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  1. TarasBuria
    Statcounter: Edge falls below 10%, Safari continues climbing by Taras Buria The first day of a new month means it is time for Statcounter's latest findings. The May 2023 report is now available with details about the most popular browsers and their market share changes. Click here to learn how Statcounter gathers its data. To no one's surprise, Google Chrome is still the number one go-to browser on most platforms. Its desktop variant holds a 66.02% share with minor fluctuations from month to month. In May 2023, Chrome lost 0.2 points. Apple's Safari, the only non-cross-platform desktop browser, is cementing its new place after taking over Microsoft Edge in April 2023. Safari's customer base increased from 11.89% to 12.79%, further gapping Microsoft Edge. The latter once again dipped below the 10% mark and reached a 9.91% share (-0.98 points). According to Statcounter, Edge is not the only browser having problems with increasing its market share. Firefox continues bleeding customers, and in May 2023, its share decreased from 5.59% to 5.28%. For reference, in July 2022, its market share was at 8%. Opera is the fifth most popular desktop browser, with a market share of 4.02% (+0.9 points). Finally, the honorable mention goes to Internet Explorer and its 0.45% share. Google Chrome - 66.02% (-0.2 points) Apple Safari - 12.79% (+0.9 points) Microsoft Edge - 9.91% (-0.98 points) Mozilla Firefox - 5.59% (-0.31 points) Opera - 4.02% (+0.9 points) And here is the mobile side of the market, where Google, Apple, and Samsung hold over 93% of users. Interestingly, Google Chrome lost a notable chunk of customers during the last three months. Safari, on the other hand, is experiencing a continuous spike. Google Chrome - 61.09% (-0.67 points) Apple Safari - 27.81% (+0.81 points) Samsung Internet - 4.97% (+0.14 points) Opera - 1.8% (-0.09 points) UC Browser - 1.54% (-0.17 points) You can find more information on the official Statcounter website.
  2. TarasBuria
    Mozilla finally reveals the end of support date for Firefox on Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 by Taras Buria Windows 7 and 8/8.1, two highly polarizing operating systems from Microsoft, are no longer with us. They went six feet under in January 2023, when the software giant ended the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, causing third-party developers to follow suit and stop supporting their software. Still, even though Edge and Chrome were the first to abandon ship, Mozilla Foundation decided to keep supporting Firefox users on Windows 7 and 8/8.1. However, this cannot last forever, so after months of careful consideration, Mozilla is finally ready to reveal the end of support date. According to a document published on the official Mozilla Support website, customers unwilling to upgrade to Windows 10 or 11 can use Firefox 115 Extended Support Release (ESR) until September 2024. Mozilla pledges to continue shipping security updates for 15 more months, giving plenty of time to plan the upgrade process. Here is how the company explains its decision: Microsoft ended official support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 in January of 2023. Unsupported operating systems receive no security updates and have known exploits. With no official support from Microsoft, maintaining Firefox for obsolete operating systems becomes costly for Mozilla and dangerous for users. Although Windows 7 and 8/8.1 have relatively minor market shares (approximately 5% combined), Mozilla says quite a lot of people continue using Firefox to access the internet from PCs with the now-dead operating systems. Keeping testing machines alive for a few extra months "is not the end of the world" for Mozilla, but the non-profit company cannot run them indefinitely. Of course, another end of support will probably mean nothing to die-hard Windows 7 fans. After all, some people still use Windows XP like nobody's business. Still, it is worth reminding that using a connected PC that no longer receives security updates is not a great idea, and you risk getting malware that utilizes unpatched security holes and various vulnerabilities.
  3. TarasBuria
    Vivaldi is now available for download from the Microsoft Store by Taras Buria Vivaldi, a Chromium-based browser and spiritual successor to the original Opera, is now available for download from the Microsoft Store. Vivaldi Technologies has announced the release on its official Twitter account, giving customers another method to download Vivaldi on Windows 10 and 11. What's this? 🤩 We've seen the requests, and now the Vivaldi Browser is available on the #MicrosoftStore. We're happy to see the increased #Availability for our users.#Microsoft #Windows #Browserhttps://t.co/SNxVGC3VRY — Vivaldi (@vivaldibrowser) May 15, 2023 For those unfamiliar, Vivaldi is a privacy-focused, feature-packed browser powered by Chromium. It offers many unique features and options to boost your browsing experience, such as tab tiling, tab stacks, workspaces, sidebars, built-in privacy tools, cross-platform sync, powerful customization, Mail and Calendar, RSS Reader, and more. You can also speed up the interaction with the browser using mouse gestures, macros, and shortcuts. Vivaldi frequently gets feature updates and improvements that introduce new capabilities and enhance existing ones. For example, version 6.0, the latest Vivaldi release, has brought Workspaces and a new customization tool for personalizing the UI with custom icons and themes. Vivaldi works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. The browser is available on the official website, but now Windows users can get it from the Microsoft Store.
