14 DAY TRIAL // It's not yet official, but the Firefox 55.0 open-source and cross-platform web browser is now available for download on GNU/Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Mozilla will make the release of Firefox 55 official on August 8, 2017, but you can get an early taste right now by downloading the binary or source packages for supported OSes from Mozilla's FTP servers if you can't wait to update your Firefox web browser through OTA updates.
And it just happens that we got our hands on the preliminary release notes that were seeded on the Beta channel since Firefox 55 entered development on June 14, 2017. Thirteen RCs later and the final release of Firefox 55.0 is now ready to be savored on your favorite operating system.
Here's what's new in Firefox 55
Probably the most exciting new feature of Firefox 55.0 is the ability for the web browser to (finally) restore browsing sessions that contain a huge number of tabs in an instant, but there's also the introduction of the WebVR technology that lets users use virtual reality devices with the Web.
Search suggestions are now enabled by default in Firefox 55, that if you have not explicitly opted-out for them, and it's now possible to search the Web with any of the installed search engines straight from the address bar. Also, Mozilla simplified print jobs were from within the Print Preview feature.
As Adobe's Flash Player plugin is going away, in more than two years, Mozilla took the first steps to make sure it won't be activated until the user clicks the activation button. Additionally, the Flash plugin is now allowed only on http:// and https:// websites.
"The Adobe Flash plugin is now click-to-activate by default and only allowed on http:// and https:// URL schemes. This change will be rolled out progressively and so will not be visible to all users immediately," reads the preliminary release notes for Firefox 55.
Other than that, it's finally now possible to fine-tune your web browser's performance from the Preferences/Options page, as well as to assign custom shortcuts to Firefox menu items on Apple's OS X and macOS operating systems from the System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts options.
While still under heavy testing, the built-in screenshot tool is there and will let Firefox users make screenshots of web pages, which they can save locally or upload them to the cloud. Lastly, Firefox 55.0 lets you move the sidebar with bookmarks, history, and synced tabs to the right edge of the window.
Belarusian (be) locale is now official, and you can download Firefox 55.0 for GNU/Linux, macOS, or Microsoft Windows operating systems right now via our web portal if you want to install and update your Firefox web browser ahead of tomorrow's launch.