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Does a serious alternative to Firefox exist? I mean an alternative that is what Firefox purports to be? I'm ready to make the switch. Been with Mozilla since Ph

Does a serious alternative to Firefox exist? I mean an alternative that is what Firefox purports to be? I'm ready to make the switch. Been with Mozilla since Pheonix, but the user hostility has become too much.

bloopernova 5y ago
You could give Waterfox a try.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
jjcon 5y ago
I know some get annoyed with this answer but if you look into what the Brave team is doing they have a lot of really interesting projects in the works. I've had a great experience with Brave.
- throwaway661885 5y ago
  Please no https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28746873 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28746873 Edit - Also 'Ublock Origin' works best with Firefox https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26755252 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26755252
  - WithinReason 5y ago
    I couldn't find anything of substance here, just FUD
- BiteCode_dev 5y ago
  Brave being webkit, it's not an alternative.
  - jjcon 5y ago
    >Brave being webkit, it's not an alternative. Brave is Blink not webkit - Blink has been developed by Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel and many others. It is the standard for web rendering just as linux is for web hosting. There is nothing wrong with open standards.
    - throwaway661885 5y ago
      It's not as open as one would think. The corporations have too much control over it that if someone forks it, they will be left behind. Check how syncing was disabled in chromium recently.
      - jjcon 5y ago
        >if someone forks it, they will be left behind Is gecko any different in this regard? That is how forking works. >The corporations have too much control over it Blink seems better in this regard, it has received major contributions from just about every major tech company out there diversifying its control. Gecko has been primarily just mozilla (especially these days since it only represents about 3% of the market).
        BiteCode_dev 5y ago
        So the worst and most powerful IT corporations in the world spreading their vision as a world standard VS a non profit offering ecosystem diversity ? I guess I lost my touch, I've been feeding the troll.
        jjcon 5y ago
        >a non profit offering ecosystem diversity You mean mozilia where over 70% of their revenue is from google? https://www.ghacks.net/2020/12/10/mozillas-revenue-jumped-to-828-million-u-s-dollar-in-2019/ https://www.ghacks.net/2020/12/10/mozillas-revenue-jumped-to...
    - throwaway2048 5y ago
      Blink is in no way an "open standard"
- xx511134bz 5y ago
  They also have a search engine that's good enough most of the time.
intelMgmntEnema 5y ago
Personal opinion: There is an entire economy and ecosystem based on rewarding sinister web design. The complexity and resources involved in keeping pace with contemporary garbage while qualifying simply as a functional browser is too vast. So much that I suspect it's all downhill from here. I don't believe we'll ever see an all around user-friendly, privacy respecting, well designed, functional browser. I'd delight in being wrong here, but sincerely doubt it.
- tablespoon 5y ago
  > There is an entire economy and ecosystem based on rewarding sinister web design. The complexity and resources involved in keeping pace with contemporary garbage while qualifying simply as a functional browser is too vast. Yeah, HTML standards have basically evolved into a kind of regulatory capture that protects Google's browser. Even Microsoft found them too difficult to implement and meet user expectations. > I don't believe we'll ever see an all around user-friendly, privacy respecting, well designed, functional browser. I'd delight in being wrong here, but sincerely doubt it. At least if we rely on market incentives. I suppose we might see one if it's regulated into existence (e.g. European regulators forcing Google, Microsoft, etc. to provide browsers that respect privacy and provide functional extension capability for ad blockers and the like).
kunagi7 5y ago
Well... A few years ago I did the same journey, abandoning Firefox for something else. There's several stable and serious browsers out there. After looking for weeks I created a list of categories... And it depends on what are you willing to sacrifice: Just want a plain browser, without logins, synchronization, without ANY external connections etc: Ungoogled-chromium (Windows, Linux...) and Bromite (Android). Don't care about full web compatibility or speed but keep your privacy under control: Waterfox Classic and Palemoon (Windows and Linux). Don't care about Open Source vs Closed Source licensing (but still preserve some privacy): Vivaldi (the most customizable Chromium-based browser out there but the UI even after several improvements feels a bit slower than other browsers). Don't care about privacy... Then it's quite easy: Edge, Chrome, Opera. If you are into cryptocurrencies or need a nice browser with decent adblocking on iOS: Brave. I decided to use Vivaldi since I like to personalize the looks of my browser quite a lot. The best recommendation is to try everything for a while and settle with the one you feel most comfortable.
- brutal_chaos_ 5y ago
  I really appreciate your comment. Of that list, Vivaldi seemed like the best option for me (even If proprietary...), but on mobile I noticed page loading lag that happened with Firefox on Android in the early days. So I'm still searching... :/
- nsonha 5y ago
  All these forks will die because even firefox, a well organised OSS project is struggling That leaves Edge, Chrome, Opera and Vivaldi Because you even mentioned them, I don't think you understand the question. Let me rephrase it: who will develop, and have a sustainable business model for a new browser engine and break Chromium's monoculture, other than Firefox?
  - kreeben 5y ago
    >> firefox, a well organised OSS project I see no proof of this. >> is struggling Money-wise, no. Management-wise, hell-to-the-yes.
kayson 5y ago
I wish. Gecko is open source, so there's no technical reason another non-Chromium browser couldn't be created (which I think is important for the web ecosystem, avoiding browser monoculture, etc.). I suspect that no one has really done it because it would be a terrible uphill battle and there's no direct revenue to be had. Browser money comes from ad/search partnerships, which require a strong existing userbase, or just the userbase itself in the case of something like Chrome.
- paulryanrogers 5y ago
  There are several active Firefox forks like LibreWolf and Waterfox
shock 5y ago
I plan to give LibreWolf a try.
charcircuit 5y ago
Have you heard of Chrome. It's made by Google, the company behind the most popular search engine. It's fast and has lots of features. It's got pretty popular over the last several years. I recommend checking it out.
- yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
  > It's made by Google, the company behind the most popular search engine. Google's abuse of their search dominance to push their way into browsers is a compelling reason to boycott it.
  - charcircuit 5y ago
    I don't think it's wrong for a business to advertise other products / services it offers on its web properties. Google wanted to get the word out so where better than on their homepage.
- Shared404 5y ago
  > I mean an alternative that is what Firefox purports to be? To privacy and functionality thow shalt count. Not to infunctionality, nor tracking. Google is Right Out.
  - charcircuit 5y ago
    Google respects your privacy and Chrome tends to have more features than Firefox.
    - Shared404 5y ago
      > Google respects your privacy Do you work there? I see no other way you could possibly think this. If not, do you have a source you can provide? > Chrome tends to have more features than Firefox This is true. Some features, I have no use for, some are outside of standards and thus lead to the same issue as years ago with IE, and some fall under both. Admittedly, me having no use for some doesn't mean they don't have value for other people. It's the standard extend and extinguishing that worries me. And yes, a standard that only one company can hit may as well be extinguished.
decasteve 5y ago
I mentioned this on another post: The Tor Browser without Tor. It’s Firefox with all the “extras” stripped away. The instructions on how to do so are easy to find on the web. It also supports all the same add-ons/plugins.
ssss11 5y ago
I’m wondering if Vivaldi is a good option?
magnaton 5y ago
LibreWolf is a fork of Firefox that removes telemetry, Pocket, and other unwanted stuff. You can use a copy of your existing Firefox profile, but be sure to go through LibreWolf's settings as its defaults err on the side of privacy and may be different than what you already have set up.