  4. TarasBuria
    Statcounter: Microsoft Edge is no longer world's second desktop browser by Taras Buria According to Statcounter's April 2023 report, Microsoft Edge is no longer world's second most popular desktop browser. Apple Safari, the only non-cross-platform browser, has taken over Microsoft's Chromium-powered Edge. Disclaimer: Reports from Statcounter and other companies are never 100% accurate, and the idea is to provide average values and pinpoint general trends. You can learn how Statcounter gathers its data in the official FAQ. Statcounter says Safari is now in second place with a market share of 11.87%, a 0.95 points uplift compared with the previous month. Edge is now third, struggling to surpass an 11% mark for almost a year. In April 2023, Microsoft Edge lost 0.15 points. As for Chrome, it holds 66.13%, with a 0.36 points month-over-month increase. Here are the most popular desktop browsers per Statcounter's latest findings: Google Chrome - 66.13% (+0.36 points) Apple Safari - 11.87% (+0.95 points) Microsoft Edge - 11% (-0.15 points) Firefox - 5.65% (-0.82 points) Opera - 3.09% (-0.08 points) Most things have stayed the same on the mobile side of the market. Chrome and Safari continue holding almost 90% of all users, leaving a little less than 5% to Samsung, 2% to Opera, and the rest to less-known browsers. Google Chrome - 61.96% (-2.66 points) Apple Safari - (+1.73 points) Samsung Internet - 4.8% (+0.31 points) Opera - 1.88% (+0.08 points) UC Browser - 1.71% (+0.18 points) You can learn more about the April 2023 browser report from Statcounter on the official website.
  5. TarasBuria
    Sidekick promises a modern, 'distraction-free' cross-platform browser by Taras Buria Every respectable developer makes accessibility an integral part of their projects to ensure a great experience for everyone, regardless of their physical abilities. Microsoft, for example, includes new accessibility features with every Windows feature update. Still, some cases require a more direct approach. Developers behind the new Sidekick browser have made their goal to provide customers with a distraction-free experience for those struggling to stay focused when working. Sidekick is a relatively new Chromium-based project that will benefit not only those with ADHD (the project was founded by a person diagnosed with ADHD). Thanks to removed trackers, memory optimizations, and tab suspension, developers promise better speed, reducing the temptation to distract while a webpage is loading. If the temptation is still too high to overcome, Sidekick can help you stay focused with the distraction blocker feature. You can set rules to redirect social media websites to your work or creativity-related pages. For example, an attempt to open Instagram will result in Gmail appearing on your screen. There is also a Task Manager with the ability to pin tasks as sticky notes on the desktop and a built-in Pomodoro timer to balance work and rest cycles. The browser also wants to win users' hearts by offering advanced productivity features. It provides integrations with popular services like Slack, Gmail, Telegram, Skype, Notion, and more. Besides, users can connect multiple accounts to stay on top of things. A split-screen mode allows you to work with two tabs in one window, plus a session manager for tab grouping. Finally, a dedicated focus mode can silence all notifications to reduce distractions even more. If you frequently attend meetings, calendar integration will ensure you get a notification two minutes before the meeting with a one-click option for joining. The Sidekick browser is available for free on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Those wanting more can opt for Sidekick Pro, a subscription service that offers more features for $8/mo. It includes password sharing, unlimited sidebar apps, split view, multiple workspaces, and more. It is not easy for a browser to set itself apart in the market dominated by Chrome and Edge. Still, Sidekick's productivity and focus-oriented features may tempt users to try the project.
  6. TarasBuria
    Vivaldi 5.7 is out with improved Window Panel, better shortcuts, and Mail enhancements by Taras Buria Vivaldi has released a new update for its privacy-focused and feature-packed browser. Version 5.7 is now available for download on Windows, Linux, and macOS, bringing customers improvements for the Window Panel, better keyboard shortcuts, and Mail enhancements. What is new in Vivaldi 5.7? The Window Panel = Windows Panel. Vivaldi's Window Panel is a unique feature that makes life easier for those working with multiple browser windows, tabs, and stacks. Previously, the Window Panel provided a tree view of the open tabs only in the current window, but now you can see and manage all your Vivaldi windows with tabs and stacks inside them. The updated Windows Panel now has a search box, so tab hoarders can find the page they need in their never-ending sea of tabs. Auto-mark mail as read. Vivaldi's built-in Mail client is slightly different from mainstream email services, and it has two separate states for emails (seen and read) to provide customers with more powerful mail management. However, some customers are used to their mail providers automatically flagging an email as read, so Vivaldi now supports this feature. Previously, flagging mail as read was a manual action. Improved keyboard shortcuts. Vivaldi Mail now lets you assign custom keyboard shortcuts for flagging mail as spam or not spam. In addition to three major feature changes, Vivaldi 5.7 has a massive list of bugfixes and minor changes. You can find them in the official release notes. The Vivaldi browser is available on the official website. You can download it on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.
