Firefox 57 Takes Quantum Leap Forward in Speed and Looks

Mozilla is aiming to regain both mind and market share with its next major release of its open-source Firefox web browser, which is scheduled to become generally available on Nov. 14. Firefox 57 is known as Quantum and includes a new user interface, improved performance and features that differentiate it from past Firefox releases. The new user interface, called Photon, provides users with a modern theme. Also of note is the bump in speed, with Firefox 57 loading pages faster than ever before, according to Mozilla. Under the hood, Firefox 57 is powered by multiple new technologies, including the open-source Rust programming language and the Quantum Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) layout engine. In this slide show, eWEEK looks at some of the key new features in the Firefox 57 Quantum release.

Mozilla has not named its Firefox releases in the past with anything other than a number. However, it is dubbing Firefox 57 “Quantum” because Mozilla developers have decided that the speed gains in the new browser milestone are so noteworthy that it should have a unique name as well.

Quantum is the fastest version of Firefox to date, thanks to a series of technology innovations that Mozilla has embedded into Firefox 57, including multiprocessing rendering, an improved compositor and a new CSS engine.

Mozilla is also introducing a new user interface in Firefox 57, code-named Photon, that provides a minimalist design that enables users to quickly access the browser features they need.

Among the new options in the Photon user interface in Firefox 57 is the library feature, which combines browser history, bookmarks and synced tabs.

The main address bar in Firefox 57 has been improved with suggestions based on search and browsing history to help users find what they are looking for.

One thing that makes Firefox 57 faster than its predecessors is the Quantum CSS component that was written in the open-source Rust programming language that Mozilla created.

Firefox 57 will be available for multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS and Linux, on Nov. 14.