Mozilla shares 2012 plans for Firefox browser

After releasing the latest stable version (11) of its popular Firefox web browser, Mozilla now turns its attention to what can be expected from future releases.

The company provided a retrospective look at what it had achieved with its browser during the course of 2011, such as its adoption of a much faster six week release schedule. Additionally, it also gives users with a peak into their Fox-filled browser futures.  

Some of the main developments planned for this year include enhancing add-on compatibility. This will directly address the issue of user add-ons that stop working, when they upgrade to the latest version of Firefox.

Mozilla stated that Firefox users employed add-on sync to synchronise 25 billion items between various PCs during 2011. This figure is likely to rise during 2012, as Firefox 11 added the ability to sync add-ons (browser extensions) between computers.

Like Microsoft, Mozilla also has plans to silently update Firefox during 2012. The firm said that this move is aimed at combating update fatigue, and will see browser upgrades now being downloaded and installed silently in the background. These silent updates are currently planned to land in Firefox 13.

For developers Mozilla have outlined a number of tools and features that it will be releasing during the course of the year. Web developers can check out the company’s developer tools roadmap for more information.

In related news, market research firm Net Applications recently made its latest monthly desktop browser stats available, showing that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) still holds the lion share (52.84%) of the global browser usage pie. Mozilla’s Firefox web browser manages to hold onto second place, with its browser usage share of 20.92.%.