While competition in the browser market increases day by day, Mozilla Firefox is working on a new method to attract users’ attention. The company has launched an experiment that will simplify the process of setting Firefox as the default browser in the Windows operating system. With this innovation, users who install the browser will be able to use Firefox as the default browser without any additional action.
How does Firefox’s new feature work?
Mozilla is automating Firefox as the default browser under a campaign it calls “set_default_browser.” This feature comes into play during the initial installation of the browser and sets the default browser on behalf of the user. According to the information provided by Mozilla in a bug report, the new system activates an initialization task when the browser is first run, and this task sets Firefox as the default browser on the device.
Mozilla defines this feature as follows:
“This update includes a launch task that sets Firefox as the default browser. Users will be able to easily complete this process with the ‘download by default’ option during installation.”
In addition, additional conveniences are provided, such as pinning Firefox to the taskbar during installation, transferring data from the previous browser, and automatically opening Windows settings to complete changes quickly. This offers a great advantage, especially for users who do not have technical knowledge or do not want to waste time with settings.
Although this step by Mozilla is seen as an important innovation in terms of improving the user experience, it seems to further intensify the competition between browsers. Competing with strong rivals, especially Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, Firefox aims to increase its market share with such innovations.
It has been known for a long time that Microsoft uses its dominance in the Windows operating system to give priority to its own browser Edge. Microsoft, which complicated the process of changing the default browser for users, attracted the reaction of competitors such as Mozilla. Mozilla had previously expressed its criticism against this situation with the following words:
“People should be able to adjust default browser settings simply and easily. “All operating systems should offer official support to developers on this issue and show greater respect for user choice.”
This new system developed by Mozilla offers significant convenience for users who do not have technical knowledge about changing browser settings or who forget to adjust the settings manually. However, such automated solutions may raise some controversies regarding users’ consent and freedom in browser choice.
On the other hand, this move may encourage other browser developers in the industry to develop similar methods. For example, Google Chrome’s addition of features to facilitate user-friendly browser switching in ChromeOS updates can be considered as a result of this competition.
Competition may get tougher in the future
Although this strategy of Mozilla is a remarkable step in the browser world, time is needed to see its long-term effects. This innovation, which allows users to make their choices faster, could help Firefox increase its market share. Howeverhow such features will affect the dynamics in the industry remains a question mark for now.