  7. TarasBuria
    Firefox 110 is out with improved data import, GPU sandboxing, and more by Taras Buria Mozilla Foundation has released a new feature update for the Firefox browser. Version 110 is now available for download in the Release channel, bringing customers support for the data import from more browsers, GPU sandboxing on Windows, and various performance and security improvements. Here is what is new. What is new in Firefox 110? New Features: It's now possible to import bookmarks, history and passwords not only from Edge, Chrome or Safari but also from Opera, Opera GX, and Vivaldi for all the folks who want to move over to Firefox instead! GPU sandboxing has been enabled on Windows. Note: A bug in the popular X-Mouse Button Control (XMBC) tool may cause mouse wheel scrolling to stop working. The author(s) are working on an update. Meanwhile, scrolling can be restored by reconfiguring XMBC: either disable the Make scroll wheel scroll window under cursor option in the global settings, or enable the Disable scroll window under cursor option if using a custom profile for Firefox. On Windows, third-party modules can now be blocked from injecting themselves into Firefox, which can be helpful if they are causing crashes or other undesirable behavior. Date, time, and datetime-local input fields can now be cleared with Cmd + Backspace and Cmd + Delete shortcut on macOS and Ctrl + Backspace and Ctrl + Delete on Windows and Linux. GPU-accelerated Canvas2D is enabled by default on macOS and Linux. WebGL performance improvement on Windows, MacOS and Linux. Enables overlay of hardware-decoded video with non-Intel GPUs on Windows 10/11, improving video playback performance and video scaling quality. Fixes: Various security fixes. Other changes: Colorways are no longer available in Firefox, at least not in the same way. You can still access your saved and active Colorways by selecting Add-ons and themes from the Firefox menu. Additionally, you can now install Colorways from all of the previous collections by visiting Colorways by Firefox on the Mozilla Add-ons website. Developers: Developer information for Firefox. Web Platform: Firefox now supports CSS named pages, allowing web pages to perform per-page layout and add page-breaks in a declarative manner when printing. Firefox now supports CSS size container queries, see the MDN page for documentation on this feature. Firefox will update itself automatically the next time you restart the browser. You can also force-update it to the latest release by heading to Menu > Help > About Firefox or downloading the installer from the official website. Full release notes for Firefox 110 are available here.
  8. Usama Jawad96
    Microsoft is permanently killing off Internet Explorer today by Usama Jawad It feels like we have been reading announcements related to the death of Internet Explorer for ages, but that is primarily due to Microsoft carrying out the process in phases. In the next step of this staggered approach, the Redmond tech giant will be pushing an Edge update to permanently disable Internet Explorer (IE) in certain versions of Windows 10. Microsoft had already announced that it would be releasing this IE-killing update back in December 2022. Although the company had previously stated that this software bomb would be delivered through a Windows Update, it later communicated that it would happen through an Edge update. This Microsoft Edge update will be rolled out to all devices - both consumer and commercial - at the same time and there will be no possibility to roll back this change. After this, IE customers will see a banner with the headline "The future of Internet Explorer is in Microsoft Edge" and they will be redirected to Edge any time they try to launch an IE-based use-case. Their browsing data will be seamlessly migrated too. Organizations which have already migrated to the Chromium-based Edge with IE mode to handle legacy use-cases will not be impacted by this configuration. However, firms which have not done so yet despite multiple warnings will risk disruption to their business operations as certain applications which rely on IE may stop working altogether. It is important to note that while the redirection will be in effect from today, visual references to IE such as icons on the Taskbar will continue to exist for the next few months. They will be removed by June 13, 2023 through a Windows Security "B" release update. You will also be able to get rid of them earlier by installing the optional, preview "C" release on May 23, 2023.
