Firefox - web browser

[freakazoid]

I'm still on v91.12.0 here -- and have an older v8x.x elsewhere...

There are no more security updates for v91 ESR after this month, so beware. You could try using SeaMonkey or Waterfox if you value an older Firefox UI interface, but they are usually even slower to backport security fixes. For example, SeaMonkey just backported fixes from v91.11 ESR, which is older than v91.12.

Firefox was using an unbelievable 5GB+

I've found that current versions of Firefox are quite good with memory management. I've got 130 tabs open at the moment (I'm a tab hoarder) and it's using less than 750MB RAM right now. (I'm also using the Auto Tab Discard addon, which helps a bit). You might want to debug your Firefox profile and disable unneeded addons or start a fresh profile. A fresh profile usually does wonders.

Quick example (that ESR doesn't solve): current versions don't allow me to manually change print settings from inches to metric or print date alone (not date/time) in headers/footers...

For inches to metric, see https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/quest ... wer-870648.

For date, maybe try altering some printer about:config values. See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1117290. For date alone, this is the closest you can get: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1128476

[Midas]

Thank you for all these tips, I'll check them ASAP -- currently out of home.

[webfork]

Just by way of transparency, I've removed mention of the WinPenPack version of Firefox from the main entry.

Alternatively, X-Firefox is also available.

I don't wish to marginalize the WinPenPack team, but web browser security is huge right now and I'm not comfortable pointing to sites that host modern web browser software over 6 months old. I say "modern" because there are some text-based browsers like Links2 with a slow-release cycle that I'm not worried about.

[Midas]

Topic update: current main (desktop) Firefox is v121.0, released 2023-12-19 (all release notes at https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/releases/; see also https://mzl.la/3p9AkD7).

Firefox ESR (Enterprise?) is currently v115.6.0, released on the same date (notes at https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/organizations/notes/; see also https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/products/firefox-enterprise/whats-new-firefox-enterprise).

FYI, the PortableApps.com Firefox version present in TPFC's database is in synch with the official release.

BTW, some of the glitches I reported earlier are no more on account of development fixes. Memory footprint has improved greatly, but I still find it overblown. OTOH, some fixes implemented via 'user.js' have ceased working (hamburger menu on the left, anyone? [Edit & note-to-self: check viewtopic.php?p=103327#p103327 and following again...]).

Why trust Firefox?

Because we put people first. In fact, we’re backed by a non-profit. From day one, it’s been our mission to protect the internet and everyone on it.

@ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/privacy/

But here's something to keep any Firefox diehard user worried:

The Mozilla Foundation has released their latest annual report -- covering the time up through December of 2022 (Mozilla's reporting always lags by one year) -- and something peculiar leaps out of the data:

• The compensation of the Mozilla CEO has skyrocketed (by millions)

• While the Mozilla revenue drops

@ https://lunduke.locals.com/post/5053290/
mozilla-2023-annual-report-ceo-pay-skyrockets-while-firefox-marketshare-nosedives

[vevy]

@JohnTHaller

There was a problem with Firefox PAF. When you double-clicked an HTML file or launched a URL from the system, it gave this message:

Firefox is already running, but is not responding. The old Firefox process must be closed to open a new window.

This problem has been fixed for many months now, but it regressed in the past couple of weeks (I am not sure which version exactly).

It is worth noting that I have multiple copies of Firefox PAF and occasionally, more than one will be running at the same time. But this problem persists even when only one copy is running.

[JohnTHaller]

The ability to do a secondary launch passing in a file or URL when using AllowMultipleInstances was removed some time ago from the Firefox Portable launcher. Firefox has been changing the way profiles work for a while and it was a choice between breaking multiple instances for many users or disabling the feature. It will likely be back at some point.

[vevy]

Thanks for the clarification.

A small bug report (when it used to be working):

- Launch two instances, each from a separate path.
- set Instance 1 as the default HTML handler.
- Open an HTML file.

Actual: At least occasionally (I couldn't figure out the pattern), the file will be opened in Instance 2.

