Mozilla Firefox is already our choose for the perfect browser resulting from its glorious privateness choices and cross-platform synchronization, however with a brand new replace, the Firefox expertise is about to enhance in a significant means.

Forward of World Accessibility Day (opens in new tab) on Could 18, Mozilla introduced that its most up-to-date replace (opens in new tab), Firefox 113, would give Firefox a big enchancment over its accessibility engine. The overhauled accessibility code enhanced display readers and different assistive applied sciences and, much more spectacular, runs 20 occasions sooner on massive, complicated pages and two to 3 occasions sooner on on a regular basis duties, similar to opening emails and switching tabs.

Firefox 113, which began as a mission referred to as Cache the World (opens in new tab) again in 2020, was an entire rewrite of its outdated structure. Android already obtained this replace in 2022 with Firefox 102, and Home windows and Linux within the Firefox 112 launch. With 113, macOS lastly obtained the identical adjustments to its Firefox browser.

Why was this transformation for Firefox mandatory? 

When web browsers first happened, they have been a lot easier and solely required a single working system course of, even with a number of tabs or paperwork. Some assistive applied sciences and working system frameworks, which regularly needed to run on extra complicated processes, used a course of referred to as in-process code that allowed for big batches of queries wanted to carry out a process to be executed rapidly.

Nevertheless, over time, browsers turned extra complicated and the specter of safety exploits turned a lot increased. Browsers like Web Explorer eight used totally different processes for various tabs, whereas Google Chrome used a stricter course of that delegated duties into tightly managed communication channels, that means that assistive applied sciences couldn’t entry the net content material course of containing the accessibility tree, nor inject code into that course of. Firefox adopted this similar methodology, leading to accessibility having comparable points on each browsers.

As a result of Firefox was created lengthy earlier than Chrome and earlier than the complicated web panorama, it confronted extra challenges in updating its structure to handle each accessibility and safety points. A significant replace to its then-existing structure lasted for a number of years however issues started to stack and Mozilla needed to revamp its complete structure from scratch. Enter mission Cache the World (opens in new tab).

What was Cache the World’s affect? 

The primary goal behind Cache the World was to re-architect Firefox’s accessibility engine. 

Firefox asynchronously pushes the accessibility timber from every net content material course of to the primary UI course of. When assistive applied sciences question the accessibility tree, all queries are answered from the cache with none calls between Firefox processes, and when a web page updates, the content material course of asynchronously pushes a cache replace to the primary course of. 

This new change ends in a large improve in velocity for these utilizing accessibility instruments like display readers, in addition to loads of wiggle room for updating and enhancing the brand new structure. In whole, about 20,000 strains of code have been eliminated by the completion of this mission, the vast majority of which was working system associated.

Contemplating how typically accessibility options and instruments are neglected, both on their very own or how they’re negatively impacted by software program and {hardware} updates for different tech, it’s refreshing to see how deeply and genuinely Mozilla cares about it.