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This is a really cool gimmick, but meanwhile... I've been using Firefox exclusively for 20 years but recently I had no choice but to switch to Chrome for work m

This is a really cool gimmick, but meanwhile... I've been using Firefox exclusively for 20 years but recently I had no choice but to switch to Chrome for work meetings because the microphone would get randomly disconnected in Firefox. I really hope Mozilla wake up and switch their focus back to trying to make the best browser possible and not wasting time with spin-offs like this one or I'm afraid soon there will be nothing left but Chrome.

this_user 6y ago
I wish they would fix Firefox Mobile. Their recent redesign has largely destroyed the usability in terms of UI while also removing key features like the ability to install arbitrary addons. This is by far the most poorly thought out change that I have ever seen an established piece of software make.
- livre 6y ago
  What's broken besides being able to install unapproved add-ons? The new redesign made it usable on my old phone, the old Firefox mobile was too slow for it and would frequently run out of memory. And the new UI with tabs on bottom made it usable on my new phone that has a big screen.
  - cpeterso 6y ago
    Firefox Nightly for Android now has a debug setting to allow installing any add-on from addons.mozilla.org, not just the (growing) list of add-ons blessed by Mozilla QA: https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extension-support-in-firefox-for-android-nightly/ https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extensio...
  - csande17 6y ago
    Here's my personal gripe list: - The New Tab Page isn't an actual page that lives in a tab anymore. Instead, it's a sort of "launcher" that lives outside the tabs. This creates all sort of bizarre UX issues, like if you click on a top-site, click back, and click on another top-site, you now have two tabs open. - The tab switcher has been replaced with a janky spring-loaded pop-tart that appears to have been lifted directly from the Google Maps search results screen without any understanding of why it works in that context. - Several important areas of the UI are now dedicated to "Collections", a feature that's just like bookmark folders (which are still present), except for weird subtle differences like not syncing properly. - You can no longer display your bookmarks on the New Tab Page. - You can no longer use themes other than the included "light" or "dark". - You can't navigate to data URIs anymore -- you get a generic something-bad-happened error instead. - A thousand little UI papercuts. Why do half the animations do weird-looking double fades? Why is the New Tab Page scrollable even when there's no additional content to reveal by scrolling? Why are the contents of the hamburger menu slightly different when you're on the New Tab Page?
    - m4rtink 6y ago
      Add: - dropped print support (!) - dropped tablet optimized UI (tab bar) - dropped keyboard shortcut support
    - hackerfromthefu 6y ago
      My theory is that the money from Google comes with strings attached to pester the power users that rely on Firefox with disruptions and anti-features. To avoid Firefox from actually getting market share, but keep it as a paper tiger for anti-trust purposes.
  - toupeira 6y ago
    More gripes: - Tab queue is gone. - Bookmark keywords stopped working. - Sharing directly from another app to a synced desktop Firefox is gone.
    - _odnes 6y ago
      Yet more: -JS Bookmarklets no longer work. -Searching with a particular search engine through the URL bar, used to take one touch gesture. Now you need to press "Search engine", scroll down to your selection (e.g. wikipedia isn't visible by default), press it, and then select among a weird collection of recommended search alternatives. And, as op said, you don't even have the option to use keywords and be done with this nonsense.
      - csande17 6y ago
        Ooh, nearly forgot: you know how Firefox is supposed to be the ethical, privacy-respecting browser? They ship an on-by-default advertising data-collection SDK now!
  - MayeulC 6y ago
    To add to what was said, the "X" button is hard to reach and doesn't seem to interrupt js anymore. I have trouble distinguishing private and non-private windows, saved logins got burried in the settings again, the tab list always scroll at the bottom where my old tabs are, etc. Midori recently got a mobile port, it runs quite well and I do not think it's a chromium reskin.
  - Steltek 6y ago
    Tablet oriented UI, installing custom CA certs don't work, keyboard shortcuts are all gone.
- cpeterso 6y ago
  Firefox Nightly for Android now has a debug setting to allow installing any add-on from addons.mozilla.org, not just the (growing) list of add-ons blessed by Mozilla QA: https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extension-support-in-firefox-for-android-nightly/ https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extensio...
- hackerfromthefu 6y ago
  I switched to brave after this latest round on the Mozilla merry-go round. My theory is that the money from Google comes with strings attached to pester the power users that rely on Firefox with disruptions and anti-features. To avoid Firefox from actually getting market share, but keep it as a paper tiger for anti-trust purposes.
rewq4321 6y ago
As crazy as it sounds, they should probably switch to a Chromium "back-end" so they can innovate on top of it - like Brave and the new Edge. Firefox has no chance at competing with these multi-billion-dollar juggernauts on the browser engine itself. They should build a brand as the privacy-focused flavor of Chromium. Chromium is the new Linux.
- yepthatsreality 6y ago
  This makes no sense and if they did this their users would leave in droves. Their non-Chromium browser engine is one of the biggest reasons people use Firefox.

