When you install the Fedora Workstation, you’ll find the world-renowned Firefox browser included. The Mozilla Foundation underwrites work on Firefox, as well as other projects that promote an open, safe, and privacy respecting Internet. Firefox already features a fast browsing engine and numerous privacy features.
A community of developers continues to improve and enhance Firefox. The latest version, Firefox 69, was released recently and you can get it for your stable Fedora system (30 and later). Read on for more details.
New features in Firefox 69
The newest version of Firefox includes Enhanced Tracking Protection (or ETP). When you use Firefox 69 with a new (or reset) settings profile, the browser makes it harder for sites to track your information or misuse your computer resources.
For instance, less scrupulous websites use scripts that cause your system to do lots of intense calculations to produce cryptocurrency results, called cryptomining. Cryptomining happens without your knowledge or permission and is therefore a misuse of your system. The new standard setting in Firefox 69 prevents sites from this kind of abuse.
Firefox 69 has additional settings to prevent sites from identifying or fingerprinting your browser for later use. These improvements give you additional protection from having your activities tracked online.
Another common annoyance is videos that start in your browser without warning. Video playback also uses extra CPU power and you may not want this happening on your laptop without permission. Firefox already stops this from happening using the Block Autoplay feature. But Firefox 69 also lets you stop videos from playing even if they start without sound. This feature prevents unwanted sudden noise. It also solves more of the real problem — having your computer’s power used without permission.
There are numerous other new features in the new release. Read more about them in the Firefox release notes.
How to get the update
Firefox 69 is available in the stable Fedora 30 and pre-release Fedora 31 repositories, as well as Rawhide. The update is provided by Fedora’s maintainers of the Firefox package. The maintainers also ensured an update to Mozilla’s Network Security Services (the nss package). We appreciate the hard work of the Mozilla project and Firefox community in providing this new release.
If you’re using Fedora 30 or later, use the Software tool on Fedora Workstation, or run the following command on any Fedora system:
$ sudo dnf --refresh upgrade firefox
If you’re on Fedora 29, help test the update for that release so it can become stable and easily available for all users.
Firefox may prompt you to upgrade your profile to use the new settings. To take advantage of new features, you should do this.
Tony Rawlings
Just re-installed Fedora 30, they are always on the ball, new Firefox already included.
Catalin
I performed the upgrade but still version 68
tongap
If you use F29, try ‘sudo dnf update –enablerepo=updates-testing firefox’
Chin
Nothing over here in Fedora 29…
Paul W. Frields
Help test the update — see the article for more info.
John
Not available on official repositories for Fedora 29 as far as I can see?
Paul W. Frields
It may be held up because users haven’t tested it so it can go to stable. Visit this page: https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2019-89ae5bb576
John
Hi Paul,
Then is it or not available?
Paul W. Frields
It is indeed available, in the updates-testing repository. Use this article to see how you can help test: https://fedoramagazine.org/contributing-fedora-testing-packages/
Eric Nicholls
Nice π
MattM
Nice
Roger
I really like the ETP feature and block autoplay is a wonderful thing. I didn’t know about even stopping the video play feature..Now engaged.
Daniel
Somehow I am having missing resize handles on the right and bottom. Anybody else having this issue. Already dropped a bug with Firefox.
Mads
Fedora 30, updated to Firefox 69, rebooted. Seeing lots of weird glitches when switching tabs, usually some focused segment from one tab lingering on top the other. Anybody else?
svsv sarma
I am already running firefox 69, and so far so good. At least I don’t know what is happening or not happening.
Tom Bouwman
Installed it on Fedora29, as described above.
Also I donβt know what should happen or should not happen.
Videos still automatically start to play when I click on an empty folder in Yahoo! Mail.
hammerhead corvette
Very nice Thanks!
pola
this is looking nice, thanks π I am loving it actually