Waterfox

Waterfox is a free and open-source web browser and fork of Firefox. It claims to be ethical and user-centric, emphasizing performance and privacy.[1] There are official Waterfox releases for Windows, macOS, and Linux.[2] It was initially created to provide official 64-bit support, back when Firefox was only available for 32-bit systems.[3]

Waterfox
Original author(s)Alexandros Kontos
Developer(s)Waterfox Limited
Initial release27 March 2011 (2011-03-27)
Stable release
G6.0.4 / October 10, 2023 (2023-10-10)
Preview release
G6.0 Beta 5 / September 14, 2023 (2023-09-14)
Repository
Written inC, C++, CSS, JavaScript, XUL
EngineGecko, SpiderMonkey
Operating systemWindows 7 or later, Mac, Linux
Platformx64, ARM64, PPC64LE
TypeWeb browser, mobile web browser, feed reader
LicenseMPL-2.0
Websitewww.waterfox.net Edit this on Wikidata

Divisions

Waterfox

Waterfox shares core features and technologies like the Gecko browser engine[4] and support for Firefox Add-ons[5] with Firefox. It is also compatible with Google Chrome and Opera extensions.[1] It disables telemetry and Pocket by default, which are present in Firefox builds. However, it collects technical information about the user's device to update properly.[3]

Waterfox Classic

Waterfox Classic is a version of the browser based on an older version of the Gecko engine that supports legacy XUL and XPCOM add-on capabilities that Firefox removed in version 57.[6][7] It is still partially maintained with fixes and patches from Waterfox and Firefox ESR releases. However, its development has been separated due to several changes from Waterfox that are otherwise unapplicable.[8]

Vulnerability

Waterfox Classic has multiple unpatched security advisories. The developer states that "changes between versions so numerous between ESRs making merging difficult if not impossible".[9][8]

History

Waterfox was first released by Alex Kontos[10][3] on March 27, 2011 for 64-bit Windows. The Mac build was introduced on May 14, 2015 with the release of version 38.0,[11] the Linux build was introduced on December 20, 2016 with the release of version 50.0,[12] and an Android build was first introduced on October 10, 2017 in version 55.2.2.[13]

From July 22, 2015 to November 12, 2015, Waterfox had its own search-engine called "Storm" that would raise funds for charity and Waterfox. Storm was developed with over £2 million of investor funding and powered by Yahoo! Search.[14][15][16]

In December 2019, System1, an advertising company which portrays itself as privacy-focused,[17] acquired Waterfox.[18][19] In July 2023, Alex Kontos announced that Waterfox had been turned into an independent project again.[20]

Logos
  • Waterfox logo used until 2015
    Waterfox logo used until 2015
  • Waterfox logo used from 2015 to March 2019
    Waterfox logo used from 2015 to March 2019
  • Waterfox logo used from March to June 2019
    Waterfox logo used from March to June 2019
  • Waterfox logo used from May 2019 to August 2023
    Waterfox logo used from May 2019 to August 2023
  • Waterfox logo used from August to September 2023
    Waterfox logo used from August to September 2023
  • Waterfox logo used from September 2023 to present
    Waterfox logo used from September 2023 to present

See also

References
  1. "What Is Waterfox and Is It Safe?". MUO. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  2. "Waterfox, Free Web Browser". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  3. Proven, Liam. "Waterfox: A Firefox fork that could teach Mozilla a lesson". www.theregister.com. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  4. "FAQ". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  5. "Find and install add-ons to add features to Waterfox". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  6. Kev Needham (2015-08-21). "The Future of Developing Firefox Add-ons". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  7. Villalobos, Jorge (2017-02-16). "The Road to Firefox 57 – Compatibility Milestones". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  8. "Waterfox Classic development will continue, but as a separate project from G4". ghacks.net. November 4, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  9. "Unpatched Security Advisories · WaterfoxCo/Waterfox-Classic Wiki". GitHub.
  10. "About Waterfox". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  11. Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 38.0 Release". www.waterfoxproject.org. Archived from the original on 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  12. Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 50.1.0 Release (Windows, Mac & Linux)". www.waterfoxproject.org. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  13. Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 55 Release (Windows, Mac, Linux and Android)". www.waterfoxproject.org. Archived from the original on 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  14. Kontos, Alex (12 May 2015). "4 Year Anniversary: Waterfox Charity and Storm Search". www.waterfoxproject.org. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  15. "New search engine from Waterfox founder aims to take a punch at Google". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  16. Lake, Howard (2015-08-07). "'Ethical search engine' Storm to generate funds for charities". UK Fundraising. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  17. Brinkmann, Martin (14 February 2020). "Waterfox web browser sold to System1". ghacks.net. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  18. "Waterfox has joined System1". www.waterfox.net. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  19. "Welcome Waterfox!". www.system1.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  20. Kontos, Alex (2023-07-03). "A New Chapter for Waterfox". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
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