  9. Usama Jawad96
    Opera is looking to integrate ChatGPT into its products by Usama Jawad ChatGPT has been all the rage since its launch a few months ago. Although the chatbot is available as a standalone product already, numerous companies are looking to either launch competitors or utilize the underlying tech in their own products. Now, it seems like Opera is ready to throw its hat into the ring too. According to a CNBC report, Opera's parent company Kunlun Tech has revealed that it plans to integrate ChatGPT into its own products. The firm has not clarified what the products in question are and if they include its Opera browser. Furthermore, the report does not exactly clarify if the integration is with the ChatGPT chatbot - Microsoft is yet to give access to this as a service - or if Opera plans to leverage the underlying GPT large language model. Availability details have not been disclosed either. Regardless, the AI race is clearly on with major tech players looking to launch their products soon. Microsoft has already launched a new version of Bing powered by OpenAI's tech and Google is demoing a competitor called "Bard"; although its launch has been a bit bumpy. Moreover, we already know that Baidu and Alibaba are looking to reveal their offerings in this space soon as well. As it currently stands, Opera currently occupies a relatively minuscule 3.42% marketshare in the desktop browser space, far behind the front-runner Google with 66.39%. The company is clearly looking to boost its presence by offering enticing experiences powered by AI. Source: CNBC
  10. TarasBuria
    Microsoft highlights key areas to work on in 2023 to improve browser interoperability by Taras Buria Microsoft, Apple, Google, Mozilla, and several other companies announced a joint initiative to improve cross-browser interoperability. Dubbed "Interop 2022," the program prioritized specific browser areas that matter the most to web developers, resulting in a better web for everyone regardless of the selected browser. Fast forward to 2023, and now Microsoft and other companies are announcing the Interop 2023 project. Developers of the most popular desktop and mobile browsers understand that cross-browser development is one of the biggest pain points for web devs, so Interop 2023 will attempt to improve the situation by focusing on the following areas: Container queries CSS :has() pseudo-class WebComponents improvements like constructable stylesheets and form-associated custom elements Offscreen Canvas More Besides new areas, Interop 2023 will continue improving last-year focus points, such as the CSS subgrid. Mozilla says Interop 2022 has been a significant success, leading every participant to score more than 90 in each area. All the signs are that Interop 2022 was helpful in aligning implementations of the web and ensuring that users are able to retain a free choice of browser without running into compatibility problems. We plan to build on that success with the forthcoming launch of Interop 2023, which we hope will further push the state of the art for web developers and help web browser developers focus on the most important issues to ensure the future of a healthy open web. Customers and developers can track the progress and see how each browser scores in a specific area on the official Interop 2023 dashboard. Stable Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari versions currently have scores below 80, so customers can expect improvements in the outlined areas to come in this year's browser updates.
  11. TarasBuria
    Statcounter: Microsoft Edge has slightly increased its market share in January 2023 by Taras Buria The January 2023 report from Statcounter is here with details about the mainstream browsers and their market shares. As usual, the market is slow, and there are no groundbreaking changes. Note: No report is 100% accurate, and you should take the stats with a grain of salt. Statcounter gathers its data from 1.5 million websites, so there is a margin of error. You can learn how Statcounter prepares its report in the official FAQ. Google Chrome was the most popular desktop browser in January 2023. It reached a 66.39% market share, gaining 0.25 points. Microsoft Edge also increased its customer base and climbed back past 11%—11.09% (+0.11 points). Meanwhile, Apple's Safari keeps its distance with a 9.33% market share (+0.32 points), and Mozilla Firefox is fourth with 6.87%. The latter is the only mainstream browser that demonstrated a notable dip—it lost 0.34 points compared with the previous month. Finally, Opera closes the top 5 desktop browsers lists with a 3.42% share and a +0.12 point increase in January 2023. Google Chrome - 66.39% (+0.25) Microsoft Edge - 11.09% (+0.11) Apple Safari - 9.33% (+0.32) Mozilla Firefox - 6.87% (-0.34) Opera - 3.42% (+0.12) On the mobile desktop browsers market, things are slightly more dynamic. Also, it misses Microsoft Edge as the company cannot figure out how to make users use its browser on Android and iOS. Edge's mobile market share is too small to appear in the report. Google Chrome - 65.35% (+1.04) Apple Safari - 24.45% (+0.9) Samsung Internet - 4.46% (-0.6) Opera - 1.78% (+0.14) UC Browser - 1.47% (-1.34) You can find more information about Statcounter's browser stats in the report available on the official website. The December 2022 report is available here.
  12. TarasBuria
    Firefox 109.0.1 is out with fixes for font rendering and more by Taras Buria Mozilla has a new feature update for those using the Firefox browser in the Release channel. Version 109.0.1 is now available for download, fixing several bugs and instabilities that have been nagging customers since the last release. The most notable changes include a fix for corrupt font rendering on Windows and issues with authentication prompts. What is new in Firefox 109.0.1? Here is the official changelog from Mozilla: Reverted changes to Windows font smoothing which caused poor rendering on some configurations (bug 1803154) Fixed jank when loading pages containing a large number of emoji characters (bug 1809081) Fixed an issue causing authentication prompts to not appear when loading pages in some enterprise environments (bug 1809151) Fixed inconsistent sizing of event listener checkboxes inside the Inspector developer tool (bug 1811760) Firefox will automatically update itself in the background, but you can force-install the latest release by navigating to the Menu > Help > About Firefox. Alternatively, download the installer from the official website. In case you missed it, check out our coverage describing what is new in Mozilla Firefox 109. According to Statcounter, Firefox is currently the fourth most popular desktop browser. In December 2022, its market share reached 7.22%. Despite being less popular than Edge and Chrome, Firefox is a breath of fresh air in a world dominated by Chromium-based browsers.
