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So, if I understand this correctly... It's a regular browser, but like you're always in private mode + it's got a built-in ad blocker? If I want to check Hacke

So, if I understand this correctly... It's a regular browser, but like you're always in private mode + it's got a built-in ad blocker? If I want to check Hacker News let's say 5 times throughout the day and feel like leaving a comment, I have to login again, without autocomplete..? Maybe I'm missing something.

aembleton 9y ago
Your assumptions are correct.
- nkkollaw 9y ago
  Mh. It's amazing how far apart I got from every single one of Mozilla's visions, from using Firefox as my main browser 8 years ago. I love the fact that—as an example—as I travel Google shows me tools that I'll be interested in, like a currency converter, translate + word of the day in the local language, etc. etc. I would absolutely hate having my main browser constantly forget who I am. I feel almost blessed every time I visit a website that I can log in with one click (or I'm already logged in), and when I sign up or buy stuff I can autofill my name, email, address, and credit card without having to start from scratch. I'm not ready to give up extreme convenience and lots of time for the ideal of safeguarding my privacy with Google or Apple.
  - bigbugbag 9y ago
    I cannot agree more, it seems mozilla is out of touch with their users and advocates, don't listen to feedback and just do whatever will lose them the most marketshare and alienates their supporter so their flagship firefox will become irrelevant in the least time possible. It looks like they're scrambling to try to stay afloat and miss and miss again.
  - CaptSpify 9y ago
    I actually love this browser (been using it for a month or two), but it seems like your usage is just different. I prefer to stay anonymous, but use the "real" FF occasionally for stuff I need to be logged in for. Browsing links friends send me, or checking something with a quick google search is something that I'd rather stay anonymous for, so I prefer having it available.
  - mgberlin 9y ago
    I absolutely could not agree less. Every time Google shows me some sort of "magic" that I know involves their massive compendium of personal data, I'm reminded of how much I been detest that they've stolen that information from me. No matter how much I opt out, say no, and turn things off, they continue to extract wealth from my need for basic modern services. I can't tell you much much I appreciate Mozilla understanding that and releasing products that feel usable without being exploitive.
    - JadeNB 9y ago
      > Every time Google shows me some sort of "magic" that I know involves their massive compendium of personal data, I'm reminded of how much I been detest that they've stolen that information from me. So just use something else! Oh, wait, you want to check your official university e-mail? That's provided by Google now. Oh, wait, you wanted to check city transit information? That's provided by Google now. (I'd probably use Google for the latter anyway, but it'd be nice to be able to pretend that I had a choice.)
      - newscracker 9y ago
        > So just use something else! Oh, wait, you want to check your official university e-mail? That's provided by Google now. Oh, wait, you wanted to check city transit information? That's provided by Google now. Google's own policies prevent it from doing data mining on GSuite accounts, like official email provided by Google in universities or companies or businesses. I'm sure other providers have similar policies as well. Unless you don't trust Google even a bit, your comparison on the email provider point is useless. I prefer separating things out and examining them instead of combining everything into one single worrisome name.
  - eridius 9y ago
    Every single thing you describe can be done without giving Google all your personal data. Log in with one click, autofill, etc is all browser-local. And currency converter, translations, word of the day, etc can all be done as browser extensions.
    - nkkollaw 9y ago
      > Log in with one click, autofill, etc is all browser-local. Yes, but if I sign up from my cell phone, I'd like to have that info on my desktop browser automatically and on other computers, so no. > And currency converter, translations, word of the day, etc can all be done as browser extensions. Sure, but what a pain. I wouldn't go through the pain of searching, installing, configuring, and then removing an extension for each one of of those things. I just don't care about any of them that much, it was just nice having them there automatically.
      - eridius 9y ago
        > Yes, but if I sign up from my cell phone, I'd like to have that info on my desktop browser automatically and on other computers, so no. I'm pretty sure Safari will sync that info using iCloud, and I think Firefox has its own sync mechanism that can be used for this. Or you could use any one of the numerous password managers (I use 1Password). > Sure, but what a pain. I wouldn't go through the pain of searching, installing, configuring, and then removing an extension for each one of of those things. If you actually care about having any of those, it's really not hard to search for and install extensions. You seem to be overplaying the difficulty involved here, especially for something of such relative low utility.
feikname 9y ago
The purpose is to be used for quick browsing, like Google Searches, without worrying with trackers and someone getting your history. You can always use incognito mode, but this is more convenient. It is also really fast and lightweight, which is a plus for most mobile devices. It is not meant to replace your main browser (probably). Also, as rcthompson said in another comment: > This is useful to use as your default browser. It has a quick way to open the same link in another browser, so you can use it as a sort of quarantine to vet unknown links before exposing your main browser and all its juicy user data to a new website.
- nkkollaw 9y ago
  I see. Honestly, most of the time when I use Google Searches is because I want to look for something, and I love when Google personalizes results so that if I type "Amiga" it knows it's the computer and I don't want to learn Spanish. Most importantly, I end up visiting lots of websites that I might want to comment on, visit later on/not lose if my phone dies, share with my girlfriend, etc. I personally don't see any advantage with incognito mode unless you want to hide porn from your spouse, so I guess I'm not the target for a browser created to be incognito-mode-only, and if I was I would probably use Tor, because they might not be share my info, but my IP is there for everyone to see along with the websites I visit.
  - bigbugbag 9y ago
    Not everyone enjoys the filter bubble, but I tend to agree with you that always on incognito mode is annoying and does not protect your privacy except from your spouse. If you want to protect your privacy at least use tor.
    - nkkollaw 9y ago
      Exactly. I don't see how private browsing can protect you in any way, while your IP is in the clear along with all HTTP requests you make.
  - barrkel 9y ago
acdha 9y ago
On iOS, it also ships a comprehensive Safari content blocker which will work in Safari and embedded WebKit views.
- kccqzy 9y ago
  Nitpick: not just any UIWebView, but only the Safari view controller.
trendroid 9y ago
>Maybe I'm missing something. The features you explained are exactly what I was looking for in a mobile browser. In fact, i wish they launch Focus for Desktops operating systems too.
- JadeNB 9y ago
  > In fact, i wish they launch Focus for Desktops operating systems too. Yes, I was just thinking the same thing. I can almost imagine a world where software believes me about what kind of experience I want, "full site" on mobile or "mobile site" on the desktop, rather than browser sniffing followed by awkward clicking around to correct its misapprehensions.
- ams6110 9y ago
  There are already minimalist desktop browsers if you want one. For example, http://surf.suckless.org/ http://surf.suckless.org/
- nkkollaw 9y ago
  I think you're looking for the Tor Browser. If you don't log in into websites, I don't see why you would leave yourself exposed and very easily hacked with Firefox or private browsing if there's Tor. Private browsing is NOT secure. It's just a shortcut to avoid clearing your history manually. ANYONE can see who you are, and what sites you visit with easy-to-use tools that are available online for free.
  - daxelrod 9y ago
    > Private browsing is NOT secure. Security is not an absolute. The best you can do is talk about whether something addresses a particular threat model. There are different tradeoffs to Tor. A big downside is that unencrypted traffic is now easier for intermediaries to read and even change, because of how exit nodes work.
fiatjaf 9y ago
You didn't read the article, that's why you're "missing something".

