The Register: Microsoft and Google, sitting in a tree, working on browser compatibility
The Register:
ZDNet: The good and the bad with Chrome web browser’s new security defaults
ZDNet: The good and the bad with Chrome web browser’s new security defaults. “First, the good news. Starting with the mid-April release of Google’s Chrome 90 web browser, Chrome will default to trying to load the version of a website that’s been secured with a Transport Layer Security (TLS). These are the sites that show a closed lock in the Chrome Omnibox, what most of us know as the Chrome address (URL) bar. The bad news is that just because a site is secured by HTTPS doesn’t mean it’s trustworthy.”
Neowin: Firefox 87 reduces ETP site breakage with SmartBlock
Neowin: Firefox 87 reduces ETP site breakage with SmartBlock. “Mozilla has announced the release of Firefox 87 which introduces several features including SmartBlock which aims to reduce website breakage while using private browsing mode with Strict Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP). SmartBlock provides local scripts to fill the place of those blocked by third-parties, helping websites to function properly.”
Opera loses Touch with iOS app: Browser maker locks and loads the rebrandogun (The Register)
The Register: Opera loses Touch with iOS app: Browser maker locks and loads the rebrandogun . “As with the iOS versions of Microsoft’s Edge, Google’s Chrome, Vivaldi and so on, Opera has attempted to differentiate itself via the bits around the core rendering engine (what the company refers to as ‘the personal browser experience’). As well as the ad and cookie blocking that has become common among browsers, Opera added its Flow technology to the mobile browser at its 2018 launch to facilitate the sharing of files between desktop and device.”
TechCrunch: Sidekick Browser wants to be a productivity-honed ‘work OS’ on Chromium
TechCrunch: Sidekick Browser wants to be a productivity-honed ‘work OS’ on Chromium. “Fire up a web browser and it’s hard to deny it’s the best of times for knowledge work. Yet working across multiple browser tabs and windows can feel like the friction-filled, frustrating worst. This is the problem Sidekick Browser is taking aim at by adding a productivity-focused layer atop Chromium that it bills as a ‘work OS’.”
Neowin: Google adds Live Caption for audio and video in Chrome
Neowin: Google adds Live Caption for audio and video in Chrome. “Google’s Live Caption feature is now available in the Chrome browser on desktop devices, the Mountain View giant announced today. The feature first debuted as an Android accessibility feature at Google I/O in 2019, and it automatically adds captions to audio and video playing on the device, removing the need for apps to add closed captions individually.”
BetaNews: Vivaldi 3.7 promises performance gains on desktop, improves Bookmark Manager on mobile
BetaNews: Vivaldi 3.7 promises performance gains on desktop, improves Bookmark Manager on mobile. “Vivaldi Technologies has unveiled Vivaldi 3.7 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. The challenger web browser’s main focus in this new release is performance on desktop, while Android users gain improvements to the Bookmarks Manager as well as onboarding pages to introduce new versions as well as welcome new users to the app.”
CNET: Microsoft Edge accelerates to Chrome’s 4-week browser release cycle
CNN: Microsoft Edge accelerates to Chrome’s 4-week browser release cycle. “Microsoft Edge will follow Google’s lead in speeding up browser releases, issuing a new version every four weeks instead of every six weeks, the software maker said Friday.”
The Verge: Microsoft is ending support for the old non-Chromium Edge
The Verge: Microsoft is ending support for the old non-Chromium Edge. “Support for Microsoft’s Edge browser is ending today — not the new Chromium-based one, but the original Edge that was built as a replacement for Internet Explorer 11. Microsoft now calls it Legacy Edge, and the company announced it would be discontinuing the product back in August. That day has finally come: Legacy Edge will no longer receive security updates, and anyone still using it should start the process of switching to something else.”
Bleeping Computer: How to use Google’s ‘Chrome Labs’ to test new browser features
Bleeping Computer: How to use Google’s ‘Chrome Labs’ to test new browser features. “When Google creates a new browser feature, it is first tested in Google Chrome Canary and Google Chrome Beta. In many cases, these new features must first be enabled using an ‘experiments’ configuration flag before they are accessible… However, the ‘Experiments’ page contains many options that are not for user-facing features but instead internal tests conducted by the Chrome development team. Due to this, it can get confusing to find new user-facing features that Google is actively developing.”
Neowin: Microsoft is testing a built-in ‘Math Solver’ in its Edge browser
Neowin: Microsoft is testing a built-in ‘Math Solver’ in its Edge browser. “As spotted by Reddit user Leopeva64-2, a new configuration called ‘Show Math Solver button’ may show up in the Settings > Appearance section for Edge Canary. Clicking on it will add a button next to the omnibox pane at the top.”
Neowin: Google Chrome will shift to a four-week release cycle
Neowin: Google Chrome will shift to a four-week release cycle. “Google has announced that it’s shifting things up a gear by switching Chrome to a four-week release cycle that will see users get the latest features more quickly. As things stand, Google releases major Chrome updates every six weeks and has done so for over a decade. The new changes will come about in the third quarter with the release of Chrome 94.”
Krebs on Security: Is Your Browser Extension a Botnet Backdoor?
Krebs on Security: Is Your Browser Extension a Botnet Backdoor?. “A company that rents out access to more than 10 million Web browsers so that clients can hide their true Internet addresses has built its network by paying browser extension makers to quietly include its code in their creations. This story examines the lopsided economics of extension development, and why installing an extension can be such a risky proposition.”
Engadget: Firefox’s Total Cookie Protection aims to stop tracking between multiple sites
Engadget: Firefox’s Total Cookie Protection aims to stop tracking between multiple sites. “As part of its war on web tracking, Mozilla is adding a new tool to Firefox aimed at stopping cookies from keeping tabs on you across multiple sites. The ‘Total Cookie Protection’ feature is included in the web browser’s latest release — alongside multiple picture-in-picture views (more on that below) — and essentially works by keeping cookies isolated between each site you visit.”
Make Tech Easier: 10 Chrome Flags You Should Enable to Boost Your Browsing
Make Tech Easier: 10 Chrome Flags You Should Enable to Boost Your Browsing. “Chrome Flags come and go at a rapid rate. These features have been aptly renamed to ‘Experiments’ by Google because they let you enable, disable and customize various features that are yet to make it into the mainline Chrome release. Quite often, these features never end up making it into the full version of Chrome. But there are some real gems in Chrome flags which can really enhance your browsing, so we’ve put together a list of the best of them for you here.”
