Firefox 156 arrives with a forest of forks in its wake

Firefox 156, the latest release in Mozilla's new fortnightly cycle, has been rolled out to users, although those who prefer a slower upgrade process have alternative options. The release notes highlight two new features: an automatic login option for Mac users, and Wikipedia language suggestions with potential ads from Mozilla partners. Users can disable these suggestions in Firefox Suggest settings.

Thunderbird 156, the accompanying release for the email client, offers improved troubleshooting information for OpenPGP issues and additional OAuth authorization options for POP3 and IMAP accounts. Enterprise policies for filter and user customization control have also been added. However, for users who prefer a slower upgrade cadence, Mozilla provides the Firefox ESR and Thunderbird ESR versions, which only receive security fixes and see new releases annually. Currently, both are on version 153, released in late July.

The Thunderbird-based messaging client Betterbird, based on the current Thunderbird ESR version 153, is one of the main alternatives. It is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac, including a portable edition for Windows. Other Firefox-based browsers with a focus on stability and stability include Waterfox Classic, Waterfox, LibreWolf for enhanced privacy, and Floorp for a customizable UI.

The Mullvad browser, while not requiring a VPN subscription, has faced controversy due to the political views of one of its co-founders. The Tor Browser, developed by the Tor Project, offers maximum anonymity but is likely excessive for daily use. Finally, Debian maintains separate variants of Firefox, such as IceWeasel and GNU IceCat, due to a trademark dispute that ended in 2016.