Firefox releases a new Social API and a preview of the first social integration with Facebook Messenger for Firefox.
Much like the OpenSearch standard, Mozilla’s new Social API lets social services integrate into Firefox in a compelling way and makes it easier to use the Web the way you want. The Social API includes features like a social sidebar, toolbar notification buttons and the ability to easily chat with your friends no matter where you are on the Web.
As services integrate with Firefox via the Social API sidebar, it will be easy for you to keep up with friends and family without having to switch between or open new tabs. You can stay connected to your favourite social site even while you are surfing the Web, watching a video or playing a game.
We are excited to offer a preview of our first social integration with Facebook Messenger for Firefox. To test it out, just upgrade to the latest Firefox and then visit the Facebook Messenger for Firefox page and click “Turn On.”
Once you enable the feature, you’ll get a social sidebar with your Facebook chat and updates, like new comments and photo tags. You’ll also get notifications for messages, friend requests and more that you can respond to right from your Firefox toolbar.
Today’s Social API is just the beginning of making Firefox more social. We’ll soon add support for more features and multiple providers. We’ll also be listening to feedback from our early users to understand how Firefox can do more to keep them connected to their social lives online.
Mozilla is also releasing an update to Mozilla Thunderbird. The latest version comes with a new Menu Button on the right hand side at the top of the page, which provides more options to customise the user interface. As part of this Mozilla is releasing the second Thunderbird Extended Support Release (ESR) targeted at large organisations. This ESR version is not only a security and bugs fix, it also contains all the features that have been added to Thunderbird since January 2012.
More details:
Firefox:
- Firefox is the Web browser of choice for hundreds of millions of people worldwide and as social sites have become a key part of people’s online lives, we want to make it easier to use the Web the way you want.
- People visit social sites throughout the day to chat with friends and get real time updates about new activity. In fact, most people online visit social sites to account for about 20% of all time spent online worldwide.
Facebook Messenger for Firefox:
- Facebook Messenger for Firefox lets you chat with friends and stay connected with their updates wherever you go on the Web, without needing to switch between or open a new tab.
- You can chat with your friends and family while doing anything from shopping online for the perfect gift, cheering your team on in the big game, watching a video or just surfing the Web.
- If you’re not feeling social, you can easily hide the sidebar or even disable the feature.
Mozilla and Social API:
- Mozilla is a non-profit organisation with a mission to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the Web and we can’t wait to see what cool Web experiences developers will build on our Social API.
- We want to build a social standard for the Web to give developers more opportunities and users more choice, much like we did with our work on OpenSearch.
- Imagine using the Firefox sidebar, toolbar buttons and even an AwesomeBar button for news, music, finances, email, group projects and more.