News

Firefox 48 with Multi-Process Finally Arrives

A bit over a month since it was first revealed, Mozilla has finally released their 48th version of Firefox. As expected, the new update brings in a host of long-awaited features that will fundamentally change the browser and hopefully make it more stable and user-friendly.The biggest and most anticipated upgrade of course, is multi-process browsing at long last.

First off we have the long-awaited electrolysis initiative or e10s initiative. This finally brings multi-process to Firefox where different aspects of the browser get their own process. Despite taking over half a decade to get here, the work isn’t complete. Firefox 48 only splits the content and UI threads into two, meaning unresponsive content will no longer crash the whole browser but a rogue tab can still crash all the other tabs in one go.

This is still a bit short of other browsers which have processes for groups of or even for each tab. Firefox will eventually get there but that won’t be until next year. After splitting off each tab into its own process, the next step will be to move extensions to their own process and there is no time frame for that yet. This not only makes the browser more stable but also more secure as there is a lower risk of contagion between different parts of the browser.

For now, Firefox is still moving cautiously with electrolysis. Users will slowly get electrolysis over the next few days and peak at about half of all Firefox users under version 48. The rest of the user base will only get electrolysis in version 49 and those will compatible extensions in 50. Of course,  those of you who want to get in on the action can opt-in through the about:support into the address bar and check the line that says ‘Multiprocess Windows’.

Samuel Wan

Samuel joined eTeknix in 2015 after becoming engrossed in technology and PC hardware. With his passion for gaming and hardware, tech writing was the logical step to share the latest news with the world. When he’s not busy dreaming about the latest hardware, he enjoys gaming, music, camping and reading.

Disqus Comments Loading...

Recent Posts

Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 Possible Price Revealed

According to a new report, the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU will be very expensive. It…

6 hours ago

AMD Krackan Processor with 6 Zen 5 and Zen 5c Cores for Budget AI Laptops Leaked

A new AMD processor in the form of an engineering model has been leaked in…

6 hours ago

SK Hynix Begins Production of First 321-Layer NAND Chips

SK Hynix has claimed to be the first company to mass-produce 321-layer NAND memory chips.…

6 hours ago

Trust Gaming GXT 609 Zoxa 2.0 PC Speakers

SOUNDS GREAT – Full stereo sound (12W peak power) gives your setup a booming audio…

10 hours ago

PowerA Wired Controller for Nintendo Switch

Special Edition Yoshi design Ergonomic controller shape with Nintendo Switch button layout Detachable 10ft (3m)…

10 hours ago

Logitech G Saitek PRO Flight Rudder Pedals

Fluid Motion: These flight rudder pedals are smooth and accurate that enable precise control over…

10 hours ago