[freakazoid]

@JohnTHaller - I've noticed an issue with trying out the Firefox Translations feature. Under the Settings - Preferences - General page, it's not possible to download any translations. Tested on latest stock Firefox Portable. In the browser console, I get this message:

Error: Finished downloads in 0.070 seconds, but 6 download(s) failed.
downloadManager resource://gre/actors/TranslationsParent.sys.mjs:3367
main.js17
showError chrome://browser/content/preferences/main.js:1378
getDownloadButtonHandler chrome://browser/content/preferences/main.js:1190

Let me know if you are able to reproduce the bug.

[rbon]

@freakazoid
Try
"TWP - Translate Web Pages di Filipe Dev" https://addons.mozilla.org/it/firefox/a ... ent=search
it's very powerful, but you have to customize it.

[freakazoid]

@freakazoid
Try
"TWP - Translate Web Pages di Filipe Dev" https://addons.mozilla.org/it/firefox/a ... ent=search
it's very powerful, but you have to customize it.

Thanks rbon, but I would prefer to use Firefox's built-in translations as they are local and do not require an internet connection after the initial language download.

[rbon]

@JohnTHaller - I've noticed an issue with trying out the Firefox Translations feature. Under the Settings - Preferences - General page, it's not possible to download any translations. Tested on latest stock Firefox Portable. In the browser console, I get this message:

Error: Finished downloads in 0.070 seconds, but 6 download(s) failed.
downloadManager resource://gre/actors/TranslationsParent.sys.mjs:3367
main.js17
showError chrome://browser/content/preferences/main.js:1378
getDownloadButtonHandler chrome://browser/content/preferences/main.js:1190

Let me know if you are able to reproduce the bug.

I saw this post on ASKVG.com https://www.askvg.com/tip-enable-automa ... a-firefox/

A. Enable Translation feature in Mozilla Firefox
By default the translation feature is disabled in Firefox as the feature is under development and testing phase. Mozilla team has provided a hidden secret preference/flag to manually activate and enable the native translations feature in Firefox.
1. In Firefox (even Portable) type about:config and confirm
2. type translations in search filter and confirm
3. the item 'browser.translations.enable' is disabled by default: change preference from false to true
4. restasrt Firefox (Desktop or Portable)

B. Download Offline Translation packs in Mozilla Firefox
When you enable the translations feature in Firefox, it also adds a new section to Firefox Options.
1. Go to settings -> General -> Translations
2. Translations: Download languages ​​for offline translation.
3. select Your favorite language and press 'download'
this language is almost always English [Mozilla Firefox uses, luckily, only one pack for All english versions (USA, GB, CA and australian)].
Remember:
-> The language packs to download is the Origin language: i.e. the language of the site to be translated. Effectively Firefox for Desktop uses the same logic as in Firefox Nightly for Android.
-> The offline translation symbol (X/A) appears only when opening sites in other languages.

If You have Firefox Portable Legacy (for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1) now the version is 115.15.0 https://sourceforge.net/projects/portab ... 0115.15.0/ no problem:
1. Go to Extensions -> search Firefox Translations add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/it/firefox/a ... ent=search and install it
2. Enable Translation feature in Mozilla Firefox -> see above
3. Download Offline Translation packs in Mozilla Firefox -> see above

For other detail see the link to ASKVG.com post (see above).

[freakazoid]

@JohnTHaller - I've noticed an issue with trying out the Firefox Translations feature. Under the Settings - Preferences - General page, it's not possible to download any translations. Tested on latest stock Firefox Portable. In the browser console, I get this message:

Error: Finished downloads in 0.070 seconds, but 6 download(s) failed.
downloadManager resource://gre/actors/TranslationsParent.sys.mjs:3367
main.js17
showError chrome://browser/content/preferences/main.js:1378
getDownloadButtonHandler chrome://browser/content/preferences/main.js:1190

Let me know if you are able to reproduce the bug.

