Firefox facts for kids
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| Developer(s) | Mozilla Foundation and its contributors Mozilla Corporation |
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| Initial release | November 9, 2004 | ||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||
| 50.1.0 (December 13, 2016) | |||||
| Preview release(s) [±] | |||||
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| Written in | C++, JavaScript, HTML, C, Rust, and others | ||||
| Operating system | Linux macOS 10.15 or later Windows 10 or later Android 5.0 or later iOS 15.0 or later |
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| Included with | Various Unix-like operating systems | ||||
| Available in | 97 languages | ||||
| Type | Web browser | ||||
| License | MPL 2.0 | ||||
Mozilla Firefox, often just called Firefox, is a popular and free web browser. It's made by the Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation. Think of it as a tool that helps you explore the internet!
Firefox uses a special engine called Gecko to show you websites. This engine helps make sure web pages look correct and work well. You can use Firefox on many devices, including computers with Windows 10 or newer, macOS, and Linux. There are also versions for phones and tablets like Android and iOS.
Firefox is like the next generation of an older browser called Netscape Navigator. It was first created in 2002 with the name "Phoenix." People wanted a simple browser, not a big software package. When it was still being tested, Firefox became popular because it was fast, safe, and let you add cool extra features. It officially launched on November 9, 2004. It quickly became a big competitor to Internet Explorer, which was the main browser at the time.
In 2017, Firefox got a big update called "Quantum." This update made it even faster and gave it a fresh new look. Today, Firefox is one of the most used web browsers around the world.
Contents
How Firefox Started
The idea for Firefox came from a project called Mozilla. Some developers, like Dave Hyatt, Joe Hewitt, and Blake Ross, felt that the main Mozilla browser was getting too complicated. They wanted to create a simpler, standalone browser.
Their first version, called Phoenix 0.1, came out on September 23, 2002. Later, in 2003, the Mozilla team decided to focus more on this new browser and Thunderbird, an email program.
Why Did Firefox Change Its Name?
The browser had a few different names before it became Firefox.
- It was first called Phoenix. This name was chosen because a phoenix is a mythical bird that rises from ashes. It was meant to show that the browser was rising from the "ashes" of Netscape Navigator.
- But another company already had a trademark for "Phoenix." So, in 2003, the name changed to Firebird.
- This also caused problems because there was already a database software project called Firebird. To avoid confusion, Mozilla added "Mozilla" to the name, making it "Mozilla Firebird."
- Finally, on February 9, 2004, it became Mozilla Firefox. The name "Firefox" is actually a nickname for the red panda, which became the mascot for the project!
Early Success and Features
Even before version 1.0, Firefox was getting a lot of good reviews from magazines like Forbes. People loved its features, especially:
- A built-in pop-up blocker to stop annoying ads.
- Tabbed browsing, which let you open many websites in one window.
- An easy way to add extensions for more functions.
While some other browsers had these features, Firefox was the first to make them popular for many users. It became a great choice for people who wanted an alternative to Internet Explorer, which was having problems with security and web standards.
Firefox's Journey Through Versions
Firefox 1.0 was released on November 9, 2004. After that, new versions came out regularly.
- Versions like 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 were released over several years.
- Starting from version 5, Firefox began releasing updates much faster, every few weeks! This helped it keep up with new web technologies.
Firefox also got major design makeovers over the years. These happened with versions like 4.0 (Strata), 29.0 (Australis), 57.0 (Photon), and 89.0 (Proton).
In 2016, Mozilla started a big project called Quantum. The goal was to make Firefox's engine much faster and more modern. This was important because other browsers, like Google Chrome, were becoming very popular. Firefox 57, released in November 2017, was the first version with Quantum improvements. It was a huge update!
More recently, Firefox has continued to evolve:
- In 2021, it stopped supporting Adobe Flash.
- In 2021, it got a new design called 'Proton'.
- In 2023, it added a feature to translate web pages right on your device.
- In 2024, it made it easier for Linux users to install updates.
What Can Firefox Do?
Firefox has many useful features for browsing the internet.
- Tabbed browsing lets you open multiple pages in one window.
- It has a spell checker for what you type.
- You can use private browsing if you don't want your history saved.
- There's a handy screenshot tool to capture parts of web pages.
- It includes web development tools for people who build websites.
- You can manage your bookmarks easily.
- Firefox also has a built-in search system, which uses Google by default in most places.
Firefox also offers special tools for web developers. For example, it used to have a feature called Firefox Hello for video calls, but that was removed.
Add-ons and Extensions
You can add many extra functions to Firefox using add-ons or extensions. These are like small apps that you can install in your browser.
- Most modern add-ons use a system called WebExtensions. This system is similar to what Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge use, making it easier for developers to create add-ons that work across different browsers.
- Older add-ons used a different system and no longer work with newer versions of Firefox.
Sometimes, Mozilla has installed extensions for users without asking first. For example, in 2017, an extension for the TV show Mr. Robot was added silently.
Themes
You can also change how Firefox looks by adding themes. These can change the colors and style of your browser window.
Guest Sessions
Firefox for Android used to have a "guest session" mode. This was a way for someone to use your browser without saving their browsing history or cookies. This feature was removed in 2019.
How Firefox Keeps You Safe
From the beginning, Firefox was designed to be a secure browser. When it first came out, the main browser, Internet Explorer, had many security problems. Firefox was seen as a safer choice because it was less connected to your computer's operating system.
Protecting Your Privacy
Firefox uses strong security to protect your information when you visit websites, especially with HTTPS connections.
- It can block third-party cookies, which are often used by websites to track you across the internet.