  13. TarasBuria
    Microsoft is working on reimagining the Edge browser with project 'Phoenix' by Taras Buria According to a new report, Microsoft is working on reimagining its browser and delivering a more modern variant with a better user interface and more productivity features to help Edge stand out on the market dominated by Chrome. Edge Phoenix is an internal concept the company has been developing since the summer of 2022. It has several quirky features, some of which are already available in preview versions of Microsoft Edge. For example, the recently spotted Split View, rounded corners, and Mica treatment. 'Phoenix' was an 'imaginary' version of Edge, appeared as an internal concept video from MS User Research team, with new UI/features, it's a project to collect feedbacks internally for Edge development directions/priorities, 'Split-Screen' was the most liked feature of Phoenix🤓 pic.twitter.com/DRrLwN8x01 — WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) January 26, 2023 Other concepts and ideas from Edge Phoenix are yet to emerge. Windows Central reports that Microsoft is working on a Tab Activity Center feature to provide customers with insides into browser usage. Consider Tab Activity Center as a local variant of the Screen Time feature found on iOS (Digital Wellbeing on Android). Microsoft also considers turning Edge into a system-wide password manager (the browser already has one of the best-in-class password managers), plus allowing users to get Edge up and running during the initial Windows setup. Edge's slow year-over-year progress on the desktop market is a clear sign that Microsoft needs to step up its game and offer customers a more compelling product (not imposing the browser with all sorts of user-hostile practices might also be a solid option). Edge Phoenix may be that breath of fresh air to help Microsoft rejuvenate its browser.
  14. TarasBuria
    Microsoft Edge 110 now lets you split two tabs in one window by Taras Buria Microsoft is testing a new productivity feature in its browser. Edge insiders in the Canary Channel can enable the "Microsoft Edge Split Screen" flag and use two pages side-by-side within one browser window. Of course, you can always use several Edge windows to view several pages simultaneously. However, Edge Split Screen makes working with two pages much easier without dragging tabs and arranging windows. You can also resize the split tabs and open links side-by-side. This is not the first time Microsoft has allowed opening two pages in one window. The recently introduced Edge Sidebar lets you add and pin websites for quick access. Also, the idea itself is not new—Vivaldi, for example, offers a more advanced version of this feature, allowing users to split one window into four tabs. How to enable Microsoft Edge Split Screen: Install Microsoft Edge Beta, Dev, or Canary. Go to edge://flags/#edge-split-screen and set the flag to Enabled. Restart the browser. Open any web page and click the Split Screen button on the toolbar. The browser will open a new tab next to the current page. Alternatively, right-click any link and select Open Link in split window. You can exit Split Screen by clicking the X button (this will close the page) or pressing the "..." button and selecting View split screen pages in two tabs. What do you think about the Microsoft Edge Split Screen feature? Share your thoughts in the comments.
  15. TarasBuria
    Firefox 109 is out with Manifest V3 extensions support, accessibility improvements, more by Taras Buria Following Google Chrome 109 and Microsoft Edge 109 updates, Mozilla released its own "109" update. Firefox 109 is now available in the Release channel, bringing Manifest V3 extensions support, improved accessibility, security fixes, and other improvements. Although Mozilla has implemented Manifest V3 in its browser, developers have no immediate plans to drop Manifest V2 support. On the other hand, Google (and Microsoft) recently decided to extend Manifest V2 support and give developers more time before enforcing the transition to Manifest V3. What is new in Firefox 109? New features: Manifest Version 3 (MV3) extension support is now enabled by default (MV2 remains enabled/supported). This major update also ushers an exciting user interface change in the form of the new extensions button. The Arbitrary Code Guard exploit protection has been enabled in the media playback utility processes, improving security for Windows users. The native HTML date picker for date and datetime inputs can now be used with a keyboard alone, improving its accessibility for screen reader users. Users with limited mobility can also now use common keyboard shortcuts to navigate the calendar grid and month selection spinners. Firefox builds in the Spanish from Spain (es-ES) and Spanish from Argentina (es-AR) locales now come with a built-in dictionary for the Firefox spellchecker. Various Changes: Effective on January 16, Colorways will no longer be in Firefox. Users will still be able to access saved and active Colorways from the Add-ons and themes menu option. On macOS, Ctrl or Cmd + trackpad or mouse wheel now scrolls the page instead of zooming. This avoids accidental zooming and matches the behavior of other web browsers on macOS. The Recently Closed section of Firefox View now equips users with the ability to manually close/remove url links from the list. The empty state messages and graphic components surfaced in Firefox View for the Tab Pickup and Recently Closed sections have been updated for an improved user experience. You can also check out the list of security fixes in Firefox 109 in the official documentation. Full release notes, including developer, web platform, and developer changes, are available on the Mozilla website. Firefox will update itself automatically, but you can force-update the browser by navigating to the Menu > Help > About Firefox.
