All articles tagged with #browser
Mozilla’s Project Nova redesign for Firefox introduces a single, user-visible AI-off switch to disable all AI features, plus a cleaner UI and plain-language privacy controls, signaling a move toward opt-out AI in browsers while keeping some AI features available by default.
David Pierce declares Vivaldi 8.0 his new default browser thanks to its cleaner design and customization, while this week's Installer rounds up Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, two tech books (Steve Jobs in Exile and How to Rule the World), notable earbuds and gadgets, a racing game, and crowdsourced reader picks for entertainment and productivity.
Vivaldi 8.0 debuts a major design refresh called Unified UI, collapsing browser chrome into a single continuous surface with rounded content frames and introducing six preset layouts for quick customization. The update emphasizes configurability, preserves a classic theme option, and is available now for Windows, macOS, and Linux (including ARM64 like Raspberry Pi) via Vivaldi’s site, with Snap Store and Flathub listings mentioned (one being unverified).
Google unintentionally exposed details of an unfixed Chromium vulnerability that can let a Service Worker keep executing JavaScript after the browser is closed, enabling remote code execution and potential botnet-like abuse across all Chromium-based browsers. Despite reports of a fix, researchers found the issue still exploitable in some builds, prompting urgent patching efforts and highlighting that attackers could exploit it with minimal user interaction; Google awarded a bug bounty, and the disclosure raised broad risk though it doesn’t grant access to emails or the host OS.
OpenAI released a Chrome extension for Codex that enables testing web apps, gathering context across open tabs, and parallel use of Chrome DevTools, broadening Codex's appeal beyond developers; the company plans eventual unification with ChatGPT and Atlas, and the extension works on Windows and Mac.
With no official YouTube app on Switch 2, a Reddit-fueled workaround lets users access YouTube through a browser opened from the Super Animal Royale menu. The experience is far from ideal—videos load at about 360p, you can’t sign in, and it requires several reloads—highlighting the wait for an official Google app on the console.
Reddit users now judge browsers by efficiency, features, and OS integration rather than pure speed, with Edge favored for lower memory usage, better battery life, and tighter Windows 11 integration, while Chrome remains the go‑to for Google services and cross‑site compatibility; overall choice depends on your device and ecosystem, not just benchmarks.
Mozilla now ships a built-in VPN with Firefox that shields only browser traffic (not apps or system processes) using WireGuard, with a 50GB data limit—great for casual browsing but not a full privacy solution.
Google Chrome’s AI Mode update adds side-by-side viewing that preserves AI context across pages, plus a new plus menu to synthesize insights from your open tabs (and local PDFs/images). It also extends access to Canva-like tools for visuals, effectively turning your tabs into a unified AI workspace. The rollout is in progress for US users on desktop and mobile.
Google’s Chrome update makes AI Mode a persistent left sidebar: clicking links from AI Mode opens in the same tab with the AI tool still visible, and users can search across multiple open tabs and attach files or images, reducing tab switching during a search journey.
Google Chrome adds AI Skills, a library of premade and user-created prompts in the Gemini sidebar. Triggered with a slash via the Ask Gemini button, Skills let Gemini analyze your open tabs and perform tasks such as video summaries or optimizing recipes for higher protein. You can toggle the feature off in Settings under AI Innovations if you don’t want to use it, and expectations include some initial glitches as the tool rolls out.
Mozilla will roll out a free, built-in browser VPN with Firefox 149, starting March 24, 2026, routing only browser traffic through a proxy to mask IPs with 50GB/month in the US, France, Germany, and the UK; it is browser-only, phased in-region, and Mozilla has not disclosed the provider, aligning with its privacy-first stance.
You can tailor Chrome's top toolbar by pinning frequently used extensions, rearranging icons, and using the toolbar customization panel to show or hide buttons like Home, Forward, Bookmarks, Reading List, History, Incognito, and Task Manager. You can also access quick features such as Google Lens search, QR code sharing, Reading Mode, and Copy Link directly from the toolbar. For broader changes, change Chrome's theme via Customize Chrome to apply different colors and backgrounds, with an option to revert to the default look.
Gemini AI is now embedded in the Chrome browser on ChromeOS, delivering a robust, full-featured assistant via a sidebar with model switching, full chat history, a pop-out window, and live screen sharing—making Chromebooks more capable, though some image/video tools aren’t yet available.
Ladybird’s lead developer ported LibJS, the browser’s JavaScript engine, from C++ to Rust in about two weeks using human-directed prompts and multiple AI reviews, achieving byte-for-byte identical output between the Rust port and the original C++ baseline; the thread also explores Rust’s role in browser development, interop with C++, and the broader implications of AI-assisted coding in large projects.