this_user 6y ago

I wish they would fix Firefox Mobile. Their recent redesign has largely destroyed the usability in terms of UI while also removing key features like the ability to install arbitrary addons. This is by far the most poorly thought out change that I have ever seen an established piece of software make.

livre 6y ago
What's broken besides being able to install unapproved add-ons? The new redesign made it usable on my old phone, the old Firefox mobile was too slow for it and would frequently run out of memory. And the new UI with tabs on bottom made it usable on my new phone that has a big screen.
- cpeterso 6y ago
  Firefox Nightly for Android now has a debug setting to allow installing any add-on from addons.mozilla.org, not just the (growing) list of add-ons blessed by Mozilla QA: https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extension-support-in-firefox-for-android-nightly/ https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extensio...
- csande17 6y ago
  Here's my personal gripe list: - The New Tab Page isn't an actual page that lives in a tab anymore. Instead, it's a sort of "launcher" that lives outside the tabs. This creates all sort of bizarre UX issues, like if you click on a top-site, click back, and click on another top-site, you now have two tabs open. - The tab switcher has been replaced with a janky spring-loaded pop-tart that appears to have been lifted directly from the Google Maps search results screen without any understanding of why it works in that context. - Several important areas of the UI are now dedicated to "Collections", a feature that's just like bookmark folders (which are still present), except for weird subtle differences like not syncing properly. - You can no longer display your bookmarks on the New Tab Page. - You can no longer use themes other than the included "light" or "dark". - You can't navigate to data URIs anymore -- you get a generic something-bad-happened error instead. - A thousand little UI papercuts. Why do half the animations do weird-looking double fades? Why is the New Tab Page scrollable even when there's no additional content to reveal by scrolling? Why are the contents of the hamburger menu slightly different when you're on the New Tab Page?
  - m4rtink 6y ago
    Add: - dropped print support (!) - dropped tablet optimized UI (tab bar) - dropped keyboard shortcut support
  - hackerfromthefu 6y ago
    My theory is that the money from Google comes with strings attached to pester the power users that rely on Firefox with disruptions and anti-features. To avoid Firefox from actually getting market share, but keep it as a paper tiger for anti-trust purposes.
- toupeira 6y ago
  More gripes: - Tab queue is gone. - Bookmark keywords stopped working. - Sharing directly from another app to a synced desktop Firefox is gone.
  - _odnes 6y ago
    Yet more: -JS Bookmarklets no longer work. -Searching with a particular search engine through the URL bar, used to take one touch gesture. Now you need to press "Search engine", scroll down to your selection (e.g. wikipedia isn't visible by default), press it, and then select among a weird collection of recommended search alternatives. And, as op said, you don't even have the option to use keywords and be done with this nonsense.
    - csande17 6y ago
      Ooh, nearly forgot: you know how Firefox is supposed to be the ethical, privacy-respecting browser? They ship an on-by-default advertising data-collection SDK now!
- MayeulC 6y ago
  To add to what was said, the "X" button is hard to reach and doesn't seem to interrupt js anymore. I have trouble distinguishing private and non-private windows, saved logins got burried in the settings again, the tab list always scroll at the bottom where my old tabs are, etc. Midori recently got a mobile port, it runs quite well and I do not think it's a chromium reskin.
- Steltek 6y ago
  Tablet oriented UI, installing custom CA certs don't work, keyboard shortcuts are all gone.
cpeterso 6y ago
Firefox Nightly for Android now has a debug setting to allow installing any add-on from addons.mozilla.org, not just the (growing) list of add-ons blessed by Mozilla QA: https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extension-support-in-firefox-for-android-nightly/ https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extensio...
hackerfromthefu 6y ago
I switched to brave after this latest round on the Mozilla merry-go round. My theory is that the money from Google comes with strings attached to pester the power users that rely on Firefox with disruptions and anti-features. To avoid Firefox from actually getting market share, but keep it as a paper tiger for anti-trust purposes.

rewq4321 6y ago

As crazy as it sounds, they should probably switch to a Chromium "back-end" so they can innovate on top of it - like Brave and the new Edge. Firefox has no chance at competing with these multi-billion-dollar juggernauts on the browser engine itself. They should build a brand as the privacy-focused flavor of Chromium. Chromium is the new Linux.

yepthatsreality 6y ago
This makes no sense and if they did this their users would leave in droves. Their non-Chromium browser engine is one of the biggest reasons people use Firefox.