New Update Mozilla Firefox 98.0: here is what is new

silversurfer

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Executive Summary​

  • Firefox 98.0 and Firefox 91.7 ESR fix security issues.
  • The new download behavior is enabled in the release. Note: "always ask" download actions will be reset.
  • Some Firefox users may have their selected default search engine removed from the browser.
New Download flow

firefox download behavior


The main new feature in Firefox 98 is the new download flow of the browser. The core difference between the old downloading behavior and the new is that Firefox won't prompt users anymore when downloads are started. Firefox will start the download immediately, similarly to how Chromium-based browsers handle it. You can check out our guide on restoring download prompts in Firefox.

Here are the main changes:
  • The downloads panel is displayed automatically in Firefox 98 by default.
  • Downloads may be opened while they still download. They are started immediately after the download completes then.
  • File downloads are no longer put into the system's temp folder.
  • The downloads menu displays the following options: always open similar files, show in folder, go to download page, copy download link, delete, remove from history and clear preview panel.
Some Firefox users may prefer to display download prompts, and Firefox offers two options for that. The first enables prompts for specific file types.
  1. Load about:preferences in the Firefox address bar.
  2. Scroll down to the Application's group.
  3. Use the filter at the top to find a file type.
  4. Double-click on its action field to switch the action to "always ask".
Firefox will display a prompt whenever a file of the selected filetype will be downloaded.

The second option is found on the same page. Locate the Downloads section on the page, and switch the Downloads option from "save files to" to "always ask you where to save files".
 

Kongo

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It's a page that you will see once after updating... Considering that many other browsers are having a bigger market share than Firefox, I really can't be mad at them for trying to find new ways to get their money. Don't really see what's the big deal anyway. 😅
 

blackice

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It's a page that you will see once after updating... Considering that many other browsers are having a bigger market share than Firefox, I really can't be mad at them for trying to find new ways to get their money. Don't really see what's the big deal anyway. 😅
I wholeheartedly agree with this. Plus our family loves Pixar movies. But the nitpickiness with which browsers are examined by tech enthusiasts (especially privacy nuts) is fairly extreme. I am glad Mozilla is getting funding somehow. They seem to be on the tipping point of dying a very slow death, which makes me sad.
 

blackice

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No arguments there. I do donate to Mozilla Foundation now and then--apologies if my comment rubbed anyone the wrong way. It def. wasn't intended to be anything more than a simple observation.
That wasn’t targeted specifically at you @plat1098 . You seem to me a very reasonable person. Just happened upon this thread after reading a lot of browser discussions.
 

SeriousHoax

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Firefox 98.0.1 looks like ready to be released even via internal-updater. Release notes still missing yet, but probably will be added later:
A political update :unsure:
Version 98.0.1, first offered to Release channel users on March 14, 2022

Changed​


  • Yandex and Mail.ru have been removed as optional search providers in the drop-down search menu in Firefox.
    If you previously installed a customized version of Firefox with Yandex or Mail.ru, offered through partner distribution channels, this release removes those customizations, including add-ons and default bookmarks. Where applicable, your browser will revert back to default settings, as offered by Mozilla. All other releases of Firefox remain unaffected by the change.
 

silversurfer

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Closing Words

Details are still unclear. What sort of agreement did Mozilla want search providers to sign for inclusion in Firefox?
Firefox users who are affected by this may add the search engines back to the browser.
 

silversurfer

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Firefox 98.0.2 probably will be released later today ;)
Firefox 98.0.2 fixes four issues in the web browser. The first issue, filed under bug 1757618 on Mozilla's bug tracking website Bugzilla, fixes a browser crash on Windows machines. The investigation discovered that 32-bit builds of Firefox were affected predominantly, and that Firefox would crash because of an out-of-memory event.

Mozilla fixed the issue by reducing the allocation size on all installations except on Mac OS with aarch64 CPUs.

The second issue is specific to certain add-ons that users have installed in Firefox. It is related to using add-ons to sign-in to eGovernment sites that use pkcs11 modules. According to the reporter on Bugzilla, add-ons affected by the issue would not provide the functionality they were designed to provide. The update to Firefox 98.0.2 resolves the issue.

The third fixed issue affects Firefox on Mac OS systems that prevent users from typing in the browser's address bar under certain circumstances.

The bug reporter listed the following steps to reproduce the issue:
  1. Open a new tab in the browser and select the address bar.
  2. Use Cmd-Enter.
  3. The attempt to type anything in the address bar fails.
The shortcut Cmd-Enter, the Windows equivalent is Ctrl-Enter, appends .com to the address automatically.

Bug 1758664 lists the fourth and final issue on Bugzilla. The starting page of an internal time tracking website, powered by Bosch ATOSS, returned a blank page in Firefox 98.0. The page worked fine in previous versions. Mozilla analyzed the issue and changed the behavior regarding the loading of iframes from session history.


 
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