bloopernova 5y ago

You could give Waterfox a try.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

jjcon 5y ago

I know some get annoyed with this answer but if you look into what the Brave team is doing they have a lot of really interesting projects in the works. I've had a great experience with Brave.

throwaway661885 5y ago
Please no https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28746873 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28746873 Edit - Also 'Ublock Origin' works best with Firefox https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26755252 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26755252
- WithinReason 5y ago
  I couldn't find anything of substance here, just FUD
BiteCode_dev 5y ago
Brave being webkit, it's not an alternative.
- jjcon 5y ago
  >Brave being webkit, it's not an alternative. Brave is Blink not webkit - Blink has been developed by Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel and many others. It is the standard for web rendering just as linux is for web hosting. There is nothing wrong with open standards.
  - throwaway661885 5y ago
    It's not as open as one would think. The corporations have too much control over it that if someone forks it, they will be left behind. Check how syncing was disabled in chromium recently.
    - jjcon 5y ago
      >if someone forks it, they will be left behind Is gecko any different in this regard? That is how forking works. >The corporations have too much control over it Blink seems better in this regard, it has received major contributions from just about every major tech company out there diversifying its control. Gecko has been primarily just mozilla (especially these days since it only represents about 3% of the market).
      - BiteCode_dev 5y ago
        So the worst and most powerful IT corporations in the world spreading their vision as a world standard VS a non profit offering ecosystem diversity ? I guess I lost my touch, I've been feeding the troll.
        jjcon 5y ago
        >a non profit offering ecosystem diversity You mean mozilia where over 70% of their revenue is from google? https://www.ghacks.net/2020/12/10/mozillas-revenue-jumped-to-828-million-u-s-dollar-in-2019/ https://www.ghacks.net/2020/12/10/mozillas-revenue-jumped-to...
  - throwaway2048 5y ago
    Blink is in no way an "open standard"
xx511134bz 5y ago
They also have a search engine that's good enough most of the time.

intelMgmntEnema 5y ago

Personal opinion: There is an entire economy and ecosystem based on rewarding sinister web design. The complexity and resources involved in keeping pace with contemporary garbage while qualifying simply as a functional browser is too vast. So much that I suspect it's all downhill from here. I don't believe we'll ever see an all around user-friendly, privacy respecting, well designed, functional browser. I'd delight in being wrong here, but sincerely doubt it.

