Firefox 109 is available for download. One of the most notable changes is the default enablement of Manifest V3 for extension developers. Developers can continue to use Manifest V2 (until June 2023). Mozilla chose Manifest V3 so developers don’t have to make each extension twice. However, in Firefox’s approach, Manifest V3 will be more free; For example, you can still find the blocking of web requests, which is missing in the approach of Manifest V3 on Chrome.
Also worth mentioning is the Unified Extensions button on the toolbar. This button optimizes the toolbar area when multiple extensions are installed, as well as interface extensions running in the background (which you may have forgotten) so you can see if they affect the current page, as well as manage, pin, report, or delete it.
Firefox 109 is the first release of the browser this year, but as you’d expect, the changes on offer are relatively minor overall, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
An expand button on the toolbar
One of the new features is the Extensions button, which allows you to quickly remove, report, and manage extensions and their permissions right from the toolbar. The extensions you have installed will be displayed in the extensions window. If an extension isn’t in the panel, it’s probably already pinned to the toolbar.
Click on the puzzle piece icon in the toolbar to open the extension window:
After installing an extension, if you want to browse a website that requires one or more permissions to function, the extension button shows a notification dot. If the extension is already pinned to the toolbar, the notification dot will appear under the extension’s icon.
If the extension needs to access the currently viewed page, a notification dot will also appear under the extension’s icon in the panel:
If the extension already has access (or doesn’t need it) and opens a panel as part of its functionality, that panel is pinned to the extension button:
To manage extension permissions, all you have to do is:
- Click the expand button on the toolbar.
- Find the extension decorated with a green dot in the panel that opens.
- Click the menu button (gear) to manage permissions.
- Select the permissions you want to give the extension.
All extensions in the panel have a gear-shaped menu button. If the extension is not requesting approval for a site, you can use the menu button to manage your extension. The following options are available:
- Ping toolbar: Pins the extension to the Firefox toolbar.
- Manage Extension: Opens the Add-ons Manager where you can change other settings of the extension. At the bottom of the panel, click Manage Extensions to access settings for all your extensions.
- Remove extension: Uninstall the extension from Firefox.
- Report extension: Reports the Mozilla extension.
In total
The Unified Extensions button encapsulates all the plugins that used to be scattered on the application toolbar in a single pane. So, basically, this graphic element makes the space on the screen more rational and cleaner.
This button was designed and implemented to allow better use and management of the different extensions that can be added to Firefox. This software solution is very similar to the one that has been used on other web browsers such as Chrome, Opera or Edge for some time. This choice of layout allows for much more immediate and faster management of all the plethora of plugins present in the browser. In fact, the classic settings menus hidden in the various internal configuration panels are completely bypassed.
This innovation was also possible thanks to the implementation of MV3 (Manifest Version 3), i.e. the list of rules and guidelines written to ensure that developers always ensure that all end users have access and permanent control over what behavior Add- Can adopt ons when surfing the internet.
Indeed, thanks to the unified extension button, internet users can constantly check the behavior of a particular add-on in an easier way.
This release introduces support for Manifest V3
In a few months, Chrome’s Manifest V2 will no longer be supported (until June 2023), forcing extension developers to adapt to Manifest V3. The team behind Chrome talks about strengthening security, performance and also user privacy.
The security reason given by Google to make a change
Among the planned changes, Google speaks of the removal of the Web Request API, which will be replaced with another interface called Declarative Net Request. It introduces a radical change: the impossibility for an extension to monitor all traffic. For security reasons, the new API forces extension developers to declare up front how a certain type of traffic will be handled.
Of course, this move from Web Request to Declarative Net Request brings a noticeable security improvement, since the extensions have limited rights to what circulates between the browser and the website. And this time in an inherent way. Other notable changes include the inability to always access remote code for security reasons, or the replacement of persistent background pages with worker services for significant performance gains.
Many extension behaviors associated with Manifest V2 are made optional by V3, with one major benefit: tighter control by the validation gates and more specifically by the user, who can disallow certain behaviors.
A decision that annoys some publishers and organizations like the EFF
However, according to editors, Manifest V3 prevents ad blockers from playing their part in the browser. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a champion of digital rights, has spoken out against its use: Chrome users beware: Manifest V3 is misleading and threatening. According to Google, Manifest V3 will improve privacy, security and performance. We totally disagree. These changes don’t stop malicious extensions, but they do slow innovation, reduce extensibility, and impact real-world performance.
For the EFF: Manifest V3, or Mv3 for short, is downright detrimental to privacy efforts. This limits the abilities of web extensions, especially those designed to monitor, modify, and at the same time calculate your browser’s conversation with the websites you visit. According to the new specs, like some privacy tracking blockers, extensions like these will have significantly limited functionality. Google’s efforts to restrict this access are worrying given that Google has trackers installed on 75% of the top 1 million websites.
Here’s what Giorgio Maone, author of NoScript, has to say about Manifest V3:
Sent by Giorgio Maone
Of all the browser extension API revolutions I’ve seen in 16 years of NoScript development, Manifest V3 is by far the worst culprit: a huge, unwarranted step backwards. Manifest V3 reduces extensibility and freedom for web users to customize their browsing experience.
While there are many reasons to doubt the claimed privacy improvements and theoretical performance gains, the disruption to existing extensions is painfully real: non-trivial extensions will need to be rewritten if they’re forced to drop core functionality.
But even worse, browser extension developers’ ability to innovate and respond quickly and creatively to new threats in the case of privacy and security enhancements is severely limited. The net loss is huge for the developers but most importantly for online security and internet users’ freedom of choice.
Firefox’s hybrid approach
Although Firefox is not based on Chromium, support for the manifest is an important element because it simplifies the work of extension developers: a module built on Chrome (or one of its Chromium-based derivatives such as Microsoft Edge) runs fine on Firefox transferable. much of the base both identical. But in the face of this version 3, Mozilla is doing things its own way.
Mozilla has warned that while Manifest V3 will be fully supported, the Web Request API will remain. The direction taken by the team is therefore hybrid, with the possibility of recovering the new generation of extensions while preserving Web Request and its related functionalities. Kind of a fine version of Manifest V3.
One of the most controversial changes to Chrome’s MV3 approach is the removal of WebRequest blocking, which provides a significant level of power and flexibility to enable advanced privacy and content blocking features. Unfortunately, this power has also been used to harm users in various ways. Chrome’s solution in MV3 was to define a narrower API (declarativeNetRequest) as a replacement. However, this will limit the capabilities of certain types of privacy extensions without proper replacement.
Mozilla will keep WebRequest blocking support in MV3. To maximize compatibility with other browsers, we also provide support for declarativeNetRequest. We will continue to work with content blockers and other key consumers of this API to identify current and future alternatives where appropriate. Content blocking is one of the most important use cases for extensions, and we’re committed to ensuring Firefox users have access to the best privacy tools available.
Other news
Arbitrary Code Guard, the exploit protection feature developed by Microsoft, has been enabled in the media playback utility processes, improving security for Windows users.
The native HTML date picker for date and time entries is now keyboard-only, improving accessibility for screen reader users. Users with disabilities can also now use common keyboard shortcuts to navigate the calendar grid and month selector buttons.
Spanish-Spain (es-ES) and Spanish-Argentina (es-AR) locale versions of Firefox now ship with a built-in dictionary for Firefox’s spell checker.
Download Firefox 109
Source: release note
And you?
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