  16. TarasBuria
    Microsoft Edge gained less than 2% market share in 2022 by Taras Buria Statcounter has published its latest report, revealing information about different browsers on different platforms and operating systems. The overall picture has not changed—Google Chrome remains number one with out-of-reach share, while Edge, Safari, and Firefox continue fighting for the second place. Note: Statcounter's findings are not 100% accurate, so take reports like this with a reasonably-sized grain of salt. You can learn how Statcounter gathers its data in the official fact sheet. According to Statcounter, Chrome currently holds a 66.16% market share. In December 2022, Google's browser lost only 0.02 points (down from 66.18% in November 2022), which might be just a margin of error. Microsoft Edge is unsurprisingly the second most popular desktop browser with a much more modest 10.99% (-0.18 points). Safari is the only non-cross-platform browser in the report, and its macOS exclusivity makes it harder for Apple to push past its current market share. Statcounter claims Apple Safari currently holds 8.98% (-0.61 points). Firefox is fourth with 7.22% (+0.12 points), and Opera is fifth with 3.29% (-0.3 points). As we enter the unknowns of 2023, let's see browsers' shares compared to the previous years to spot year-over-year growths or declines. The overall picture did not change much for well-established players. Google Chrome has been stable in its 65-70% spot with periodical rises and dips, and the same applies to Apple Safari with its 9% market share. Firefox did experience a notable decrease in users from about 10% in early 2020 to the current 7.22%. Microsoft Edge shows that disrupting the desktop browser market is a tremendously difficult task even for Microsoft, with its 1+ billion active Windows devices capable of running Chromium-based Edge. Although Microsoft Edge keeps climbing, its year-over-year growth is less than 2%. Getting users to jump-ship from Chrome to Edge is hard, which explains why Microsoft sometimes resorts to not-so-user-friendly practices of imposing Edge using all sorts of annoying methods. You can find more details about the latest Statcounter monthly report on the official website.
  17. TarasBuria
    Firefox 108 is out with Windows 11 Efficiency Mode support, and more by Taras Buria Mozilla Foundation has released a new major update for the Firefox browser. The new version 108 is now available to all customers in the Release channel, bringing support for Windows 11's Efficiency Mode, new shortcuts, and other changes. What is new in Firefox 108? New shortcut for the Process Manager. Like other browsers, Firefox has a built-in "Task Manager" to monitor how tabs and other browser processes consume resources. You can now press Shift + Esc to launch Firefox Process Manager. Windows 11 Efficiency Mode Support. Firefox now supports Windows 11's Efficiency mode to increase energy efficiency and reduce resource strain. ICCv4 Images. Firefox 108 adds support for color-correcting images tagged with ICCv4 profiles. PDF Forms Improvements. Printing and saving PDF forms now supports non-English characters. Fixes for the Bookmarks toolbar. The bookmarks toolbar's default "Only show on New Tab" state now works correctly for blank new tabs. Firefox 108 also contains several under-the-hood changes and improvements: Import maps, which allow web pages to control the behavior of JavaScript imports, are now enabled by default. Improved frame scheduling when under load; this substantially improves Firefox's MotionMark scores. Firefox now supports the WebMIDI API and a new experimental mechanism for controlling access to dangerous capabilities. You can check the release notes, security fixes, and developer information for Firefox 108 on the official Mozilla websites. Firefox will update itself automatically. However, you can force-install the update by heading to the main menu and clicking Help > About Firefox.
  18. TarasBuria
    Microsoft Edge finally lets you open favorites in a new tab by default by Taras Buria After releasing Edge 110 in the Dev Channel and ending support for Windows 7 and 8.1, Microsoft announced the rollout of one of the most requested features from customers. Microsoft Edge can now open your favorites in a new tab like its predecessor, Edge Legacy. According to a post on the official Tech Community forums, the option to make Edge open favorites in a new tab is rolling out first to Dev and Canary users. It is a part of a controlled feature rollout, which means it might arrive on your device in a couple of days. You can check if your Edge Dev or Canary allows opening favorites in a new tab by navigating to Settings > Appearance. Microsoft Edge developers are also busy finishing other long-anticipated features for the browser. The software giant says users will soon get the option to close tabs with a double-click and search in Collections. Edge 108 and its seemingly removed forward button is the last "big" update for Microsoft's browser this year. Developers will resume shipping feature updates for Edge in the Stable and Beta Channel in January 2023. In case you missed it, Microsoft recently published an updated Manifest V3 roadmap. Like Google, Microsoft will continue supporting Manifest V2-based extensions until at least January 2024.
