, ESET and Spybot (most recent version) do not see anything except for PUPs and mining tools which are harmless, they’re only bad if you don’t want a mining program to run surrependitiously and you’re my grandma, know what I mean. So the system’s clean and even hardened, with tools such as AIDA64 to boost security while I have to be in Windows, at least it’s 7…I would not ever use 8 or 10, I doubt any of that is related anyway.
So, not really asking a question here, but reporting what others seem to be saying. Looks like Google’s cutting of the funds actually corrupted this once marvelous browser, ironically enough. If somebody has a thought on what I shared, I’d like to know in any case.
@Tom Hawack: what RSS feed reader extension do you use? I tried Brief and Feedbro, and settled for the latter.
In Waterfox I used NewsFox which I found to be the best, but it is incompatible with Quantum :-(
@Klaas Vaak, I’m using the ‘Drop Feeds’ webextension to manage RSS feeds.
Also, I use the ‘Cookie Quick Manager” extension as my cookie manager which displays what previous Firefox Cookie Manager used to do (vanished when so useful). Otherwise I use ‘Forget me Not” to automatize cookies acceptation/refusal.
Before ‘Drop Feeds’ I used the ‘Feedbro’ extension and decided to switch because ‘Drop Feeds’ allows a workaround for blocking cookies that is not possible with ‘Feedbro’ : if I add an extension’s UUID (such as moz-extension://xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx) to Firefox’s ‘Cookies and Site Data” exceptions as ‘block’ then the extension won’t allow cookies to be created via its use… but at the same time won’t be able to access IndexedDB (its dedicated folder in user’s profile / storage / default) if required : ‘Feedbro’ needs IndexedDB but not ‘Drop Feeds’ …
This is why now I’ve decided to set network.cookie.cookieBehavior to 2 (Block All cookies) and make exceptions on per-site requirements (those for which I have an account and those which need session cookie to open such as userstyles.org)
It is imperative IMO that Mozilla respects the logic of a network.cookie.cookieBehavior = 1 = All third-party cookies by including Webextensions. At this time Webextensions are treated as if they were a no-man’s url with far too much independence from the browser. Not logic, not secure, not private, not in the ‘Mozilla attitude’ or for what remains of it.
@Tom Hawack: that looks like an interesting extension, though still a bit rough around the edges, judging by the users’ reviews.
Regarding cookie management, I was under the impression you used Cookie AutoDelete and Forget Me Not.
@Klaas Vaak, ‘Cookie AutoDelete’ and ‘Forget Me Not’ serve the same purpose. I switched from the former to the latter because of enhanced features.
As for ‘Drop Feeds’ users’ reviews on AMO as elsewhere, in the same way I consider critics in general, that is interesting to read more than reliable, I wouldn’t base an opinion on theirs : nothing is worth one’s own experience. I do consider with greater attention critics who argue their comments which is far from concerning a majority of comments as we all know (I even happen to read a bad critic on AMO as elsewhere with other products on the ground that the skin, the icon is “lousy” …).
Drop Feeds is quite nice, Feedbro as well, even if i had switched from the latter to the former for the reasons I mentioned in my previous comment. Of course now that I block all cookies by default I could revert to CookieBro but I sort of prefer ‘Drop Feeds’ at this time, less heavy as well but indeed still requiring some polishing.
@Tom Hawack: I agree in general with your comments about reviews. Nevertheless, in this case the dev has reacted positively to quite a few comments, indicating that he can see people have a point.
@Klaas Vaak, I pointed out “critics in general”, adding “I do consider with greater attention critics who argue their comments”. When that is the case then I get interested as well as the dev you mention. I take the precaution to make a distinction between a global assertion and the exceptions which keep me from blocking the whole pan. In the same way that I disapprove extensions, script aiming at blocking sites’ comments areas : “don’t throw the baby with the water bath” is that how you say it in English? I don’t believe that elites are humanly superior to the masses but the fact they exist, each in their domain(s) is factual and from there I take much more into consideration their arguments than the blabla we too often meet, in life as on the Web. especially when that blabla is free of the slightest argument. Ignorance is not a sin but what becomes deeply irritating is when ignorant have the nerve to condemn a speech, a work, in arts, technological without even knowing what they’re talking about : the “social” Web is magnificently relevant of this attitude which seems to imply that many, so many to many among us all mistake the freedom of speech with the respect of others, intelligence, humility. Am I a misanthrope? yes, and i assume it.
