Targeting a specific client versions instead the standards versions that it’s based upon is bad practice. So, what we have here is legacy stuff made even more brittle by a actual registered standard. And when I say “standardized”, I mean it literally: it’s format is defined on RFC 1945 (the standard that’s not a standard, but where treated as a standard after release). True, given that the standards are more important than the browser per see. But in any case, developers like me on linux will typically end up with the ESR version while our end users typically end up running the latest regular version before we do, which is arguably the opposite of how it should be. I’ve been there, ugh…I find walled gardens regressive for FOSS projects.
Sometimes you can end up between a rock and a hard place if you need the latest stable version plus 3rd party extensions because mozilla has decided not to allow it. The ESR version is often preferred by linux distros because it does not (yet) force a walled garden for extensions and related anti-features. This is also why Firefox offers an extended support version on the side. But I honestly don’t recall firefox breaking APIs 7+ times every year, more like once every couple of years when they change/retire interfaces. Going by this breaking version number logic, it would suggest the breakages have been accelerating, haha. Here’s what that means.Version numbers are bumped fast for exactly the reason of breaking changes.
If you regularly need to download another build, though, life gets more complicated.įirefox comes in four primary versions: the standard release, the beta version, the developer edition, and nightly builds. Point your browser at the site, click “Free Download” and you’ll automatically get the latest version that matches your PC.
Downloading the latest version of Firefox for your PC is simple. How do I download old versions of Firefox? Firefox 84is the latest version, which was released on December 15, 2020. This was gradually accelerated further in late 2019, so that new major releases occur on four-week cycles starting in 2020. Starting with version 5.0, a rapid release cycle was put into effect, resulting in a new major version release every six weeks. What is the most current version of Firefox? The browser also allows you to add tweaks to maximize your online privacy. Firefox has built-in tracker blocking features to block trackers and scripts such as social media trackers, cross-site tracking cookies, fingerprinting, and crypto miners.
Why is Firefox so good?įirefox does its best to ensure that you have the best user experience. The ESR version will also have a three cycle (at least 12 weeks) overlap between the time of a new release and the end-of-life of the previous release to permit testing and certification before you deploy the new version to your organization. These point releases contain security upgrades.
These ESR Firefox builds are intended for organizations like universities, governments, businesses, and others who need mass support deployment. Why is Firefox ESR on Linux?įirefox ESR (Extended Support Release) is an official version of Firefox that doesn’t come with the latest features, but instead focuses on security and stability fixes. This is because security patches for the ESR version have to be specially developed for these versions, since the ESR may not be functionally the same as the release version.
ESR versions of any software are generally slightly less secure than the release versions.