  19. TarasBuria
    Statcounter: Microsoft Edge crosses 11% market share by Taras Buria Here is the latest data from Statcounter, showing details about the desktop browser market and how the leading players are doing compared to one another. The desktop browser market is a slowly moving ship, and monthly changes are often within a margin of error. The November 2022 report is no exception—it shows only tiny fluctuations in each player's market share. Still, comparing several months and years lets you notice a general trend. For Microsoft Edge, that trend continues to be mostly positive. Slow but steady is how you can describe Edge's growth in the desktop browser market. According to Statcounter, after struggling for a while, Microsoft Edge has crossed the 11% mark for the first time since its introduction (including the OG "Spartan" Microsoft Edge from 2015). Modern Chromium-based Edge gained 0.31 points, reaching an 11.17% market share. For reference, one year ago, Microsoft Edge was at approximately 9.52% (+1.65 year-over-year increase). Google Chrome is at the top, sitting firmly in first place with an unreachable 66.13% share (-0.36), making it impossible for any competition to come close. Despite being available only on Macs, Apple's desktop browser Safari is the third most popular choice, with a 9.62% market share (+0.26). Firefox is fourth (7.1%, +0.05), and Opera is fifth with 3.3% (-0.29). As for Internet Explorer, the former king of the desktop browser market, about 0.77% of all users continue using this browser. Some people do not want or cannot let Internet Explorer go, despite Microsoft's continuous efforts to substitute it with a much better Edge and its built-in Internet Explorer mode. You can spot a similar picture in the world of Windows, where some customers keep sticking to Windows XP, which died in 2014 (not an "eight-year-old OS," as some readers rightly noted). Expect the same to happen to Windows 7. You can find more details about the latest report from Statcounter on the official website. As usual, remember that the data is approximate and not 100% accurate.
  20. TarasBuria
    Firefox 107.0.1 is out with another fix for Windows 11 22H2 and Suggested Actions by Taras Buria Mozilla has released a minor bugfix update for the Firefox browser. Version 107.0.1 is now available in the Release channel, bringing several improvements and fixes for bugs, such as hangs when copying phone number links using the Suggested Actions feature in Windows 11 2022 Update (version 22H2). Other resolved issues include problems with Private Browsing mode, Color Management, minor UI glitches, and more. Interestingly, this is not the first time Windows 11 2022 Update and its Suggested Actions feature have thrown a wrench into Firefox. Earlier this month, Mozilla had to release an update to fix crashes happening in similar scenarios. Here is the changelog for Mozilla Firefox 107.0.1: Fixed an issue with accessing some sites reliably in Private Browsing mode or Strict ETP due to anti-adblockers (bug 1717806). Fixed an issue where Color Management was not available for some users (bug 1799391). Fixed an issue with text overlapping in the Settings Menu for some locales (bug 1800379). Fixed an incompatibility with the new Windows 11 22H2 Suggested Actions feature resulting in hangs when copying phone number links (bug 1798098). Fixed an issue where the DevTools UI is not accessible when an alert dialog is displayed (bug 1801840). You can download Firefox from the official website. The browser will update itself in the background if it is already installed on your system. Mozilla Firefox supports all modern macOS, Linux, and Windows versions, including the now-dead Windows 7. As the beloved operating system approaches the end of the extended security update program (in January 2023), Mozilla is considering extending Firefox support on Windows 7 until August 2023.
  21. TarasBuria
    Mozilla releases another Firefox update to fix crashes during media playback by Taras Buria Following a minor update to fix bugs in Firefox on Windows 11, Mozilla released yet another update with more fixes. Version 106.0.4 is now available for download in the Release channel, solving issues with crashes during media playback. According to the release notes available in the official documentation, Firefox 106.0.4 fixes a rare issue causing crashes when playing DRM-protected videos. Another crash could happen when users navigate to about:support and trigger device reset—version 106.0.4 fixes that bug too. Finally, the latest Firefox release solves the problem with a broken layout of datetime input when switching types. Here is the full changelog with links to the fixed bugs on Bugzilla: Fixed an issue with DRM Video playback (bug 1797292). Fixed broken layout of datetime input when switching types (bug 1797139). Fixed a crash experienced by some users during media playback (bug 1792115). Firefox will install the latest release automatically, but users can force-update the browser by navigating to Help > About Firefox. Alternatively, you can download and install Firefox 106.0.4 using an installer from the official website. In case you missed it, Mozilla is considering extending support for Firefox on Windows 7. Microsoft will soon end the program providing extended support for its 13-year-old operating system, and developers of Chrome are also getting ready to abandon ship to let Windows 7 sink for good. Mozilla, as it seems, thinks it is better to continue supporting its browser for several more months since its Windows 7 audience remains relatively high.
  22. TarasBuria
    Statcounter: Edge can't cross 11% mark despite being second most popular desktop browser by Taras Buria In addition to releasing the latest data about Windows and other desktop operating systems, Statcounter has published its findings about browsers. The October 2022 report reveals no drastic changes compared to the previous months, showing that Microsoft has a hard time getting Edge past a 10% market share. According to Statcounter, Google Chrome unsurprisingly remains king of the browser hill with its 66.46% market share despite losing 1.12 points in October 2022. Microsoft Edge is the second most popular desktop browser with a less impressive 10.85% share (+0.05 points) that has been relatively unchanged for five months. Apple's Safari closes the top three desktop browsers list with a 9.38% share (+0.45 points). Firefox is fourth with 7.05% (-0.22 points), and Opera is fifth with 3.61% (+0.67 points). Like Windows XP, which refuses to go away more than eight years after its end of support, Internet Explorer is not giving up, holding about 0.8% of the global desktop browser market share. Microsoft plans to disable the latter on specific Windows 10 versions on February 14, 2023. Google Chrome: 66.46% (-1.12) Microsoft Edge: 10.85% (+0.05) Apple Safari: 9.38% (+0.45) Mozilla Firefox: 7.05% (-0.22) Opera: 3.61% (+0.67) Things are slightly different on the mobile side of the browser market. Most users are split between Google Chrome and Safari, while Microsoft sits deep in the "Other" section with a market share too small to appear on the charts. Google Chrome: 65% (-0.23) Apple Safari: 25.11% (+0.49) Samsung Internet: 4.63% (-0.06) Opera: 1.81% (-0.05) UC Browser: 1.06% (-0.11) Which browser do you use on your computer and mobile devices? Let us know in the comments.
