3 ms·

> Nowadays using Firefox feels more like holding a political demonstration in an empty room than using the finely-tuned instrument I once had. I can't think of

> Nowadays using Firefox feels more like holding a political demonstration in an empty room than using the finely-tuned instrument I once had. I can't think of better words to describe my feeling as a Firefox holdout. It's still my default browser, and the one I use for 97% of my work. Mozilla is breaking my heart with their floundering. Like a fantasy author who keeps getting mired in side quests and can never get back to the main plot. Stop with the goofy marketing tie ins, the hostile telemetry choices, the side products like Pocket and VPN, and just make a fucking browser that doesn't attempt to hide complexity from the user. Focus on that, do yearly fundraising like Wikipedia does, and be content.

TylerE 5y ago
With a strategy like that how would they justify millions a year in C-level salaries?
- account42 5y ago
  It can't be worse for growth than their current strategy of burning the house down, which for some reason does not prevent them from justifying millions a year in C-level salaries.
darkfirefly 5y ago
Maybe uh... not like Wikipedia does https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:CANCER https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:CANCER
- function_seven 5y ago
  Hah, yeah, I've seen that page before. It's not ideal. I'd still take it over their current funding strategy of "don't piss off Google." Or maybe I should find a better example. But one thing about Wikipedia is that it appears to be much the same as it was 10 years ago and more. Wikipedia hasn't started introducing Wiki VPN, nor has it partnered with Mr. Robot to temporarily insert marketing stuff into articles. To the extent that Wikimedia has graft and vanity projects, they're not ruining the core "product". So... I guess yeah, just like Wikipedia, as in "Look, even with donations you can spend a crapton of money. Maybe not $500mm a year, but still enough to support development of an open source software product."
GekkePrutser 5y ago
Indeed.. For me the only reason I still really use it is because the other options are even worse. I definitely won't use Chrome. And Microsoft is pushing edge so hard it annoys me (both at work politically, and by pushing it everywhere in Windows) Also, Firefox is the only browser I know that has end to end encrypted sync. Google and Microsoft enjoy snooping around in your bookmarks (great to determine marketing interests) too much to ever offer this. You can even self host it. Also it still has a few power user features left over like container tabs. Though they've relegated it to a plug-in now.

TylerE 5y ago

With a strategy like that how would they justify millions a year in C-level salaries?

account42 5y ago
It can't be worse for growth than their current strategy of burning the house down, which for some reason does not prevent them from justifying millions a year in C-level salaries.

darkfirefly 5y ago

Maybe uh... not like Wikipedia does https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:CANCER https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:CANCER

function_seven 5y ago
Hah, yeah, I've seen that page before. It's not ideal. I'd still take it over their current funding strategy of "don't piss off Google." Or maybe I should find a better example. But one thing about Wikipedia is that it appears to be much the same as it was 10 years ago and more. Wikipedia hasn't started introducing Wiki VPN, nor has it partnered with Mr. Robot to temporarily insert marketing stuff into articles. To the extent that Wikimedia has graft and vanity projects, they're not ruining the core "product". So... I guess yeah, just like Wikipedia, as in "Look, even with donations you can spend a crapton of money. Maybe not $500mm a year, but still enough to support development of an open source software product."

GekkePrutser 5y ago

Indeed.. For me the only reason I still really use it is because the other options are even worse. I definitely won't use Chrome. And Microsoft is pushing edge so hard it annoys me (both at work politically, and by pushing it everywhere in Windows) Also, Firefox is the only browser I know that has end to end encrypted sync. Google and Microsoft enjoy snooping around in your bookmarks (great to determine marketing interests) too much to ever offer this. You can even self host it. Also it still has a few power user features left over like container tabs. Though they've relegated it to a plug-in now.