So far, the only downside of the latest version (Firefox Quantum) is the "TLS handshake" which precedes each and every URL access. Sometimes it 'fails' and I have to hit reload one or more times for it to 'catch'. That may be an issue with my dialup transfer speed, and it's quasi-tolerable. [For example, gaining initial access to FTM took 5 reloads for the TLS handshake to 'catch' and opening up the reply window took only one.] Apparently the "TLS handshake" has been a problem across all platforms ever since it was introduced in version 54; but it would appear that most kinks have been worked out.
I know nothing from "TLS handshake" other than that I'd be
reeeally unhappy having to reload a website 5 times before it would work.
If the problem is pervasive, it negates the speed boost.
I was wrong; the TLS handshake only occurs with secure URLs (which almost every organization has now switched to).
From a number of sources:
Transport Layer Security (TLS) — and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), which is now prohibited from use — are cryptographic protocols that provide communications security (privacy and data integrity) over a computer network.
We still refer to our security certificates as SSL because it is a more commonly used term, but when buying SSL from Symantec you are actually buying the most up-to-date TLS certificates with the option of ECC, RSA or DSA encryption.
As for the necessity of reloading, as far as I can tell, there's no way of predicting when or if it will happen. Once again, I suspect that it has to do with my access speed which can vary. Once in a while it's aggravating but mostly not. Once the connection is verified by the TLS handshake, the loading speed is way better than previously.
