If you are like Paul Morris and make use of a number of different web browsers, then it can become a little confusing to keep up with release schedules and what has actually been included when a company like Mozilla or Google pushes out a new update. For those who use Firefox regularly, you will probably be aware that for one reason or another Mozilla have changed the way they release updates, and whether or not that is to keep in line with competitors is open for discussion.

Mozilla whisked the covers off Webmaker yesterday, a new development initiative intended to encourage Web-based development across the globe. The company stated that Webmaker's goal is to, "move people from using the Web to making the Web," in a blog post. Mozilla is encouraging people to participate in a series of coding events it's calling the Summer Code Party, and has partnered with some notable organizations and individuals to further its agenda.

For the first week in history, Google Chrome is the most-used browser in the world, according to Statcounter. While Chrome has been leapfrogging the incumbent Internet Explorer on weekends for some time now, the week of May 14th–20th marks the first time Chrome has averaged a higher traffic share over a full seven-day stretch.

Despite big name tech companies - such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Oracle - supporting the controversial Internet surveillance bill that passed in the House last week, Mozilla has come out against the legislation. "While we wholeheartedly support a more secure Internet, CISPA has a broad and alarming reach that goes far beyond Internet security," the tech company wrote to Forbes reporter Andy Greenberg. "The bill infringes on our privacy, includes vague definitions of cyber security, and grants immunities to companies and government that are too broad around information misuse."

Mozilla yesterday released Firefox 12, patching 14 security bugs in the browser and moving it one step closer to matching rival Chrome in silent updating. The latest in the line of updates that have rolled off the Mozilla development line every six weeks since mid-2011, Firefox 12 fixed seven vulnerabilities labeled "critical," the highest threat ranking in Mozilla's four-step scoring, four bugs tagged "high" and three pegged "moderate."

If you have been following the recent development of the Firefox web browser, and in particular Mozilla’s plans with the next upcoming versions, you know that there will be lots of – good – change coming to the browser. From excellent features like click to play, a new Firefox design, a Metro version for Windows 8, Silent Updates, and many cool features for Firefox 13 (which not all may make it into that version).

The Android OS version of Google's Chrome browser is now available in a host of new languages and has gained several new features, but it remains in beta testing and is afflicted with a variety of bugs. First released in February for tablets and phones that run the 4.0 version of Android, also called Ice Cream Sandwich, Chrome for Android now has its user interface in 31 additional languages and is available in all countries with access to Google Play, which was previously known as the Android Market.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has little love for the new generation of desktop interfaces, such as Windows 8 Metro. They use a smartphone/tablet like metaphor in which each application takes up the entire screen. So, why did he bought all these 20-inch and larger displays? Google, in the latest developer release of its Linux and cloud-based Chrome OS, has reversed this trend. This developer Chrome OS update adds a taskbar and support for multiple windows to its light-weight, desktop operating system.

Mozilla recently published a demo of standards-based video chat in an experimental build of Firefox. The functionality is built with the Web Real Time Communication (WebRTC) standard, which aims to support streaming audio and video communication on the Web without relying on plugins. The WebRTC standard is currently in the draft stage, but it has been endorsed by most of the major browser vendors. Some initial components are already available in several browsers.

As a webmaster who is always looking for the latest and greatest, Caschy has to admit that he dislike the Chrome web store. The core reason for this is that it does not allow him to sort by new extensions, or updated extensions. When you open it, you always see the same old extensions and apps at the top, with little room for changing what is displayed on the page. While it is possible to sort by popular, recommended and rating, it does not change the fact that you won’t see a lot of new extensions at the top of those pages.