The Mozilla Firefox 158 release package is now available on official servers, though the browser remains in beta as of October 12. The stable version is scheduled for release on October 13, with official release notes still pending completion.
The primary update in version 158 is the default support for the JPEG XL image format. Previously, this feature required manual activation through experimental settings. The browser now includes image/jxl in HTTP Accept headers, allowing websites to serve this format if their server configuration permits.
JPEG XL supports both lossy and lossless compression, transparency, animations, and HDR, while also enabling lossless transcoding for existing JPEG files. The update also improves the form-filling experience in Smart Window, allowing users to populate fields more efficiently.
For developers, the release introduces support for CSS Typed Arithmetic, enabling division operations in functions like calc() for values with identical data types but different units. Additionally, the update adds WebTransport connection statistics and new navigation options for system notifications.
The browser also integrates the float32-blendable feature for WebGPU, which allows textures in r32float, rg32float, or rgba32float formats to participate in blending operations. Once the stable version launches, it will be available for Windows, macOS, and Linux users.
