Which browser do you use and why?
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Updates? The main downstream browsers received updates the same time as Firefox the same day and sometime the same hour
I'm not sure if something has changed, but due to changes they've made, at least before they couldn't ship out the updates until they made it so that the updates actually affect their changed codebase. Which understandably causes delays. So there'd always be this delay with something being fixed on Firefox and then being fixed on the downstream projects.
Surely there will be some delay but not that much, for most updates the fixes are transplanted directly to the downstream project making the patches coming very fast, almost as fast as the original project
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Surely there will be some delay but not that much, for most updates the fixes are transplanted directly to the downstream project making the patches coming very fast, almost as fast as the original project
I've just soured on them from when there has been issues. Some security patches took a while because of the changed codebase. Good if that doesn't happen anymore though.
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I've just soured on them from when there has been issues. Some security patches took a while because of the changed codebase. Good if that doesn't happen anymore though.
Should retry it and make your own decision
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Using firefox but concerned now
Firefox. Read the new statements on their website and the Full diff of the pull request. Not concerned at all.
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I just don't care for downstream projects on browsers, with software so critical I want to get the updates in as fast as possible. I know some of those mentioned in OP had issues with that in the past. And not much reason to anyway for me to switch, Firefox works perfectly fine for me, so there's not much added benefit.
I share your general reasoning (about staying with Firefox). Except this:
Firefox works perfectly fine for me, so there’s not much added benefit
The added benefit of going with one of the downstream forks is that you can be sure they're not gonna pull some new monetization trick next month. That does count for something.
BUT, again, I share your concerns about security, that's why I'll likely stay with Firefox till the end.
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Understand your point of view but in fact the 2 problems you mentioned are mainly not problems :
1 - Updates? The main downstream browsers received updates the same time as Firefox the same day and sometime the same hour
2 - Benefits? The benefits are mainly under the hood, removing Mozilla telemetry and annoying features (account, pocket...) AND the biggest advantages are the gain in term of privacy due the increase of anti fingerprinting methods
But who's making these "updates"? Who's doing the actual work of keeping the software secure? Mozilla is.
If everybody moves to a free-riding fork, Mozilla goes to 0% and there will be no browser let alone updates.
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Should retry it and make your own decision
I'm confused. I've already made my decision when I used them before and it doesn't seem like the main thing (them being just downstream of Firefox) has changed? Like said, I don't see the benefits being big enough to warrant a switch.
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I share your general reasoning (about staying with Firefox). Except this:
Firefox works perfectly fine for me, so there’s not much added benefit
The added benefit of going with one of the downstream forks is that you can be sure they're not gonna pull some new monetization trick next month. That does count for something.
BUT, again, I share your concerns about security, that's why I'll likely stay with Firefox till the end.
The added benefit of going with one of the downstream forks is that you can be sure they’re not gonna pull some new monetization trick next month. That does count for something.
It doesn't count for much, if they do that I can just switch then.
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But who's making these "updates"? Who's doing the actual work of keeping the software secure? Mozilla is.
If everybody moves to a free-riding fork, Mozilla goes to 0% and there will be no browser let alone updates.
You're right but first don't worry the biggest part of people use stock Firefox and secondly Firefox stock is just not as private as a fork
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I'm confused. I've already made my decision when I used them before and it doesn't seem like the main thing (them being just downstream of Firefox) has changed? Like said, I don't see the benefits being big enough to warrant a switch.
If it's not for me then you are free to stay with stock firefox
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The added benefit of going with one of the downstream forks is that you can be sure they’re not gonna pull some new monetization trick next month. That does count for something.
It doesn't count for much, if they do that I can just switch then.
Yes, that's my thinking. For now it's acceptable.
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You're right but first don't worry the biggest part of people use stock Firefox and secondly Firefox stock is just not as private as a fork
How is a hobbyist fork of Firefox selling your data and slurping up whatever they want from the browser? People use forks because the company's telemetry and data collection are often removed from the fork.
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Yes, that's my thinking. For now it's acceptable.
Let's hope it doesn't get much worse than this. The direction is pretty alarming.
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How is a hobbyist fork of Firefox selling your data and slurping up whatever they want from the browser? People use forks because the company's telemetry and data collection are often removed from the fork.
That's what I said
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IIRC, it's one of the few add-ons that does work with Librewolf.
I've never heard of librewolf preventing dark mode. Garuda's firedragon browser was based on librewolf before switching to floorp, and it came with the darkreader extension by default.
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Using firefox but concerned now
Mostly fennec (firefox) on android but there are concerning news every half year about firefox. No idea how long I can withstand.
Vanadium is my alternative but it has no (good) browser tab overview (list instead of huge squares). And bottom navigation is sub par as well. Brave would be better in that regard but vanadium is rock solid.
As soon as firefox drops ublock, I'm out. I mean you can't trust firefox not chaning their path anymore.
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I use Mullvad Browser. It's maintained in coordination with the Tor Project, and is essentially the Tor Browser with Tor itself stripped out. Same browser fingerprinting protections, however, among other things.
This is my lead contender now that Firefox is shitting the bed. Any downsides?
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Using firefox but concerned now
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This is my lead contender now that Firefox is shitting the bed. Any downsides?
Mull browser is deprecated, Ironfox is the community fork
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What’s wrong with Chromium? License or Google backing?
The Google backing. See ublock Origin for example. Google wants less effective ad blockers because ads are 90% of their business. Google removed manifest v2, which is needed for good ad blocking capabilities. Now Chromium, and any browser based on it (Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, etc.), also lose it. Some have said they will manually add it back in to their browser, but that will only be possible for so long as Google’s upstream Chromium base further diverges.
The massive market share of Chromium-based browsers also gives Google near complete control over web standards. There are many websites that use non-standard functionality that only works in Chromium and not Firefox or Safari. Developers also will not adopt new standards unless Google chooses to as well because there would not be enough users to justify it otherwise.
TLDR: Control over Chromium gives Google extremely strong influence over the web and their interests likely do not have much overlap with yours.
