{"id":4729,"date":"2017-03-07T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T19:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/firefox-52-arrives-with-webassembly-warning-for-http-logins-and-drops-all-npapi-plugins-except-flash\/"},"modified":"2017-03-07T12:00:16","modified_gmt":"2017-03-07T19:00:16","slug":"firefox-52-arrives-with-webassembly-warning-for-http-logins-and-drops-all-npapi-plugins-except-flash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taterboy.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/firefox-52-arrives-with-webassembly-warning-for-http-logins-and-drops-all-npapi-plugins-except-flash\/","title":{"rendered":"Firefox 52 arrives with WebAssembly, warning for HTTP logins, and drops all NPAPI plugins except Flash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"firefox_logo\"rx<\/a> http:\/\/1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/firefox_logo-300×158.png 300w, http:\/\/1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/firefox_logo-768×403.png 768w, http:\/\/1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/firefox_logo-800×420.png 800w, http:\/\/1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/firefox_logo-780×410.png 780w, http:\/\/1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/firefox_logo-930×488.png 930w, http:\/\/1u88jj3r4db2x4txp44yqfj1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/firefox_logo.png 1200w” sizes=”(max-width: 578px) 100vw, 578px”><\/p>\n

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Mozilla today launched Firefox 52 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. The new version includes support for WebAssembly, a warning for non-secure HTTP pages with logins, and the removal of NPAPI plugin support.<\/p>\n

Firefox 52 for the desktop is available for download now on Firefox.com<\/a>, and all existing users should be able to upgrade to it automatically. As always, the Android version is trickling out slowly on Google Play<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mozilla doesn\u2019t break out the exact numbers for Firefox, though the company does say \u201chalf a billion people around the world\u201d use the browser. In other words, it\u2019s a major platform that web developers target \u2014 even in a world increasingly dominated by mobile apps.<\/p>\n

Desktop<\/h2>\n

First up, Firefox 52<\/a> has added<\/a> support for WebAssembly<\/a>, which allows complex apps and games (including immersive 3D video games, computer-aided design, video and image editing, and scientific visualization) to run in a browser with near-native performance without the use of plugins. The open standard is being designed by a W3C Community Group<\/a> that includes representatives from all major browsers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Firefox 51 added a gray lock icon with a red strike-through in the address bar for websites that collect passwords but don\u2019t use HTTPS. Firefox 52 takes this a step further with a warning for non-secure HTTP pages with logins.<\/p>\n

HTTPS is a more secure version of the HTTP protocol used on the internet to connect users to websites. Secure connections are widely considered a necessary measure to decrease the risk of users being vulnerable to content injection (which can result in eavesdropping, man-in-the-middle attacks, and other data modification).<\/p>\n

\"52securelogin\"<\/p>\n

As you can see above, Firefox now displays a \u201cThis connection is not secure\u201d message when users click into the username and password fields on pages that don\u2019t use HTTPS. It\u2019s a good way to remind users that their credentials could be easily swiped on pages that aren\u2019t encrypted.<\/p>\n

Speaking of messages, Firefox will now automatically detect captive portals, notify you about the need to log in, and replace certificate error pages with a message encouraging you to log in. This is useful if you have trouble connecting to Wi-Fi that requires signing in first and your operating system doesn\u2019t detect it.<\/p>\n

\"52wifilogin\"
\nLast but not least, Mozilla has removed Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) plugin support from Firefox (originally slated to occur \u201cby the end of 2016<\/a>\u201c). NPAPI plugins are seen as a problem because of their negative impact on a browser\u2019s security, speed, and stability, not to mention the complexity of the code base.<\/p>\n

Other browser makers have ditched NPAPI plugins as well; Google dropped support in April with the release of Chrome 42<\/a>, and Microsoft killed them with the launch of Edge in July<\/a>. Just like Google and Microsoft, Mozilla is making an exception for Flash because it is still widely used. Later this year, the company will make Flash content in Firefox only turn on with user consent.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the full Firefox 52 changelog<\/a>:<\/p>\n