Firefox 8 Download Comes With Integrated Twitter Search Tool

Mozilla announced on Tuesday that version 8 of its Firefox web browser is now available for download. Along with improvements, Firefox 8 also brings a new feature made possible by a partnership with Twitter.

The mini search bar, found to the right of the navigation bar at the top of Firefox windows, will now include in its drop-down menu an option for users to search within Twitter. The new feature joins Firefox's list of built-in search tools, including Google, Yahoo, Bing, Aol and Wikipedia.

According to a post on the Mozilla Blog, this Twitter search feature will be available to Mac, Windows and Linux users who download Firefox 8.

"Twitter search in Firefox makes it easier to discover new topics, #hashtags and @usernames," explains the Mozilla Blog. "Twitter search is currently available in English, Portuguese, Slovenian and Japanese versions of Firefox, with more languages to come in future releases."

The Twitter search option had been available as a separate add-on in previous versions of Firefox.

Another big new change that Firefox 8 introduces is the disabling of third-party add-ons. Firefox will now do this so that the user can approve all add-ons, thereby blocking the ones that might have been "installed by third parties without your permission," according to the Mozilla Blog.

"Such add-ons have caused serious problems for users in the past—like the notoriously buggy Skype toolbar which Mozilla had to remotely disable earlier this year when it caused 33,000 Firefox crashes in one week," Ars Technica points out.

TechCrunch explains that most recent version isn't the radical overhaul that version 4 was. "Overall," writes TechCrunch, "Firefox 8 isn’t a major update for the browser, nor is it introducing any features that seem compelling enough to convince a happy Chrome user to switch back."

For a run-down of the new features offered in Firefox 8, visit the Mozilla Blog. To download version 8 for Windows, Mac or Lniux, click here. Android users can click here to view the app update.

Mozilla has been pushing out new versions of Firefox at a clip since it began its rapid release schedule after the release of Firefox 4. Firefox version 7 became officially available in late September.

Take a look at the Twitter search bar (below), courtesy of the Twitter Help Center.

Comments

[jsgaetano]

01:26 AM on 11/10/2011

People still use Firefox? I thought they died along with AOL. Oh wait...

[Steven Travis]

10:49 AM on 11/09/2011

What we are seeing here is the inability of developers to focus on creating a better product but rather focusing on features (in most cases useless)

[StinkyPete0279]

09:58 AM on 11/09/2011

Continuing its' slide into garbage.

[lessthanepsilon]

09:02 AM on 11/09/2011

finally! the feature no one wanted!

[Panhermes]

08:49 AM on 11/09/2011

AS a longtime,, (approximately ten years, one decade), Firefox devotee, each of our friends, business acquaintances and family has our preferred contact information. Had we wanted to tweet we would have done so long prior to now. We've NO interest in this latest venture of Firefox no matter how well intended.

[Edwin Ome]

06:23 AM on 11/09/2011

gbooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Laney Day]

03:57 AM on 11/09/2011

Firebox is the best browser around, but who needs Twitter? Bad move on the part of Mozilla if you ask me.

[jsgaetano]

01:27 AM on 11/10/2011

The "Browser Wars" remind me of those old soldiers who never found out WW2 actually ended.

[ironchefjay2]

02:53 AM on 11/09/2011

What are they going to call it?..........Firetwit maybe?

[jsand96876]

11:40 PM on 11/08/2011

If they could only get the new version Firefox to work with Kaspersky or PDF Converter I might actually download it. Both plug ins it will disable.

[Fletch55]

11:34 AM on 11/09/2011

Both work fine for me

[jacmed]

10:31 PM on 11/08/2011

Don't like Firefox, don't like Twitter, and don't bother with Facebook and the like. I'm old-fashioned, I guess -- don't need all that technology. I'm happy with my computer as it is, being able to post on sites like Huffpo, and receive and send e-mail. My grandkids and now my 8-year-old great-grandkid all want me to get Skype -- sorry, no way. My computer downloads and sends photos and videos; don't need to talk on Skype through my computer. I have a telephone for that and take your pick -- landline (used 99% of the time) and cell (just in case of emergency).

[Fletch55]

11:34 AM on 11/09/2011

Theyd like you to use skype since its free and is a video call so your grand kids could see grandma a bit more often.

[jacmed]

12:48 PM on 11/09/2011

I understand that, Fletch, but I still don't see the necessity of Skype, free or otherwise, And from what I've seen of Skype, the disconnect between the sound and the lip movement drives me up a wall! Thanks, but no thanks!

[digitaldales]

09:48 PM on 11/08/2011

Crashed persistently on upgrade. Removed!

[jsgaetano]

01:28 AM on 11/10/2011

Firefox was always cr@p. IE became the best browser on it's merits, not because of some excuse making conspiracy theory.

[charpist5]

08:25 PM on 11/08/2011

I really like firefox. However, I do not tweet. Because I am not a twit.

[Star2000dancer]

08:20 PM on 11/08/2011

Wll, I already said good bye to fire fox, google and you tube. Have no problem saying good bye to twitter. I'm ready to go to a land line. I've had enough of these monopolies merging..

[xstex]

07:48 PM on 11/08/2011

The only thing I want is full screen OS X Lion support, still not here.

[edgeoh]

07:29 PM on 11/08/2011

Don't need it, don't want it.

[xstex]

07:47 PM on 11/08/2011

Cool story bro.

[aspman07]

10:44 PM on 11/08/2011

So, are you Alliance or Horde?