Mozilla injects Rust into Thunderbird to boost performance

Mozilla has announced the release of Thunderbird 128, codenamed Nebula, which introduces significant improvements to the popular email client's codebase, stability, and overall user experience. The most notable change is the integration of Rust, a modern programming language originally created by Mozilla Research, into Thunderbird's core.

This integration marks a major leap forward for the open-source email client, as it promises to enhance code quality and performance. The...

15 July 2024 | Languages

Mozilla ramps up Manifest V3 support in Firefox

Mozilla continues to increase Manifest V3 (MV3) support for add-on developers, with recent Firefox releases introducing key improvements aimed at enhancing Chrome compatibility and user experience.

Building upon previous work in Firefox 126, the release of Firefox 127 this week brought several notable enhancements.

One significant update involves keyboard shortcuts for extensions.

"Customised keyboard shortcuts associated with the executebrowser_action command...

14 June 2024 | API

Mozilla is launching Android support for Firefox extensions

Mozilla has announced its plans to introduce an open ecosystem of extensions for Firefox on Android, offering a range of possibilities for developers to optimise their desktop extensions for mobile usage.

The exact launch date is set to be revealed in early September, with expectations of the rollout occurring before the close of this year. Firefox will then become the sole major Android browser to support an open extension ecosystem.

While Firefox for Android has been...

14 August 2023 | Android

Mozilla and Google are developing non-WebKit iOS browsers

Apple is reportedly preparing to open the App Store to non-WebKit iOS browsers and Mozilla and Google are wasting no time in preparing their alternatives.

App Store rules currently forbid any third-party browser from using an engine other than Apple’s own WebKit. Regulators are gearing up to force Apple to change the rule because it’s seen as anti-competitive.

When they arrive later this year, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 are expected to be small releases when it comes to...

7 February 2023 | iOS

‘Most loved’ programming language Rust now has its own foundation

Rust, the world’s “most loved” programming language, now has its own independent foundation.

The language was originally designed by Graydon Hoare at Mozilla Research and has ranked “most loved” in Stack Overflow’s annual developer survey for the past five years.

In a blog post, the Rust Foundation wrote:

“Mozilla, the original home of the Rust project, has transferred all trademark and infrastructure assets, including the crates.io package...

11 February 2021 | Languages

Mozilla appoints long-term chairwoman Mitchell Baker as CEO

Mozilla has appointed long-term chairwoman Mitchell Baker as CEO, replacing Chris Beard who announced his departure last August.

Baker is stepping into her new role under difficult circumstances. COVID-19 is causing economic chaos around the world, and Mozilla's flagship product – its Firefox browser – is losing marketshare due to fierce competition.

And yet, there are also significant opportunities in these uncertain times. More than ever, people are concerned about...

9 April 2020 | Developer