aembleton 9y ago

Your assumptions are correct.

nkkollaw 9y ago
Mh. It's amazing how far apart I got from every single one of Mozilla's visions, from using Firefox as my main browser 8 years ago. I love the fact that—as an example—as I travel Google shows me tools that I'll be interested in, like a currency converter, translate + word of the day in the local language, etc. etc. I would absolutely hate having my main browser constantly forget who I am. I feel almost blessed every time I visit a website that I can log in with one click (or I'm already logged in), and when I sign up or buy stuff I can autofill my name, email, address, and credit card without having to start from scratch. I'm not ready to give up extreme convenience and lots of time for the ideal of safeguarding my privacy with Google or Apple.
- bigbugbag 9y ago
  I cannot agree more, it seems mozilla is out of touch with their users and advocates, don't listen to feedback and just do whatever will lose them the most marketshare and alienates their supporter so their flagship firefox will become irrelevant in the least time possible. It looks like they're scrambling to try to stay afloat and miss and miss again.
- CaptSpify 9y ago
  I actually love this browser (been using it for a month or two), but it seems like your usage is just different. I prefer to stay anonymous, but use the "real" FF occasionally for stuff I need to be logged in for. Browsing links friends send me, or checking something with a quick google search is something that I'd rather stay anonymous for, so I prefer having it available.
- mgberlin 9y ago
  I absolutely could not agree less. Every time Google shows me some sort of "magic" that I know involves their massive compendium of personal data, I'm reminded of how much I been detest that they've stolen that information from me. No matter how much I opt out, say no, and turn things off, they continue to extract wealth from my need for basic modern services. I can't tell you much much I appreciate Mozilla understanding that and releasing products that feel usable without being exploitive.
  - JadeNB 9y ago
    > Every time Google shows me some sort of "magic" that I know involves their massive compendium of personal data, I'm reminded of how much I been detest that they've stolen that information from me. So just use something else! Oh, wait, you want to check your official university e-mail? That's provided by Google now. Oh, wait, you wanted to check city transit information? That's provided by Google now. (I'd probably use Google for the latter anyway, but it'd be nice to be able to pretend that I had a choice.)
    - newscracker 9y ago
      > So just use something else! Oh, wait, you want to check your official university e-mail? That's provided by Google now. Oh, wait, you wanted to check city transit information? That's provided by Google now. Google's own policies prevent it from doing data mining on GSuite accounts, like official email provided by Google in universities or companies or businesses. I'm sure other providers have similar policies as well. Unless you don't trust Google even a bit, your comparison on the email provider point is useless. I prefer separating things out and examining them instead of combining everything into one single worrisome name.
- eridius 9y ago
  Every single thing you describe can be done without giving Google all your personal data. Log in with one click, autofill, etc is all browser-local. And currency converter, translations, word of the day, etc can all be done as browser extensions.
  - nkkollaw 9y ago
    > Log in with one click, autofill, etc is all browser-local. Yes, but if I sign up from my cell phone, I'd like to have that info on my desktop browser automatically and on other computers, so no. > And currency converter, translations, word of the day, etc can all be done as browser extensions. Sure, but what a pain. I wouldn't go through the pain of searching, installing, configuring, and then removing an extension for each one of of those things. I just don't care about any of them that much, it was just nice having them there automatically.
    - eridius 9y ago
      > Yes, but if I sign up from my cell phone, I'd like to have that info on my desktop browser automatically and on other computers, so no. I'm pretty sure Safari will sync that info using iCloud, and I think Firefox has its own sync mechanism that can be used for this. Or you could use any one of the numerous password managers (I use 1Password). > Sure, but what a pain. I wouldn't go through the pain of searching, installing, configuring, and then removing an extension for each one of of those things. If you actually care about having any of those, it's really not hard to search for and install extensions. You seem to be overplaying the difficulty involved here, especially for something of such relative low utility.

