Firefox 56: Automatic 32-bit to 64-bit Upgrade

[Batu69]

Mozilla plans to upgrade Firefox 32-bit installations to the 64-bit version of the web browser when it releases Firefox 56 later this year.

While stable 64-bit versions of the browser have been available for Linux and Mac OS X for a long time, the same cannot be said for the Firefox 64-bit version for Windows. While it was offered as 64-bit development versions for those interested, a stable version was not provided for a long time.

 

Mozilla started to release Firefox 64-bit for Windows in December 2015 to the release channel. This was first an optional download that users had to seek out, but has since then been made the default.

 

The organization revealed in August 2016 how it planned to make Firefox 64-bit on Windows the default for compatible systems, and migrate the 32-bit population on 64-bit architecture to the 64-bit version of the browser.

 

 

The plan back then involved integrating the 64-bit version in the Firefox stub installer, making it the default in early 2017 in that installer, and shipping Firefox 64-bit as the default later that year.

 

Starting with Firefox 55, which has a planned release date of August 8, 2017, 64-bit Firefox will be the default option on Windows. This is only the case however if the Windows device supports 64-bit and has at least 2 Gigabytes of memory.

 

Migration from 32-bt versions of Firefox to 64-bit on Windows start with the release of Firefox 56. Mozilla plans to release Firefox 56 on September 26, 2017.

Starting with Firefox 56, planned release date is September 26, 2017,  Mozilla plans to upgrade Firefox 32-bit installations on 64-bit versions of Windows to 64-bit versions of Mozilla Firefox.

 

The same limitations -- a minimum of 2 Gigabytes of RAM and at least Windows 7 -- apply to the migration.

The main reason why Mozilla plans to migrate Firefox users on Windows to 64-bit versions is that it decreases the out-of-memory crash rate and improves security. Downside is that 64-bit versions of Firefox use more memory than 32-bit versions of the web browser.

 

Mozilla published some stats that highlight these improvements and changes:

• About 8% of Windows users run systems with 2 Gigabytes of RAM or less,
• The content process crash rate of 64-bit Firefox installations on Windows with 2GB of RAM is the same as on 32-bit systems on systems, and 20% less on systems with more than 2 Gigabytes of RAM.
• The browser process crash rate of 64-bit Firefox installations on Windows with 2 Gigabytes of RAM is the same as 32-bit versions of the browser, and about 20% less on systems with more than 2 Gigabytes.
• The 64-bit plugin process crash rate is 50% less on 64-bit systems with 2 Gigabytes of RAM, and 80% less on systems with more than 2 Gigabytes of RAM.

Additional information on the migration to 64-bit Firefox on Windows is available on the Mozilla Wiki website. (via Sören Hentzschel)

 

Article source

[steven36]

I wish all devs  seen it this way on windows  and i wish Microsoft would stop making x86 windows OS it's not as safe as x64  . Soon most Linux distros plain too drop x86 because most computers now days can run x64..  I  even had a pc once that could run ether   .. Most stuff still running x86 are cheap laptops most likely too be ban from windows 10 upgrades in the near future . Only very few apps on x64 Linux are x86 and they was ported from windows and are a mess too install because you have install all those x86 dependencies  to make them run . Peazip and steam are some of the only x86 programs i know that  some uses on x64 Linux now days.

[sam3971]

To add to Steven, who still has computer with 4GB of RAM or less? I remember the first computer I rebuilt only had 4GB and still ran x64 and that was back in 2008 haha.

[Agent 86]

52 minutes ago, sam3971 said:

Do add to Steven, who still has computer with 4GB of RAM or less? I remember the first computer I rebuilt only had 4GB and still ran x64 and that was back in 2008 haha.

I have a few, but they in the closet!  

[DKT27]

Good move.

 

But as someone who has used the computer on 2GB RAM due to RAM stick problems, I would say 2GB is not enough to run a browser properly, let along 32-bit or 64-bit, so I'm not sure if 2GB is a right limit here.

[I Am Negan]

I still use the 32-bit firefox on my 64-bit PC. I heard alot of extensions don't support 64-bit? So is mozzila still going to make a 32-bit version?

[Kalju]

For the next they will determine which hand should be used to wipe your ass after You have visited the toilet.

Very good. Good luck them.

[DKT27]

46 minutes ago, Kerry4444 said:

I still use the 32-bit firefox on my 64-bit PC. I heard alot of extensions don't support 64-bit? So is mozzila still going to make a 32-bit version?

 

It's most of the plugins which do not work, the addons work fine in it.

[phillthedrill]

lol People always say who has 4GB or less, well I still have 4GB of ram, Windows 10 pro and have the same motherboard from 10 years ago. Have an SSD and I've never had any problems. Yes, it can get bogged down if I have 20 tabs open or something but still....a mainstream pc is good on 4GB of ram and to say that 64bit is safer than 32bit isn't correct either. 64bit Windows can run anything in 32bit mode and still have the same problems as a 32bit OS such as viruses, spyware or anything else.

[edwardecl]

On Windows it makes sense if you need to address more system ram, but you have the other trade off if the code hasn't been optimised for 64bit then it may be slower.

I know for a while with Linux is was debatable whether or not to install the 64bit versions as you are forced to use the 64bit apps some which are faster and some which are slower and used more ram, it really depended on what you were doing to which version you used.

Hopefully Firefox is at the stage where there are no down sides.