tablespoon 5y ago
> There is an entire economy and ecosystem based on rewarding sinister web design. The complexity and resources involved in keeping pace with contemporary garbage while qualifying simply as a functional browser is too vast. Yeah, HTML standards have basically evolved into a kind of regulatory capture that protects Google's browser. Even Microsoft found them too difficult to implement and meet user expectations. > I don't believe we'll ever see an all around user-friendly, privacy respecting, well designed, functional browser. I'd delight in being wrong here, but sincerely doubt it. At least if we rely on market incentives. I suppose we might see one if it's regulated into existence (e.g. European regulators forcing Google, Microsoft, etc. to provide browsers that respect privacy and provide functional extension capability for ad blockers and the like).

kunagi7 5y ago

Well... A few years ago I did the same journey, abandoning Firefox for something else. There's several stable and serious browsers out there. After looking for weeks I created a list of categories... And it depends on what are you willing to sacrifice: Just want a plain browser, without logins, synchronization, without ANY external connections etc: Ungoogled-chromium (Windows, Linux...) and Bromite (Android). Don't care about full web compatibility or speed but keep your privacy under control: Waterfox Classic and Palemoon (Windows and Linux). Don't care about Open Source vs Closed Source licensing (but still preserve some privacy): Vivaldi (the most customizable Chromium-based browser out there but the UI even after several improvements feels a bit slower than other browsers). Don't care about privacy... Then it's quite easy: Edge, Chrome, Opera. If you are into cryptocurrencies or need a nice browser with decent adblocking on iOS: Brave. I decided to use Vivaldi since I like to personalize the looks of my browser quite a lot. The best recommendation is to try everything for a while and settle with the one you feel most comfortable.

brutal_chaos_ 5y ago
I really appreciate your comment. Of that list, Vivaldi seemed like the best option for me (even If proprietary...), but on mobile I noticed page loading lag that happened with Firefox on Android in the early days. So I'm still searching... :/
nsonha 5y ago
All these forks will die because even firefox, a well organised OSS project is struggling That leaves Edge, Chrome, Opera and Vivaldi Because you even mentioned them, I don't think you understand the question. Let me rephrase it: who will develop, and have a sustainable business model for a new browser engine and break Chromium's monoculture, other than Firefox?
- kreeben 5y ago
  >> firefox, a well organised OSS project I see no proof of this. >> is struggling Money-wise, no. Management-wise, hell-to-the-yes.

kayson 5y ago

I wish. Gecko is open source, so there's no technical reason another non-Chromium browser couldn't be created (which I think is important for the web ecosystem, avoiding browser monoculture, etc.). I suspect that no one has really done it because it would be a terrible uphill battle and there's no direct revenue to be had. Browser money comes from ad/search partnerships, which require a strong existing userbase, or just the userbase itself in the case of something like Chrome.

paulryanrogers 5y ago
There are several active Firefox forks like LibreWolf and Waterfox

shock 5y ago

I plan to give LibreWolf a try.

charcircuit 5y ago

Have you heard of Chrome. It's made by Google, the company behind the most popular search engine. It's fast and has lots of features. It's got pretty popular over the last several years. I recommend checking it out.

yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
> It's made by Google, the company behind the most popular search engine. Google's abuse of their search dominance to push their way into browsers is a compelling reason to boycott it.
- charcircuit 5y ago
  I don't think it's wrong for a business to advertise other products / services it offers on its web properties. Google wanted to get the word out so where better than on their homepage.
Shared404 5y ago
> I mean an alternative that is what Firefox purports to be? To privacy and functionality thow shalt count. Not to infunctionality, nor tracking. Google is Right Out.
- charcircuit 5y ago
  Google respects your privacy and Chrome tends to have more features than Firefox.
  - Shared404 5y ago
    > Google respects your privacy Do you work there? I see no other way you could possibly think this. If not, do you have a source you can provide? > Chrome tends to have more features than Firefox This is true. Some features, I have no use for, some are outside of standards and thus lead to the same issue as years ago with IE, and some fall under both. Admittedly, me having no use for some doesn't mean they don't have value for other people. It's the standard extend and extinguishing that worries me. And yes, a standard that only one company can hit may as well be extinguished.

decasteve 5y ago

I mentioned this on another post: The Tor Browser without Tor. It’s Firefox with all the “extras” stripped away. The instructions on how to do so are easy to find on the web. It also supports all the same add-ons/plugins.

ssss11 5y ago

I’m wondering if Vivaldi is a good option?

magnaton 5y ago

LibreWolf is a fork of Firefox that removes telemetry, Pocket, and other unwanted stuff. You can use a copy of your existing Firefox profile, but be sure to go through LibreWolf's settings as its defaults err on the side of privacy and may be different than what you already have set up.