#Firefox 138 PromisesNew Contrast Control Settings for Sites, New Features for #Android Users, and Other Changes https://9to5linux.com/firefox-138-is-out-for-public-beta-testing-with-new-contrast-control-settings

#FreeSoftware #OpenSource #Linux

It says on https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/about-picture-picture-firefox#w_keyboard-shortcuts that the hotkey to toggle PiP is CTRL Shift ]. When I play a video it shows the PiP button, but the hotkey doesn't work. The other PiP keys like seeking and volume work. I'm on Fedora 41 with KDE 6.3.3 & Wayland.

#Firefox 137 Open-Source Web Browser Is Now Available for Download with HEVC Playback Support on #Linux, Other Changes https://9to5linux.com/mozilla-firefox-137-is-now-available-with-hevc-playback-support-on-linux

#OpenSource #FreeSoftware

Right now when you go to settings and click on the cell for a search engine under the keyword column, it shows a text box for me to add keywords to use in the URL bar. You can't do so for bookmarks, tabs, or history which are locked to * % and ^ respectively.

Relevant: https://github.com/zen-browser/desktop/pull/927

Crossposted from https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/1jd5nlk/convert_chrome_extension_to_firefox_addon/

There are a number of FF versions and forks that this will work with, but I used FF Beta (I've also confirmed it to work with FF Nightly & Iceraven. Conversely, it did not work for Mull and iirc, it cannot be done using FF Standard Release/Stable)

• Step 1 - have the CRX file for the Chrome extension handy. There are countless Chrome extensions and FF add-ons that will extract it for you.

• Step 2 - install the CRX Installer add-on (or get the XPI file by whatever means) →Extensions→Click CRX Installer→click "Browse"→ select the CRX file*, which should result in the creation of an XPI file.

• Step 3 - go to Settings→About Firefox Beta (or Nightly, Iceraven, etc)→Tap the logo at the top of the "About" section until you see a toast message saying "Debug Menu enabled" (I think 5 taps)

• Step 4 - navigate to "about:config" → search "xpinstall.signatures.required" →tap "Toggle" so that it displays "False" (make sure there's no whitespace; copy exactly what's between the quotation marks or the search won't return the corresponding flag)

• Step 5 - go back to the main Settings screen, and now under the Advanced section, after "Extensions" you should see "Install extension from file"→give that a tap tap taparoo (Happy Gilmore reference to lighten the mood 🤡)→select the previously created XPI file

• Step 6 = PROFIT!

💰💰💰

* I may have actually selected the .zip file converted from the extension CRX, but "conversion" in this case simply entails renaming the CRX file (i.e., change ".crx" to ".zip"). I doubt it makes a difference.

Edit - IDK why the link preview displays an add-on called WhatFont. The only hyperlink is for CRX Installer and I confirmed it redirects to its corresponding add-on store page ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edit 2 - I forgot to mention that this process will work to convert most extensions into properly functioning FF add-ons, but there will be the occasional outlier that doesn't function as well (or possibly at all) as a FF add-on due to differences in API calls. There are 1-2 that aren't available to both browsers and if the Chrome extension depends on one, functionality may suffer. Also, because FF is more permissive than Chrome in this regard, performing the conversion the other way around (from add-on→extension) is more likely to fail or result in a dysfunctional extension. Fortunately, due to there being a billion extensions in the CWS, most FF add-ons are already available to install.

Edit 3 - for a more automated approach, check out this handy tool created for the same purpose by u/hypeserver

It moves the address bar up to the top though. There's presently no way to have it at the bottom.

Link is to the Bluesky account that tracks companies moving to Bluesky (in particular, but it is in this case so I felt it's a fitting link).

They in turn link to the Firefox Bluesky profile.

#Firefox browser not supported

#Snapchat for Web only supports the latest version of Chrome, Edge, and Safari on computers (not phones or tablets) at this time.

By Joe Brockmeier
March 4, 2025

Mozilla's actions have been rubbing many Firefox fans the wrong way as of late, and inspiring them to look for alternatives. There are many choices for users who are looking for a browser that isn't part of the Chrome monoculture but is full-featured and suitable for day-to-day use. For those who are willing to stay in the Firefox "family" there are a number of good options that have taken vastly different approaches. This includes GNU IceCat, Floorp, LibreWolf, and Zen.

If you're interested, you should read the whole article, but below are the summaries of the four tested browsers.

IceCat is probably a good choice for folks who are more concerned with the free software ethos and privacy than with functionality.

Overall, Floorp is an interesting project with some nice enhancements to the Firefox UI. However, the development roadmap seems a bit more haphazard than I would like—switching back and forth between Firefox rapid release and ESRs, for example. That may not dissuade other folks, though.

For the most part, users would be hard-pressed to spot many differences between LibreWolf and Firefox at first (or second) glance, so a screen shot of LibreWolf seemed a bit unnecessary. That approach is likely to appeal to many users who are uneasy with things like telemetry and Pocket, but don't want an entirely new browsing experience.

Currently, Zen isn't fully baked enough for me to consider switching to it. Others may be more adventurous in their browsing habits than I am, though. I can say that it has stabilized significantly since I first tried it shortly after its first public release. The project does bear keeping an eye on, and the Mozilla folks could do worse than to copy some of the ideas (and code) that the project is experimenting with.

#Mozilla Has Likely Been Sharing Aggregated #Firefox Data With Advertisers Since 2017, When it Enabled Telemetry by Default

https://www.quippd.com/writing/2025/03/12/mozilla-has-been-sharing-aggregated-firefox-data-with-advertisers-since-2017-when-it-enabled-telemetry-by-default.html

#privacy #FOSS

As promised, here is an interview with @ryanleesipes@mastodon.social from #Thunderbird, on the whole #Mozilla and #Firefox terms of use situation.

We talk about why this had to happen, how Thunderbird will handle their own Terms of Use, what's happening at Mozilla, and what's changing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctg5QzSt5tg

How the great have fallen.

Source: https://lemmy.world/post/26696617

#firefox #privacy #enshittification

Having switched to Zen Browser, something I miss with Firefox was its stability. I find myself looking up Zen browser bugs and workarounds too much. This is the 2nd or 3rd time I'm downgrading Zen versions due to a bug in the stable version, I never had to do so during my years on Firefox. Devs on Github making an app on their free time have can't spend as long on QA as a multi-mullion dollar organization.