- It also blocks content from non-secure (HTTP) websites if they are embedded on secure (HTTPS) pages.
- Since 2016, all extensions you install must be signed by Mozilla. This helps make sure they are safe and don't contain harmful code.
- Firefox also offers DNS over HTTPS (DoH). This encrypts your requests to find websites, making it harder for others to see what sites you're trying to visit.
- In 2019, Firefox added a feature to block scripts that secretly use your computer's power to mine cryptocurrency. It also helps block "fingerprinting" scripts that try to track you online.
- In 2021, Firefox launched SmartBlock, also known as "total cookie protection." This feature isolates data from each website you visit. This means that one website can't easily track what you do on another website.
Languages and Updates
Firefox is available in many different languages. As of June 2024, you can use Firefox in 97 different languages! Mozilla has a special system called Pontoon to help with all these translations.
How Firefox Gets Updates
Mozilla uses a "rapid release model" for Firefox. This means new versions come out very quickly, every four weeks. This helps Firefox get new web features and performance improvements to users faster.
The updates go through different stages:
- Nightly versions are very early and unstable.
- Beta versions are more stable and used for testing before public release.
- Finally, the Release channel is what most people use.
There's also an Extended Support Release (ESR) channel for businesses. These versions get updates less often but are supported for a longer time.
Is Firefox Free?
Yes, Firefox is free and open-source software. This means that anyone can look at its code, change it, and share it. Most of Firefox's code is released under the Mozilla Public License (MPL) version 2.0. This license allows people to use and improve Firefox freely.
Because it's open-source, other browsers have been built using Firefox's code, like the privacy-focused Tor Browser.
The Firefox Logo
The name "Mozilla Firefox" and its logo are registered trademarks of Mozilla. This means they can only be used under certain rules.
The name "Firefox" comes from a nickname for the red panda. However, the animal in the logo is a stylized fox, not a red panda. The designers felt a fox looked better and was more recognizable.
Over the years, the Firefox logo has changed several times. In June 2019, Mozilla updated the logo again. This new logo is part of a bigger brand for all of Mozilla's products and services, not just the browser.
- Logo history
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Logo of "Phoenix" and "Firebird" before being renamed as Firefox
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Firefox 0.8–0.10, from February 9, 2004, to November 8, 2004
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Firefox 1.0–3.0, from November 9, 2004, to June 29, 2009
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Firefox 3.5–22, from
June 30, 2009, to
August 5, 2013 -
Firefox 23–56, from August 6, 2013, to November 13, 2017
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Firefox 57–69, from November 14, 2017, to October 21, 2019
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Firefox 70 or later, since October 22, 2019
- Other logos, used for nightly versions
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The 2011 Nightly logo, used to represent nightly builds of pre-alpha versions
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The 2013 Nightly logo
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The 2017 Nightly logo
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The 2019 Nightly logo
- Other logos, used for developer/aurora versions
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The 2011 Aurora logo, used to represent an alpha release
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The 2013 Aurora logo
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The 2015 Developer Edition logo
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The 2017 Developer Edition logo
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The 2019 Developer Edition logo
- Other logos
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Blue globe artwork, distributed with the source code, and is explicitly not protected as a trademark
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The logo for the Firefox brand of products and services, as of July 2019. It appears as if the fox was removed, but this is not the logo for the browser itself.
How Firefox Became Popular
Firefox quickly became popular, with 100 million downloads in its first year! Mozilla used clever marketing campaigns to spread the word.
One big effort was "Spread Firefox" (SFX), a website launched in 2004. It was a place for people to share ideas on how to promote Firefox. They even put a two-page ad in The New York Times with names of thousands of people who donated to support Firefox's launch.
In 2008, when Firefox reached 500 million downloads, the community celebrated by earning 500 million grains of rice for charity through the Freerice website.
A fun way people promoted Firefox was by creating a giant crop circle of the Firefox logo in an oat field in Oregon in 2006!
How Fast is Firefox?
Over the years, Firefox has been tested many times for its speed and how much memory it uses.
In the early 2000s, some users reported that Firefox used a lot of memory. However, developers worked to fix these issues. Later tests showed that Firefox often used similar or even less memory than other browsers.
When Firefox 3.5 came out in 2009, it was found to be much faster than Internet Explorer 7.
Firefox Quantum's Speed Boost
With the big "Quantum" update in November 2017, Firefox became even faster. Independent tests showed it was quicker than Chrome in some JavaScript tests. It also used less memory when many tabs were open. In 2019, TechRadar even called it the fastest web browser!
Who Uses Firefox?
Firefox downloads grew very quickly. By July 2009, it had been downloaded over one billion times!
In 2010, a huge company, IBM, even asked its 400,000 employees to use Firefox as their main browser.
Firefox was the second most used web browser until 2011, when Google Chrome became more popular. By 2012, Mozilla said Firefox had over 450 million users.
As of January 2024, Firefox is the fourth most used desktop browser worldwide. It has about 7.57% of the desktop browser market share.
| Desktop/laptop browser statistics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | 64.84% | |||
| Microsoft Edge | 12.96% | |||
| Safari | 8.83% | |||
| Mozilla Firefox | 7.57% | |||
| Opera | 3.23% | |||
| Other | 2.57% | |||
| Desktop web browser market share according to StatCounter for January 2024 | ||||
While Firefox is still very popular, its number of active users on desktop computers has gone down a bit since 2017. Some governments even have rules about only supporting browsers with more than 2% market share.
See also
In Spanish: Mozilla Firefox para niños
- Firefox User Extension Library
- History of the web browser
- List of free and open-source software packages
- Mozilla Prism
- XULRunner