  23. TarasBuria
    Microsoft details energy efficiency improvements in Edge 106 by Taras Buria Earlier this month, Microsoft released Edge 106 to all users in the Stable channel. Besides some not-so-impressive changes in the release notes, the latest version of Microsoft's browser focuses on improving its energy efficiency by adding a few extra features for the built-in efficiency mode. Microsoft introduced efficiency mode for the Edge browser in version 101. According to the company, it can give users 25 minutes of extra battery life (on average), and our recent browser efficiency test showed that efficiency mode indeed makes computers last longer. Now Microsoft Edge has even better battery-saving tools. Edge 106 offers several extra options for its efficiency mode. The browser uses the "Balanced Savings" option by default, which takes reasonable steps to save battery without noticeable slowdowns. The browser will take a more aggressive approach when your device enters battery saver mode (Windows) or reaches 20% of battery (Mac), resulting in worse performance and a less smooth experience. Those who want to squeeze every bit of battery juice can opt for the "Maximum savings" option. In this mode, Edge applies every possible energy-saving measure, trading-off speed for battery life. Another noteworthy change in Microsoft Edge 106 is the option to keep the battery saver on when connected to power. This ensures your device consumes less energy to reduce carbon emissions, similar to how Windows Update tries to be more eco-friendly and "green." Microsoft says the updated battery efficiency mode in Microsoft Edge 106 is currently rolling out to customers, so you may need to wait a few more days before the feature reaches your computer. You can learn more about the latest efficiency improvements in Microsoft Edge 106 in a post on Microsoft's Tech Community forums.
  24. TarasBuria
    Chrome will soon tell you how much RAM each tab saves by Taras Buria Google is working on improving its browser's efficiency and adding a new performance page to help users manage how much RAM Chrome consumes and how it impacts the battery life. Similar features exist in Microsoft Edge, and they are now on their way to Google Chrome. Unlike Microsoft Edge, which only shows an abstract resource savings value, Chrome will be able to tell you exactly how much RAM each "sleeping" tab reallocates for more important tasks. As spotted by u/Leopeva64-2, Chrome's "Memory Saver" feature will get a dedicated button in the Omnibar. Clicking that button will reveal a small window with actual memory savings and a link to performance settings. This will make it easier to detect "heavy" tabs and see how efficient the built-in memory saver is. Google Chrome's "Performance" page is a work in progress, and it is currently missing some of the features available in Microsoft Edge. Chrome Canary users can toggle on or off memory saver and add specific pages to the exception list. Microsoft's browser, however, lets you select when Edge puts inactive tabs to sleep. Also, there is a more aggressive efficiency mode to reduce resource strain and energy consumption. Still, Google adding a dedicated memory-saver to Chrome is great news for the browser that still cannot get rid of the "most RAM-hungry app" reputation.
  25. TarasBuria
    Vivaldi 5.5 gets Tasks Panel and Snap support on Windows 11 by Taras Buria Vivaldi Technologies has released a fresh update for its browser. Version 5.5 is now available for download with various improvements and new features, such as a new panel for reminders, Snap support on Windows 11, a faster address bar, and security enhancements to protect you from email scams. What is new in Vivaldi 5.5? The Tasks Panel joins other productivity tools in Vivaldi. It is a simple task manager that lets you create regular and recurring reminders, set due dates, and add locations and notes. The Tasks Panel is integrated into the built-in Calendar, which means you can see your reminders alongside other events. Faster Address Field now features reworked logic for better performance. Through Snap Support on Windows 11, Vivaldi users with the latest Windows version can use Snap for faster window management. Hover the cursor over the maximize/restore button to preview various presets and quickly resize and reposition the window. When it comes to improved Mail and Calendar onboarding, the latest Vivaldi update makes setting up accounts much easier by automatically fetching the required mail and calendar accounts. Mail forgery improvements will help you ensure you do not fall victim to an email scam. Vivaldi says there is still room for improvements, but the email client should now be better at detecting fraud emails that appeared to be valid in the previous browser versions. As usual, Vivaldi 5.5 comes with a long list of minor fixes and security improvements. You can download Vivaldi 5.5 on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.