feikname 9y ago

The purpose is to be used for quick browsing, like Google Searches, without worrying with trackers and someone getting your history. You can always use incognito mode, but this is more convenient. It is also really fast and lightweight, which is a plus for most mobile devices. It is not meant to replace your main browser (probably). Also, as rcthompson said in another comment: > This is useful to use as your default browser. It has a quick way to open the same link in another browser, so you can use it as a sort of quarantine to vet unknown links before exposing your main browser and all its juicy user data to a new website.

nkkollaw 9y ago
I see. Honestly, most of the time when I use Google Searches is because I want to look for something, and I love when Google personalizes results so that if I type "Amiga" it knows it's the computer and I don't want to learn Spanish. Most importantly, I end up visiting lots of websites that I might want to comment on, visit later on/not lose if my phone dies, share with my girlfriend, etc. I personally don't see any advantage with incognito mode unless you want to hide porn from your spouse, so I guess I'm not the target for a browser created to be incognito-mode-only, and if I was I would probably use Tor, because they might not be share my info, but my IP is there for everyone to see along with the websites I visit.
- bigbugbag 9y ago
  Not everyone enjoys the filter bubble, but I tend to agree with you that always on incognito mode is annoying and does not protect your privacy except from your spouse. If you want to protect your privacy at least use tor.
  - nkkollaw 9y ago
    Exactly. I don't see how private browsing can protect you in any way, while your IP is in the clear along with all HTTP requests you make.
- barrkel 9y ago

acdha 9y ago

On iOS, it also ships a comprehensive Safari content blocker which will work in Safari and embedded WebKit views.

kccqzy 9y ago
Nitpick: not just any UIWebView, but only the Safari view controller.

trendroid 9y ago

>Maybe I'm missing something. The features you explained are exactly what I was looking for in a mobile browser. In fact, i wish they launch Focus for Desktops operating systems too.

JadeNB 9y ago
> In fact, i wish they launch Focus for Desktops operating systems too. Yes, I was just thinking the same thing. I can almost imagine a world where software believes me about what kind of experience I want, "full site" on mobile or "mobile site" on the desktop, rather than browser sniffing followed by awkward clicking around to correct its misapprehensions.
ams6110 9y ago
There are already minimalist desktop browsers if you want one. For example, http://surf.suckless.org/ http://surf.suckless.org/
nkkollaw 9y ago
I think you're looking for the Tor Browser. If you don't log in into websites, I don't see why you would leave yourself exposed and very easily hacked with Firefox or private browsing if there's Tor. Private browsing is NOT secure. It's just a shortcut to avoid clearing your history manually. ANYONE can see who you are, and what sites you visit with easy-to-use tools that are available online for free.
- daxelrod 9y ago
  > Private browsing is NOT secure. Security is not an absolute. The best you can do is talk about whether something addresses a particular threat model. There are different tradeoffs to Tor. A big downside is that unencrypted traffic is now easier for intermediaries to read and even change, because of how exit nodes work.

fiatjaf 9y ago

You didn't read the article, that's why you're "missing something".