I saw this post on ASKVG.com https://www.askvg.com/tip-enable-automa ... a-firefox/

A. Enable Translation feature in Mozilla Firefox
By default the translation feature is disabled in Firefox as the feature is under development and testing phase. Mozilla team has provided a hidden secret preference/flag to manually activate and enable the native translations feature in Firefox.
1. In Firefox (even Portable) type about:config and confirm
2. type translations in search filter and confirm
3. the item 'browser.translations.enable' is disabled by default: change preference from false to true
4. restasrt Firefox (Desktop or Portable)

B. Download Offline Translation packs in Mozilla Firefox
When you enable the translations feature in Firefox, it also adds a new section to Firefox Options.
1. Go to settings -> General -> Translations
2. Translations: Download languages ​​for offline translation.
3. select Your favorite language and press 'download'
this language is almost always English [Mozilla Firefox uses, luckily, only one pack for All english versions (USA, GB, CA and australian)].
Remember:
-> The language packs to download is the Origin language: i.e. the language of the site to be translated. Effectively Firefox for Desktop uses the same logic as in Firefox Nightly for Android.
-> The offline translation symbol (X/A) appears only when opening sites in other languages.

Thanks rbon. I already know about this, but the B section is where I'm running into problems. The languages are not downloading. See my post above. Have you tried doing this with Firefox Portable?

[rbon]

The languages are not downloading. See my post above. Have you tried doing this with Firefox Portable?

Yes, I have already downloaded English lang with my Firefox Portable 115.15.0 (Legacy) and its works very well.

About Your problem with languages that are not downloading I have googled for "defender blocks firefox translations download", where "defender" is Microsoft Defender.

I have found this post on https://answers.microsoft.com with title "Way is defender blocking downloads" https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/ins ... 2f19425109.
In this post please see options:
- at nr. 2: Some of Defender's security settings may restrict downloads.
- at nr. 4: Some file types, such as executables, may be blocked by Defender by default.

Your can manage Your copy of Microsoft Defender with 2 (two) tools (there are many others too):
1. Defender Control v2.1 at Sordum.org https://www.sordum.org/9480/defender-control-v2-1/
--> this tool help You to disable Microsoft Defender (a.k.a. Windows Defender): after succesful downlods You can Enable again Microsoft Defender
2. DefenderUI - a GUI for Microsoft Defender https://www.defenderui.com/
--> You can temporary disable 'Real-time protection' and or manage 'PUA protection' (PUA means: Potentially Unwanted Applications)
--> (see post #2 by Midas about it portability)

I have also look in my system for the language file 'English', but I haven't found anything.

In conclusion, I don't think there's a problem with the way John T. Haller's PAF was created, but with the way your copy of Windows (10, I assume) behaves regarding downloaded files.

[freakazoid]

Yes, I have already downloaded English lang with my Firefox Portable 115.15.0 (Legacy) and its works very well.

About Your problem with languages that are not downloading I have googled for "defender blocks firefox translations download", where "defender" is Microsoft Defender.

Ahh, my fault

In my host file, I had a specific entry blocking Mozilla services and that also blocked the translations downloads! I must have added that entry a long time ago and forgot all about it

[rbon]

Firefox Release Calendar for all Desktop branch at September 3, 2024
The site 'What Train is it now' shows the Firefox Release Calendar for all Firefox Desktop branch - Release/Beta/Nightly/ESR.
-> Firefox Trains - for all branch https://whattrainisitnow.com/
1. Firefox Release Calendar https://whattrainisitnow.com/calendar/
2. Firefox Beta Calendar https://whattrainisitnow.com/release/?version=beta
3. Firefox Nightly Calendar https://whattrainisitnow.com/release/?version=nightly
4. Firefox ESR 115 & 128 https://whattrainisitnow.com/release/?version=esr

Next merge day: September 30, 2024 (--> updated version of Firefox Trains)

About ESR Calendar there is the notice that the support for:
- Windows 7, 8.1
- MacOS 10.12 - 10.14
will be extended to March 2025

Here is the notice:

We decided to extend support for ESR 115 only on Windows 7-8.1 and macOS 10.12-10.14 up to March 2025.
We will re-evaluate this decision in early 2025 and announce any updates on ESR 115's end-of-life then.