5 ms·

Yeah, the best New Tab experience is about:blank.

by Grue3 7y ago

kbenson 7y ago
I'm usually in agreement with that, but I admit I've found the occasional article that drew my attention from Firefox's new tab page. Maybe once every week or two over that last couple months. That may or may not be enough to justify its existence (for me, at least), but it's not nothing. I obviously got some value out of it.
- veidr 7y ago
  Yeah, I get so much value from Pocket that I even switched from Instapaper. It's not Pocket that's the problem, it's the gross attempted force-feeding (that just makes me want to try some other browser like Brave (not an endorsement, just what I personally would investigate next)). How about, instead of "we plastered all this shit from the crap we bought onto every single browser window you henceforth open, you mindless peon!": how about they did some promo graphic and well-done animated enticement, along the lines of, "Hey! Pocket has tons of subscribers who upvote the most meaningful and relevant stories to them — how about we replace your blank homepage with the best of the best?" But instead they're just like EAT THIS SHIT PLEEB and you know what fuck it I did just switch my default browser while typing this. :middle-finger-emoji-that-HNs-1970s-site-generator-isnt-compatible-with:
  - rizwank 7y ago
    Could you share why you prefer Pocket to Instapaper?
  - smt88 7y ago
    Last time I installed Brave, the new tab page had a link to a cryptocurrency news site (probably a paid placement). If you want the least-gross behavior, it's not going to come from a for-profit startup.
    - veidr 7y ago
      Maybe not, but it seems to be the least annoying right now. I've never seen it show me an ad (including paid placement type ads) so far. I guess if they junked up their new tab page with intrusive encouragement to start using Brave Rewards and Basic Attention Token (BAT) then that would sort of be the equivalent of what Firefox is doing...
      - smt88 7y ago
        It doesn't block ads very well for me on iOS, and it's really buggy and unstable. My Firefox experience is excellent on every device that supports it. It's unfortunate and frustrating that all iOS browsers are just Safari.
  - rdiddly 7y ago
    Reminds me of when a musician onstage yells for you to MAKE SOME NOOOIISE!! Um no, the deal is, you be up there and be really good, and fill me with such delight that I can't keep quiet and make a bunch of nooooiise.
  - iamnotacrook 7y ago
    "you know what fuck it I did just switch my default browser while typing this. :middle-finger-emoji" Hell yeah! Stick it to the man! Totally consume that content with a different browser!
- GrayTextIsTruth 7y ago
  maximalism: maximizing the amount of stuff you have with hopes of getting SOME value out of them. minimalism: minimalizing the amount of stuff you have with hopes of getting LOTS of value out of them.
- duncanawoods 7y ago
  I am 100% team blank tab. When I open a new tab, I am "on task" - I have a problem that needs answering and the last thing I want is any distraction. Everything from news articles, todo lists or witty quotes is counter-productive to staying on task. It's almost the worst possible time to be shoving some unrequested content into my face to break concentration and pull me in the wrong direction.
aswan 7y ago
If that's what best for you, its trivial to change it in about:preferences (in the "Home" section). What's "best" for everybody is hard to define, I would bet that Mozilla has studied this significantly more than Grue3 has.
- tomc1985 7y ago
  I love how you're unquestionably endorsing studies whos motivations are unclear. Best for who? Users? Mozilla? And to what end? Usability? Profit?
ferzul 7y ago
i dunno, i liked the old one that had the frequently visited sites list in it. the new one that insists on showing me some article i read and then finished confuses me tho.

Yeah, the best New Tab experience is about:blank.

by Grue3 7y ago

Yeah, the best New Tab experience is about:blank.

I'm usually in agreement with that, but I admit I've found the occasional article that drew my attention from Firefox's new tab page. Maybe once every week or two over that last couple months. That may or may not be enough to justify its existence (for me, at least), but it's not nothing. I obviously got some value out of it.

veidr 7y ago
Yeah, I get so much value from Pocket that I even switched from Instapaper. It's not Pocket that's the problem, it's the gross attempted force-feeding (that just makes me want to try some other browser like Brave (not an endorsement, just what I personally would investigate next)). How about, instead of "we plastered all this shit from the crap we bought onto every single browser window you henceforth open, you mindless peon!": how about they did some promo graphic and well-done animated enticement, along the lines of, "Hey! Pocket has tons of subscribers who upvote the most meaningful and relevant stories to them — how about we replace your blank homepage with the best of the best?" But instead they're just like EAT THIS SHIT PLEEB and you know what fuck it I did just switch my default browser while typing this. :middle-finger-emoji-that-HNs-1970s-site-generator-isnt-compatible-with:
- rizwank 7y ago
  Could you share why you prefer Pocket to Instapaper?
- smt88 7y ago
  Last time I installed Brave, the new tab page had a link to a cryptocurrency news site (probably a paid placement). If you want the least-gross behavior, it's not going to come from a for-profit startup.
  - veidr 7y ago
    Maybe not, but it seems to be the least annoying right now. I've never seen it show me an ad (including paid placement type ads) so far. I guess if they junked up their new tab page with intrusive encouragement to start using Brave Rewards and Basic Attention Token (BAT) then that would sort of be the equivalent of what Firefox is doing...
    - smt88 7y ago
      It doesn't block ads very well for me on iOS, and it's really buggy and unstable. My Firefox experience is excellent on every device that supports it. It's unfortunate and frustrating that all iOS browsers are just Safari.
- rdiddly 7y ago
  Reminds me of when a musician onstage yells for you to MAKE SOME NOOOIISE!! Um no, the deal is, you be up there and be really good, and fill me with such delight that I can't keep quiet and make a bunch of nooooiise.
- iamnotacrook 7y ago
  "you know what fuck it I did just switch my default browser while typing this. :middle-finger-emoji" Hell yeah! Stick it to the man! Totally consume that content with a different browser!
GrayTextIsTruth 7y ago
maximalism: maximizing the amount of stuff you have with hopes of getting SOME value out of them. minimalism: minimalizing the amount of stuff you have with hopes of getting LOTS of value out of them.
duncanawoods 7y ago
I am 100% team blank tab. When I open a new tab, I am "on task" - I have a problem that needs answering and the last thing I want is any distraction. Everything from news articles, todo lists or witty quotes is counter-productive to staying on task. It's almost the worst possible time to be shoving some unrequested content into my face to break concentration and pull me in the wrong direction.

aswan 7y ago

If that's what best for you, its trivial to change it in about:preferences (in the "Home" section). What's "best" for everybody is hard to define, I would bet that Mozilla has studied this significantly more than Grue3 has.

tomc1985 7y ago
I love how you're unquestionably endorsing studies whos motivations are unclear. Best for who? Users? Mozilla? And to what end? Usability? Profit?

ferzul 7y ago

i dunno, i liked the old one that had the frequently visited sites list in it. the new one that insists on showing me some article i read and then finished confuses me tho.