Firefox 13 now out with fresh home screen, SPDY support
updated 04:10 pm EDT, Mon June 4, 2012
Firefox 13 available for download with more Chrome-like features
Mozilla has now released the full version of its Firefox 13 web browser, the first beta version of which came out at the end of April. Those who didn't get the beta will be able to download the latest software on Tuesday. The most prominent changes include a new home and tab screens, along with the newfound compatibility of the Google-backed SPDY protocol.
This should enable the browser to speed up load times of sites that support SPDY. The latest Firefox will also prioritize reloading tabs upon restarting the browser, doing so only when users click on them rather than all at once. It will need to be manually switched on, however.
The new home screen retains the Google search bar front and center, but users will now get quicker access to add-ons, settings, downloads, and more. New tabs result in a thumbnail view, mimicking what Chrome does. Favorite sites can be pinned here as well.
The release notes for Firefox 13 are available online, and the Windows and Mac versions are available online.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Wow, version 13
Next week they'll release version 14, next month version 18, and by this time next year they'll be in triple digits. And they'll break compatibility with all add-ons at least once every 4 releases, continue to ignore memory leaks and bad performance in favor of useless visual enhancements, and in general allow the program to continue its slide into worthlessness.
Funny how things have turned out to reverse for Windows users; these days, the only excuse to use Firefox is if you can't use the latest version of IE.