Mozilla launches advance

Mozilla has launched an experimental new extension for Firefox called Advance, which recommends new websites and articles based on your recent browsing history. Could this be the future of internet browsing?

There are two parts to Advance: a “Read Next” section in your browsers sidebar, working like a forward button which recommends related articles based on your current tab, for example, say you are browsing a list of popular restaurants, Advance could recommend other, similar eateries to make it easier for you to compare them.

Image sourced from https://testpilot.firefox.com/experiments/advance

There is also a broader “For You” section, which uses your recent history to populate its recommendations when opening a new tab.

Images sourced from https://testpilot.firefox.com/experiments/advance

This extension is part of Firefox’s ongoing Test Pilot program (which users can opt into anytime) and is powered by the machine learning startup Laserlike to better understand a user’s browsing habits. Advance’s recommendations are based purely on relevance (there’s no sponsored content), and if you see anything you don’t like, you can flag it or give direct feedback to Mozilla.

Not everything trialed in Test Pilot will be released as a finished product, but it’s a great way to try some fun and unusual extensions and help shape the future of Firefox. Anyone who uses Firefox can join – just sign up with your email address and start experimenting.

Have you given it a go already? We’d love to know what you think! Tweet us and tell us your thoughts @msodotnet

Images are sourced from https://testpilot.firefox.com/experiments/advance