@Tom Hawack: well now, that is quite a philosophical little discourse, which I quite like :-))
Speaking of ignorance: I am reading an amazing book, 1984 by George Orwell, and 1 of the so-called Newspeak slogans is: Ignorance is Strength. I was 18 when I 1st read the book for my “baccalauréat” but did not understand the real meaning. I had not retained 1 word of it, but re-reading it now I am struck by the prescience of it. The current situation in the world is an almost perfect context. Highly recommended !!
@Klaas, Orwell’s ‘1984’ is indeed a reference and giving it several lectures as always with writings other than simplistic the way to better understanding, I do agree.
Ignorance is strength maybe because ignorance is a blessing. But our psyche is naturally inclined to learn and discover which in turn may lead to an “imperialistic intellectualism” in that one would believe that knowledge served by intelligence is the oyster of the world. Ignorance is strength indeed because it preserves humility and commitment to what is just and good beyond the infatuation of the intellect. As always humility is essential, when we ignore as when we know (or believe we know, especially then).
Charles Bukowski wrote “The problem with the world is that intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence”. Be noted : he wrote “intelligent”, not “savvy”; intelligence is a grace in a certain way in that it is given with life equally with blood. from there on, what do we do with it remains the problem.
@Tom Hawack: and to extrapolate from Bukowski’s premise, ignorant people are more likely to be happy than intelligent ones.
We have strayed off topic, which is not fair to Martin and the rest of the commenters here.
@Klaas, ‘nough said, indeed. I’ll keep for myself the question mark about ignorant people being happier than intelligent ones by asking myself what is intelligence and what is happiness.
Have a nice day :=)
@Tom Hawack: Thanks for flagging this issue for us.
I find Firefox a *very* frustrating beast to say the least – in terms of time lost managing the amount of configuration required to quieten it down in terms of “phoning home” and similar. That said, apart from the TBB, it is about the best browser in terms of free software licencing available in the Unix-like world – I do feel that I have no other viable alternative though. I would probably prefer to run mainstream GNU(Gnuzilla) Icecat, but they lag badly in their updates – although GuixSD’s compilation of Icecat may be further ahead – yet to look into that.
Again my personal opinion only of course; but I do find Mozilla’s perceived need to behave as a corporation and run “lolly shop” offerings as such as “Snippets” rather corn syrupy, disturbing, and somewhat detracting – do we really need such offerings out of the box, will Mozilla really lose ground if they discard such elements(?).
I will continue to be on the lookout for a browser engineered with the UNIX philosophy in mind and free software licenced (preferably GNU GPL-3 or GPL-3+). There are some nascent and stalled attempts out there in the “wild”. *If* I become uber wealthy then I might throw funds in that direction.
@Derek: I think part of the reason you “find Firefox a *very* frustrating beast to say the least – in terms of time lost managing the amount of configuration required to quieten it down in terms of “phoning home†and similar” is that, unlike its non-fork competitors it offers the most in terms of customisability.
So, since Firefox offers tweak abilities, you use them, and therefore spend time on them. Other browsers that don’t offer that capability don’t require your time and are therefore less frustrating, although their phoning isn’t any less AND cannot be suppressed.
BTW, Falkon (formerly QupZilla) is originally a Linux browser but there is also a Windows version with some interesting tweaking and a few add-ons. Falkon is free and open-source.
@Klaas Vaak: Thanks for the tip regarding Falkon.
In the main, once I’m settled with my configurations, Firefox has run well for me on the GNU+Linux platform. Yes, it has been quite tweakable and I’m hoping that 63+ continues and improves in that area.
The bulk of my proverbial typewriter throwing and swearing within the confines of my padded cell, has been directed at Mozilla’s Pro Hart/Jackson Pollock approach to documentation – it is generally scattered all over the place in a similar fashion to paint fired out of both barrels of a sawn-off shotgun at the canvas! Such a situation has certainly kept Pants and Co very busy in their labours over at https://github.com/ghacksuserjs/ghacks-user.js
Having just said that, I shall calm down now and add that some of the documentation from Mozilla has improved of late, the following references would be two such examples:
# https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/customizing-firefox-using-policiesjson
# https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/customizing-firefox-using-autoconfig
@Derek Clements: thanks for the tips Derek. I use Firefox privately, i.e. not in a group/corporate environment, so Autoconfig will be more applicable for me.
@Derek @Klaas Vaak Guess you two never heard of Vivaldi.
@Emanon: Cheers Emanon, yes I have read about Vivaldi. Apparently as at my last reading, it is not free software, but “freeware”. Freeware is not free software. See the following references as a guide:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware
@Emanon: sure I heard of it but it still has some way to go before it will be to my liking.