Mozilla has released version 160 of the Firefox web browser, and LWN.net reported the release on 10 November. Among the changes in this release, users can block websites from prompting to handle mailto: links, play Matroska containers carrying FLAC, MP3 or PCM audio, adjust playback speed directly inside the picture-in-picture video player, and try a new Mini Window feature that is still in early development.
Blocking mailto: prompts
The mailto: permission block is the most immediately noticeable change. Websites have long been able to trigger a browser dialogue asking to hand a link off to an external mail client — a prompt that appears on page load and interrupts workflows. Firefox 160 lets users block sites from making that request in the first place, rather than dismissing it each time.
For IT professionals managing shared or kiosk machines, and for developers testing webmail integrations, the change is straightforward: one setting suppresses a recurring interruption, and it narrows the number of external protocol-handler requests a site can push at the user. In other words, the browser's existing machinery for deciding whether a site may hand a link off to an external application now covers mailto: as well.
Open-format playback
Firefox has supported the Matroska container for some time, including video paired with Vorbis and Opus audio. What is new in Firefox 160 is support for Matroska files with FLAC, MP3 or PCM audio codecs — codecs common in archived and locally stored video that were previously a dead end in the browser. The files now play natively, without plug-ins or transcoding. FLAC is the reference lossless codec of the open-audio world, and Matroska itself is an open, royalty-free container format.
PiP speed controls
Picture-in-picture mode gains playback speed controls. Previously, adjusting speed meant returning to the full tab; now the control sits in the PiP player where users already expect it. Mozilla documents the feature in its picture-in-picture support pages.
Mini Window (early development)
The release also introduces a new Mini Window feature, which LWN describes as still in early development. Readers who want to experiment with it should expect rough edges and further changes in subsequent updates.
Availability
Firefox 160 is available now through Mozilla's standard release channels. The official release notes carry the full change list, and administrators overseeing managed deployments should consult them before rolling out. The release notes also document the security and platform fixes bundled with this version.
Why it matters
Nothing in Firefox 160 will dominate a roadmap review, but the release illustrates where Firefox continues to differentiate itself for power users and the open-source community: support for open media formats, and fine-grained control over what websites are permitted to ask of the browser.
Two points of interpretation worth flagging for readers: prompt-based dialogues of this kind are a known social-engineering vector, so reducing how often the mailto: prompt appears carries a modest security dividend alongside the friction it removes; and for teams building browser-based review, archive or training workflows around open formats, native Matroska audio playback means one fewer transcoding step in internal pipelines. Fewer prompts, more files that open natively, and controls placed where users expect them — in aggregate, a quieter, more predictable browser.
Mozilla 已正式發布 Firefox 網頁瀏覽器第 160 版，LWN.net 於 11 月 10 日報道了此次發布。本版本的更新包括：用戶可封鎖網站提示處理 mailto: 連結、播放載有 FLAC、MP3 或 PCM 音訊的 Matroska 容器、在畫中畫（picture-in-picture）視窗內直接調整播放速度，以及試用全新的 Mini Window 功能——該功能目前仍處於早期開發階段。
封鎖 mailto: 提示
mailto: 權限封鎖是本版本最顯而易見的變動。網站一直可以觸發瀏覽器對話框，要求將連結交予外部郵件用戶端處理——該提示會在頁面載入時彈出，打斷用戶工作流程。Firefox 160 允許用戶從源頭封鎖網站提出此類請求，毋須每次逐一關閉。
對於管理共享電腦或自助服務終端（kiosk）的 IT 專業人士，以及測試 webmail 整合的開發者而言，此項改動簡單直接：單一設定即可消除反覆出現的干擾，同時減少網站可向用戶推送的外部協定處理請求數量。換言之，瀏覽器現有用於決定網站可否將連結交予外部應用程式的機制，現已一併涵蓋 mailto:。
開放格式播放
Firefox 支援 Matroska 容器已有一段時間，包括配搭 Vorbis 及 Opus 音訊的影片。Firefox 160 的新增功能是支援採用 FLAC、MP3 或 PCM 音訊編解碼器的 Matroska 檔案——這類編解碼器廣泛用於歸檔及本地儲存影片，但此前在瀏覽器內無法播放。相關檔案現已可原生播放，無須外掛程式或轉碼。FLAC 是開放音訊領域的參考無損編解碼器，而 Matroska 本身亦是開放、免版稅的容器格式。
PiP 播放速度控制
畫中畫模式新增播放速度控制。過往調整速度須返回完整分頁；現在此項控制已設於 PiP 播放器內，正符合用戶預期。Mozilla 在其畫中畫支援頁面介紹了此功能。
Mini Window（早期開發階段）
本版本亦引入全新的 Mini Window 功能，據 LWN 報道，該功能仍處於早期開發階段。希望嘗鮮的讀者應預期介面尚有粗糙之處，並會在後續版本繼續變動。
推出情況
Firefox 160 現已透過 Mozilla 的標準發布渠道推出。官方發布說明載有完整變更清單，管理受管部署的管理員應在推出前參閱。發布說明亦記錄了本版本附帶的安全修復及平台修正。
為何重要
Firefox 160 中沒有任何功能會主導一場 roadmap 檢討會議，但此次發布正好說明 Firefox 如何在資深用戶及開放源碼社群中持續建立差異化優勢：支援開放媒體格式，以及讓用戶精細控制網站獲准向瀏覽器提出的要求。
有兩點詮釋值得向讀者指出：此類基於提示的對話框已知是社交工程攻擊向量，因此減少 mailto: 提示的出現頻率，在消除操作障礙之外，亦帶來一定程度的安全效益；而對於圍繞開放格式建立瀏覽器審閱、歸檔或培訓流程的團隊，Matroska 音訊原生播放意味著內部 pipeline 少了一個轉碼步驟。更少提示、更多檔案可原生開啟、控制項設於用戶預期的位置——總括而言，是一款更安靜、更可預測的瀏覽器。