Updated Firefox browser now Twitter-friendly

Mozilla launched Wednesday (Manila time) a new version of Firefox that includes new features like Twitter search and tighter control over addons and extensions. In a blog post, Mozilla said the new Firefox 8 update is available for the Windows, Mac, Linux and Android platforms. "Twitter is now included as a search option in Firefox for Windows, Mac and Linux. Twitter search in Firefox makes it easier to discover new topics, #hashtags and @usernames. Twitter search is currently available in English, Portuguese, Slovenian and Japanese versions of Firefox, with more languages to come in future releases," it said. Also, Mozilla said Firefox 8 lets a user load tabs on demand, making it much faster to restore windows with many tabs. It said another boon for Firefox users will be tighter control over addons and extensions, thwarting attempts by third parties to silently install their own extensions in Firefox. "Sometimes you download third-party software and are surprised to discover that an add-on has also installed itself in your browser without asking permission. At Mozilla, we think you should be in control, so we are disabling add-ons installed by third parties without your permission and letting you pick the ones you want to keep," it said. Mozilla pioneered WebGL and introduced it in Firefox earlier this year. WebGL is a new Web standard that allows websites and Web apps to display hardware-accelerated 3D graphics without third-party software. Firefox adds support for Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS), which lets developers load WebGL textures from other domains in a secure way. To see an example of WebGL in action, visit Google MapsGL and experience 3D maps in Firefox. Mozilla also said Firefox will make more use of new technologies such as HTML5 and WebGL. Master password feature for Android version For the Android version of Firefox, Mozilla said users can now be more in control of their mobile Web experience with the master password feature. "With Firefox Master Password, you can protect all your saved usernames and passwords. This will help your private info stay private if you ever share or lose your Android device," it said. Also, Mozilla said Firefox for Android lets users add icons for any bookmarked website or Web app to the home screen and launch with just one touch. A lot of Firefox users remain on version 3.6, which predated the rapid-release era. That’s likely to change, though: On November 17, Mozilla plans to flip the switch for recommending Firefox 3.6 users update. Since many people typically follow the upgrade recommendation, that’ll mean Firefox 8 will be the introduction many Firefox users will have to the rapid-release philosophy. Calendar extension Meanwhile, Mozilla released the first version of "Lightning," a calendar extension for its Thunderbird email program. Lightning is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X in a variety of languages, although Windows users must have Windows XP or later. — RSJ, GMA News