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Waterfox
Original author(s)Alexandros Kontos, Adam Wood
Developer(s)Alexandros Kontos, System1
Initial release27 March 2011; 11 years ago (2011-03-27)
Stable release
G5.1.3 / 20 February 2023; 29 days ago (2023-02-20)
Preview release
G5.0 Beta 5 / September 23, 2022; 5 months ago (2022-09-23)
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

Waterfox is an open-source web browser that is forked from Firefox and developed by System1. There are official Waterfox releases for Windows, macOS, and Linux.[1]

Divisions

Waterfox

Waterfox shares core features and technologies like the Gecko browser engine[2] and support for Firefox Add-ons[3] with Firefox.

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.[4][5][6]

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".[7][8]

History

Waterfox logo used until 2015
Waterfox logo used from 2015 to March 2019
Waterfox logo used from March 2019 to June 2019
Waterfox logo used from May 2019 to present

Waterfox was first released by Alex Kontos[9] on March 27, 2011 for 64-bit Windows. The Mac build was introduced on May 14, 2015 with the release of version 38.0,[10] the Linux build was introduced on December 20, 2016 with the release of version 50.0,[11] and an Android build was first introduced on October 10, 2017 in version 55.2.2.[12]

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.[13][14][15][16][17]

In December 2019, System1, an advertising company which portrays itself as privacy-focused,[18] acquired Waterfox.[19][20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Waterfox, Free Web Browser". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  2. ^ "FAQ". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  3. ^ "Find and install add-ons to add features to Waterfox". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  4. ^ "Waterfox Classic | Waterfox Classic". classic.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  5. ^ Kev Needham (2015-08-21). "The Future of Developing Firefox Add-ons". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  6. ^ Villalobos, Jorge (2017-02-16). "The Road to Firefox 57 – Compatibility Milestones". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  7. ^ "Unpatched Security Advisories · WaterfoxCo/Waterfox-Classic Wiki". GitHub.
  8. ^ "Waterfox Classic | Waterfox Classic". classic.waterfox.net.
  9. ^ "About Waterfox". www.waterfox.net. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  10. ^ Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 38.0 Release". www.waterfoxproject.org. Archived from the original on 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Kontos, Alex (12 May 2015). "4 Year Anniversary: Waterfox Charity and Storm Search". www.waterfoxproject.org. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
  14. ^ "Waterfox 39.0 Release". www.waterfoxproject.org. 2015-07-22. Archived from the original on 2015-10-31.
  15. ^ "Waterfox 40.1.0 Release & Shut Down of Waterfox Charity Search". www.waterfoxproject.org. 2015-11-12. Archived from the original on 2015-12-01.
  16. ^ "New search engine from Waterfox founder aims to take a punch at Google". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  17. ^ Lake, Howard (2015-08-07). "'Ethical search engine' Storm to generate funds for charities". UK Fundraising. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  18. ^ Brinkmann, Martin (14 February 2020). "Waterfox web browser sold to System1". ghacks.net. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Waterfox has joined System1". www.waterfox.net. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Welcome Waterfox!". www.system1.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.

External links

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