Firefox Releases Its Fastest Version Yet

Mozilla sees the internet as a public resource, and just like recycling helps the environment, using a browser developed by a non-profit helps the free internet. Firefox has remained based on an archaic architecture that offers noticeably limited performance next to its contemporaries.

The company uses its next-generation browser engine (Project Quantum) for improved performance. Notably, instead of C++, Firefox Quantum is written in Rust.

Mozilla's engineers totally rebuilt the core engine, giving it brand new "guts", and interacting with 7 million lines of code in the process. At the end of 2011, though, Google Chrome's dominance exploded, overtaking both browsers easily. It all adds up to a once-in-a-decade overhaul which Mozilla claims will be "fast for good".

The Photon UI has also been streamlined compared to previous versions of Firefox, and is created to provide smooth and fast performance when browsing your favorite websites. Everything's flatter, more minimal and more modern. This update has taken six months, but the results seem to be paying off. To take advantage of its syncing features that ensure you can access your Firefox browsing history and other preferences on its iOS and Android apps, as you do with your Google account, you'll need a Firefox Account.

In an attempt to win back users, though, Mozilla is launching a new streamlined browser which it boasts is "over twice as fast" as Firefox. The past few years haven't been a high point for Mozilla and its community. If you've never used Firefox before, you'll be glad you tried it today.

Firefox 57 for the desktop is available for download now on Firefox.com, and all existing users should be able to upgrade to it automatically.

Other features included with Firefox Quantum include a new Screenshots tool, which lets you capture images of your browsing sessions and share them directly from within Firefox.

Firefox Quantum enhances Firefox's integration with Pocket, the read-it-later app that Mozilla acquired a year ago. Although of your most data will synchronise into the new version, Mozilla has removed support for legacy extensions.

Mozilla doesn't break out the exact numbers for Firefox, though the company does say "half a billion people around the world" use the browser.