Skip to main content

Firefox 14 for the desktop released with HTTPS searching and OS X Lion full-screen mode (update)

Firefox 14 for the desktop released with HTTPS searching and OS X Lion full-screen mode (update)

/

A new month, a new version of Firefox. The latest version of Mozilla's browser (Firefox 14, for those keeping count) rolled out right on schedule today with a number of changes that have been in the works for some time. T

Share this story

Firefox New Logo crop
Firefox New Logo crop

A new month, a new version of Firefox. The latest version of Mozilla's browser (Firefox 14, for those keeping count) rolled out like clockwork, about six weeks after the last version, with a number of changes that have been in the works for some time. The biggest new feature onboard is probably the implementation of HTTPS searching in Google, a trick that has been in the works for a while now. End users won't notice any difference, but search results will now be from data-gathering services and the like. Mac OS X Lion users will also be happy to know that the browser finally supports Lion's native full-screen mode — only a year or so after the operating system launched.

The browser's "awesome bar" also now supports autocomplete, and there's a new Pointer Lock API built-in that is supposed to help smooth out mouse movements in apps that "require significant mouse input to control movements." Mozilla cites "highly visual applications" and those that run in first-person perspective as prime candidates to benefit from this API. There's also benefits for gamers — the Pointer Lock API keeps the mouse within the confines of the app you're using, so you don't accidentally click out of bounds and jump into another app. All this, plus a number of the usual bug fixes, can be yours if you download Firefox 14 for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Update: Mozilla has reached out to let us know that amongst its other features, Firefox 14 also removes any websites with personal or private information from the thumbnails in its "New Tab" page — a problem that had caused some consternation when Firefox 13 was released.