Firefox 66 now available, worse for discrete computers with default settings

Although it is not yet in any type of repositories, Firefox 66 is now available for all supported operating systems: Windows, macOS and Linux. In the case of Microsoft and Apple systems, the new version is available for download from their website and what they will get will be an installable file like any other. Linux users will still have to wait to install it properly unless we download the binary files (complete, though) and run / install it manually.

The new version comes with interesting news, although there is one of them that will not be without controversy: Mozilla has decided to increase the number of content processes from 4 to 8, that is, to double. Like when 32 or 64-bit software is released, this is positive for computers that can handle such information, while it is less good or even harmful for other devices. Some users who have already tried it claim that Firefox 66 consumes more resources than Firefox 65, although the option can be reverted from the general performance options.

Firefox 66 includes the following new features

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Firefox 66 will have better integration with GNOME, beta now available

• Autoplay lock: this option is activated by default and mutes multimedia content that plays sound. The option can be disabled from the settings.
• Search improvements: a search box has been added to browse in private mode.
• El new Scroll It prevents content from jumping when the page is loading, which means that it will offer better sensations.
• To improve performance, increased content process from 4 to 8. As we have mentioned, this may not be very good for less powerful equipment. This function and the previous one seem designed for more solvent equipment.
• The certificate error pages have been redesigned to make it easier to understand what's going on and allow users to make informed decisions.
• Added basic support for macOS Touch Bar.
• Some users might see a new tab page with Pocket stories in different layers. It is an experimental function.
• Has been added Windows Hello support so that anyone with a compatible device can enter websites with their face or fingerprint.
• Windows 10 Firefox light and dark themes now overwrite the accent color of the top bar.
• Fixed a bug in Linux versions that caused Firefox to freeze when downloading files.
• Now you can assign new keyboard shortcuts to Firefox extensions.

Among the novelties mentioned above, the automatic playback blocking stands out, which will prevent any audio content from being played without consulting and bothering us or even frightening or confusing us. Firefox 66 is not available as a snap package at the time of this writing. Right now it can be downloaded from this link, in a few days it should be as a snap package and in a little more time in the APT repositories. Feel like trying Firefox 66?