Nge-9 kaNovemba, kodwa kwiminyaka eli-15 eyadlulayo, inguqulelo ye-1.0 yesikhangeli sewebhu seMozilla "Firefox" sakhutshwa eya kuba yenye yezona bhrawuza zithandwayo kwaye eya kuthi inike idabi elinzima kulawulo lwe "Internet Explorer" ngaloo minyaka. Njengoko emva koko i-Internet Explorer, eyayilawulwa malunga ne-90% yentengiso kwaye abanye okhuphisana nabo ababethayo kunzima ukufikelela kumanqaku eepesenti ezimbalwa. IFirefox enjalo ayizalwanga ngaloo mini, kodwa inembali yayo.
Ukususela IMozilla ekuqaleni yayiligama lekhowudi yeNetscape Navigator. DKwiminyaka eliqela, uNetscape wazama ukulwa neMicrosoft kunye nesikhangeli sakho sewebhu, kodwa sasingenamsebenzi ungako. Unxibelelwano lweNetscape wayenombono wokukhupha ikhowudi yemvelaphi yesikhangeli sakhe seNetscape 4.7 kwaye ke siyenze ibe yiprojekti yesoftware yasimahla.
Nasi isiqalo seFirefoxUluntu lwabaphuhlisi lwenzelwe ukuyila isiphequluli esitsha, esiphuculweyo esigxile ekulandeleni imigangatho yewebhu yeW3C. Yazalwa ke iprojekthi yeMozilla, ithatha igama lekhowudi yeNavigator.
IMozilla yaphinda yabhalwa phantse kwasekuqaleni emva kokuba kuthathwe isigqibo sokuba iseti entsha yeewijethi iza kuphuhliswa kwaye isekwe kuyo. I-XML esekwe kwi-multiplatform ebizwa ngokuba yi-XUL, eyenze ukuba kuthathe ixesha elide ukubonakala kunokuba bekulindelwe, ikhuphe uhlobo oluphezulu lwe-1.0, eguqulelwe kwinani elikhulu leelwimi kunye neplatform ezininzi, ngoJuni 5, 2002.
IMozilla emva koko yehliswa kuNetscape kuNxibelelwanos kunye nayo iMozilla Foundation yazalwa.
Ngenxalenye yalo isikhangeli sihlupheke ngokumisela igama Ukuya koku, kuba igama leFirefox yayingelogama lakuqala, kuba kwathatha iinzame zokuseka igama lesikhangeli esaziwayo namhlanje.
IFirefox, eyavulwa kuqala yayinegama "Phoenix" kodwa ngenxa yokuba ibinengxaki ngezizathu zomthetho, kuye kwafuneka itshintshwe njengoko igama lalisele libhalisiwe ngumvelisi weBIOS iPhoenix Technologies.
Ke Esinye isigqibo senziwe kwaye igama lesibini lakhethwa "Firebird", Oku kubangele impikiswano kwicala ledatha yeFirebird kwaye ukongeza bekukho uxinzelelo rhoqo kuluntu olunyanzelekileyo ukuba luqwalasele amanye amagama anje nge "Firebird Browser" kunye ne "Mozilla Firebird".
Kwaba lelo xesha ke ngoFebruwari 9, 2004 de kwathiywa igama lokuba yiMozilla Firefox (Kubonakala ngathi iMozilla ibinemana okanye inezilwanyana ezinomlilo).
Kwaye emva kweenyanga ezimbalwa inguqulelo 1.0 yeFirefox yayiza kukhutshwa "nge-9 kaNovemba ka-2004".
Kwakuloo nyaka mnye nakwiiveki ezimbalwa ezidlulileyo, inguqulelo yokuqala ka-Ubuntu yakhutshelwa kwihlabathi, esele sithethe ngalo kwinqaku elidlulileyo (ungayijonga kule khonkco ilandelayo). Inguqulelo ye-Ubuntu yayinenguqulo 0.9 yeFirefox.
Kwaye kulungile, ukusukela ngoko isikhangeli senze utshintsho olwahlukileyo zazo ngexesha leminyaka yokuqala uninzi lwazo zezona zinto zazikhangela kwisikhangeli ukufumana inani elikhulu labalandeli.
Omnye umfuziselo waba amandla okuphucula amava okusebenzisa isikhangeli ngoncedo lwe-ciiplagi, kunye nokukhangela okukhangeliweyo, umphathi wokukhuphela. Yiyo loo nto, phakathi kwezinye ezazivela kwaye zapheliswa kwiminyaka edlulileyo.
Ngokubhekisele kuphuhliso lwesikhangeli, kwiminyaka yokuqala yayicotha, kuba kwakungekho ikhalenda emiselweyo enjalo, ukusukela ngo-2011 asifumananga nakancinci iFirefox 4 kwaye kwiinyanga ezintathu kamva iFirefox 5 yayiza kukhutshwa.
Kwakuloo nyaka mnye ngeFirefox 4 kunye Ukusungulwa kweFirefox 5 inkqubo yokumisela eyahlulwahlulwa yaba zi "chaneli" ezininzi, elowo usebenza ekwakhiweni kwinqanaba elahlukileyo lophuhliso, ekuza kuvela kulo iinguqulelo zasebusuku, "iAurora" ifikelela kwiiveki ezintandathu ngasemva "kobusuku" obuya kuthi kamva kuthiwe "uHlelo loPhuculo".
Kwelinye icala, umjikelo wophuhliso uya kusetwa ukukhutshwa kwenguqulelo entsha rhoqo kwiiveki ezi-6.