Mozilla releases Firefox 36 with http/2 support

Mozilla released a new Firefox version Tuesday that includes native support for the recently approved http/2 standard. It is largely based on the spdy protocol developed by Google.

Mozilla is currently rolling out the version, Firefox 36. It is one of the first browsers to use the http/2 standard as standard. It recently followed the http 1.1 specification and should, among other things, enable faster loading of web pages. For example, http/2 brings the multiplexing option, whereby multiple http requests can be sent bundled from the browser to a web server. This significantly reduces the total number of active connections.

In addition to Firefox, Internet Explorer 11 also offers the http/2 standard out-of-the-box in Windows 10. Chrome also has the support, but does not offer it by default for the time being. This will happen in future versions. The spdy protocol, which was developed by Google as an addition to the http 1.1 protocol and on which http/2 is largely based, will then gradually be phased out. At the beginning of next year, the internet giant wants to drop support for the spdy protocol altogether.

With the recent completion of the http/2 standard, a replacement for the http 1.1 protocol, one of the most popular applications for the Internet today, emerged after 16 years. It will be some time before http/2 becomes the dominant standard. Software still needs to be adapted to work with the new standard.

The Firefox update that Mozilla released Tuesday finally comes with some minor changes. For example, the browser no longer supports 1024-bit RSA encryption for SSL connections. It has been offering insufficiently strong encryption for some time. Firefox 36 can now also sync so-called pinned tiles in a new tab.