Firefox 16 is now available for download

Mozilla has released Firefox 16 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The headline addition is initial web app support across all three desktop platforms, bringing Firefox closer to what Google Chrome has offered with its own app ecosystem. Developers will now be able to release web apps specifically for Firefox, opening up a new avenue for browser-based software delivery.

Smoother Performance with Incremental Garbage Collection

One of the most significant under-the-hood improvements in Firefox 16 is incremental garbage collection, a feature that has been over a year in development. Rather than pausing the browser to clean up memory in one large operation, the garbage collector now breaks its work into smaller pieces, keeping the browser responsive in between. The result is a noticeable reduction in lag when clicking, typing, and running animations or games. Mozilla describes it as making Firefox smoother and more responsive across the board.

New Features and Changes

Mac users get preliminary VoiceOver support turned on by default for the first time, a welcome accessibility improvement. CSS3 Animations, Transitions, Transforms, and Gradients have all been un-prefixed in Firefox 16, moving the browser further towards clean standards-compliant code. Opus audio support is now enabled by default, and reverse animation direction has been implemented. Acholi and Kazakh localisations have also been added.

On the security side, MD5 is no longer supported as a hash algorithm in digital signatures, which is the right call given how long MD5 has been considered cryptographically weak.

Developer Tools

Firefox 16 ships with a new Developer Toolbar featuring quick-access buttons for common tools, an error count display for the Web Console, and a command line for keyboard-driven access. The Scratchpad now keeps a list of recently opened files, and debugger breakpoints no longer trigger on page reload. Per-tab memory reporting has also been added to about:memory, giving developers a clearer picture of where memory is being used.

Mozilla has also updated Firefox for Android to version 16, available now from the Google Play Store.