Mozilla Releases Quantum Update That Should Make Firefox Much Faster
Mozilla has released version 57 of Firefox. The new version uses the Quantum engine, which replaces the Gecko engine. Mozilla claims that this makes the browser at least as fast as Chrome. The appearance and logo have also been overhauled.
In the release notes, Mozilla claims that the Quantum engine ensures that the new Firefox version is twice as fast as its predecessors. The engine would make better use of multi-core processors and adopt other optimizations from other browsers.
The new look is called Photon and replaces the Australis look from 2014. It brings back the square tabs, refreshes the look of newly opened tabs and makes some other changes. New installations of Firefox no longer have a separate search bar by default, although it can be added. With existing installations, the search bar remains.
The beta version of Firefox Quantum was already available in September, but the final version has been rolled out since Tuesday. The update is free to download and will be installed automatically if automatic updates are turned on. Along with the speed improvement and the new look, Mozilla has also changed the logo.