HTMLGoodies Staff

Mozilla is releasing Firefox 55 today, and the latest iteration of the open source browser will support virtual reality (VR). Firefox’s VR support is based on the WebVR standard. For now, it only works with two headsets: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge also support VR, with Chrome boasting the longest […]

In the past, Apple has not made clear whether it plans to support progressive Web apps (PWAs). And some developers believes that Safari’s lack of support for the Service Worker API, which runs background scripts in the browser, meant that the company didn’t not intend to embrace PWAs. Web developer Greg Blass recently blogged “Service […]

A team of MIT graduate students have released a new JavaScript library called TensorFire that makes it possible to run machine learning models from within a browser. Based on Google’s TensorFlow technology, TensorFire uses the hardware-accelerated graphics APIs in modern browsers to set up neural networks on any GPU. Importantly, it doesn’t require the end […]

Hackernoon has published a list of the hottest Web development trends so far for 2017. It includes the following: Artificial intelligence (AI) The Internet of Things (IoT) Increasing use of JavaScript Static site generators Virtual reality GIFs Bots View article

Facebook has released a beta version of React 16, the latest update to its open source JavaScript framework for creating user interfaces. The social network had previously promised that this version of React would deliver native-like performance, but the beta does not accomplish that goal—yet. For now, the company wants to know if developers see […]

Since 1996, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has shielded websites from prosecution when users post criminal content. In the wake of a human trafficking case involving the notorious website Backpage, a group of lawmakers led by Republican Sen. Rob Portman is proposing new legislation that would weaken Section 230’s protections and hold Web […]

A pre-release version of the Chrome Canary App for Android now has a setting that allows users to turn on ad-blocking capabilities. Earlier reports said that Google plans to integrate ad-blocking within the release versions of Chrome by next year. The feature will allow users to block ads that Google deems “intrusive.” Interested Web developers […]

While many developers rejoiced at the news that Adobe is doing away with Flash, Juha Lindstedt has posted a petition on GitHub asking the firm to open source the technology. Lindstedt doesn’t want developers to keep making new Flash content, but he does want to preserve the old content for posterity. “We do lots to […]

In its earnings report for Q2 2017, Facebook reported $9.3 billion in revenue, including total ad revenue of $9.16 billion. That generated earnings of $3.89 billion, or $1.41 per share, which was a 71 percent year-over-year increase and beat analyst expectations of $1.34 per share. The social network also revealed that mobile advertising now accounts […]

Google is doing away with the Instant feature on its search engine. For years, Google has begun showing search results while users were still typing their query, but no longer. The site explained, “We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible, […]

Netflix developer Joe Lesko has released a beta version of OWL, a new programming language for server-side Web development. Short for OWL Web Language, OWL has a syntax similar to JavaScript and compiles to PHP. It aims to be more secure than PHP and includes built-in features to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Lesko described […]

Adobe has announced that it will officially end support for its Flash Player at the end of 2020. Although it was once the default standard for playing video on the Internet, the Flash platform has been declining in recent years. Apple’s decision not to support Flash on its mobile devices contributed heavily to its demise. […]