Firefox' installed base has slowly been falling behind Google's Chrome, but Mozilla's latest iteration of its web browser is designed for the type of people who could help the software become a serious rival for Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Mozilla's next browser will be much like its original offerings -- open-ended for development of websites. Mozilla says the new browser will facilitate the interoperability of tools that often clash and conflict with one another.
"When building for the Web, developers tend to use a myriad of different tools which often don't work well together," says Mozilla. "This means you end up switching between different tools, platforms and browsers which can slow you down and make you less productive. So we decided to unleash our developer tools team on the entire browser to see how we could make your lives easier."
Mozilla didn't disclose much as far as the new browser's specifics, but it said it will support tools such as the Firefox Tools Adapter and WebIDE.
WebIDE is an integrated development environment in which developers can create apps for Firefox, while the Firefox Tools Adapters facilitates the development of cross-platform software. Apps built in Firefox can be ported over to rivals such as Chrome or even mobile browsers like Safari.
"We've redesigned the browser by looking at it through a completely new filter to put developers' interests first," says Mozilla. "It's built by developers for developers so you can debug the whole Web, allowing you to more easily build awesome Web experiences."
The next version of Firefox is expected to launch on Nov. 10 and will likely come with support for SSL 3 shut down by default, as it urges developers to move away from the vulnerable encryption standard.
"At Mozilla we know that developers are the cornerstone of the Web, that's why we actively push standards and continue to build great tools to make it easier for you to create awesome Web content and apps," says Mozilla.
Firefox' installed base has fallen from an approximately 18.35 percent market share in December 2013 to roughly 13.91 percent in October 2014, according to market research firm NetMarketshare. Chrome has climbed from roughly 16.22 percent in December of 2013 to around 21.26 percent in October 2014.
Internet Explorer's installed base has hovered at around 58 percent for the last year, as Microsoft packages the browser with each version of its Windows platform. Windows holds a an approximately 91.53 percent share of desktop installations.
