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I've been using Firefox since, I don't know, 2006? Maybe 2007? Still use it for everything (note that my web dev ability and interest don't really reach beyond

I've been using Firefox since, I don't know, 2006? Maybe 2007? Still use it for everything (note that my web dev ability and interest don't really reach beyond HTML and ASP.Net). My main reasons for using Firefox are it works well and uBlock Origin. What features do other browsers have that Firefox doesn't? What's so compelling about these features? Does Brave still do that ad replacement thing?

nsonha 5y ago
> What features do other browsers have that Firefox this is not a meaningful question. I don't know any major browser that still misses features. If people don't use firefox, it likely that they're not happy with factors such as snappiness, its UI, power usage or synchronization of extensions.
- FourthProtocol 5y ago
  I agree with you. GP stated "feature-wise".
rnd0 5y ago
What's wrong with Ublock Origin on Chrome? Or is there other reasons (read:Google) you don't use Chrome?
- FourthProtocol 5y ago
  It is indeed that I will not use anything from Google unless I absolutely have to (doesn't happen often but image search on DDG sometimes misses results Google shows). I'm fortunate in that I have never bought into Gmail, maps or any other product of theirs. I did however sell my London flat without qualms to a Google employee who offered way more money than the asking price.
- TheGoddessInari 5y ago
  https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/uBlock-Origin-works-best-on-Firefox https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/uBlock-Origin-works-b...
CodeGlitch 5y ago
For me, brave comes with built in features (ad blocking, ipfs, tor) so I don't have to install 3rd party extensions... In the end I have zero extensions installed. Also they are investing a lot into security and privacy (check out the Brave Blog for examples), which is a glimmer of hope for me.
skinkestek 5y ago
Another Firefox user here (although I'm waiting for a fork of the latest one since we cannot get rid of Mozilla any other way it seems). I also cannot see what I should get technically that will be worth giving up tree style tabs and also inching closer to full Chrome monoculture.
soundnote 5y ago
Stock Chromium (which Brave mostly is, UI wise) is snappier, and has things like tab groups which are amazing. I don't remember the last time Firefox introduced a new UI thing that made the browser nicer to use. Containers, probably? The browsing experience on a mostly stock Chromium doesn't differ much from Firefox apart from containers vs. separate profiles, tab groups and sheer speed. Edge and Vivaldi have a ton of actually novel UI innovations built in. Microsoft's doing a lot of menus as floating panels that can be pinned, which turns the menu into a sidebar. Very normie-friendly but powerful. They also have vertical tabs and can hide the titlebar if they are in use. If they weren't a privacy disaster, they'd probably be just the best browser on the market. Vivaldi goes more the tweaker way, their tab strip is an inhouse custom implementation and they have settings for just about everything. They have three different tab group setups alone, can slap tabs on any edge of the window you want or do away with them entirely, etc. I think mobile is where the bigger differences are: Mobile Chromium browsers have tab groups, and tab groups are just as awesome on mobile. They're also clearly snappier than mobile Firefox IME. Stock Chrome falls behind because it doesn't have any adblocking ability on mobile and no extension support. Most forks do, with varying degrees of power. > Does Brave still do that ad replacement thing? Replacement is a bit of a wrong word, in that it implies putting their own ads in place of the normal, usually evil ones. Brave has, separately, a traditional ad blocker (built into the browser instead of being an extension, so it doesn't get nerfed by Manifest v3, and can do CNAME uncloaking like uBO on Firefox can) and an ad delivery system that shows ads from a local catalogue as the background in new tab pages and as toaster popups. Both can be toggled off (and the popups are off by default) and their frequency adjusted by the user. If you turn the ad stuff off, it's close to being a stock Chromium with a bunch of tinfoil and a standalone sync infrastructure.

nsonha 5y ago

> What features do other browsers have that Firefox this is not a meaningful question. I don't know any major browser that still misses features. If people don't use firefox, it likely that they're not happy with factors such as snappiness, its UI, power usage or synchronization of extensions.

FourthProtocol 5y ago
I agree with you. GP stated "feature-wise".

rnd0 5y ago

What's wrong with Ublock Origin on Chrome? Or is there other reasons (read:Google) you don't use Chrome?

FourthProtocol 5y ago
It is indeed that I will not use anything from Google unless I absolutely have to (doesn't happen often but image search on DDG sometimes misses results Google shows). I'm fortunate in that I have never bought into Gmail, maps or any other product of theirs. I did however sell my London flat without qualms to a Google employee who offered way more money than the asking price.
TheGoddessInari 5y ago
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/uBlock-Origin-works-best-on-Firefox https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/uBlock-Origin-works-b...

CodeGlitch 5y ago

For me, brave comes with built in features (ad blocking, ipfs, tor) so I don't have to install 3rd party extensions... In the end I have zero extensions installed. Also they are investing a lot into security and privacy (check out the Brave Blog for examples), which is a glimmer of hope for me.

skinkestek 5y ago

Another Firefox user here (although I'm waiting for a fork of the latest one since we cannot get rid of Mozilla any other way it seems). I also cannot see what I should get technically that will be worth giving up tree style tabs and also inching closer to full Chrome monoculture.

soundnote 5y ago

Stock Chromium (which Brave mostly is, UI wise) is snappier, and has things like tab groups which are amazing. I don't remember the last time Firefox introduced a new UI thing that made the browser nicer to use. Containers, probably? The browsing experience on a mostly stock Chromium doesn't differ much from Firefox apart from containers vs. separate profiles, tab groups and sheer speed. Edge and Vivaldi have a ton of actually novel UI innovations built in. Microsoft's doing a lot of menus as floating panels that can be pinned, which turns the menu into a sidebar. Very normie-friendly but powerful. They also have vertical tabs and can hide the titlebar if they are in use. If they weren't a privacy disaster, they'd probably be just the best browser on the market. Vivaldi goes more the tweaker way, their tab strip is an inhouse custom implementation and they have settings for just about everything. They have three different tab group setups alone, can slap tabs on any edge of the window you want or do away with them entirely, etc. I think mobile is where the bigger differences are: Mobile Chromium browsers have tab groups, and tab groups are just as awesome on mobile. They're also clearly snappier than mobile Firefox IME. Stock Chrome falls behind because it doesn't have any adblocking ability on mobile and no extension support. Most forks do, with varying degrees of power. > Does Brave still do that ad replacement thing? Replacement is a bit of a wrong word, in that it implies putting their own ads in place of the normal, usually evil ones. Brave has, separately, a traditional ad blocker (built into the browser instead of being an extension, so it doesn't get nerfed by Manifest v3, and can do CNAME uncloaking like uBO on Firefox can) and an ad delivery system that shows ads from a local catalogue as the background in new tab pages and as toaster popups. Both can be toggled off (and the popups are off by default) and their frequency adjusted by the user. If you turn the ad stuff off, it's close to being a stock Chromium with a bunch of tinfoil and a standalone sync infrastructure.