4 ms·

I've been telling my IRL non-technical friends to use Brave. By far the easiest migration path, literally is Chrome, but with with a good built-in ad blocker an

by Spivak 2y ago

I've been telling my IRL non-technical friends to use Brave. By far the easiest migration path, literally is Chrome, but with with a good built-in ad blocker and uBlock Origin. I've long since understood that any browser that I would use should be treated as an anti-recommendation for normal folks. I can already see the "but the crypto thing" and yeah, I don't love it but it's so out of the way that I don't even know how to turn it on in Brave if I wanted. Getting people weened off of Google Chrome (tm) is better than trying, and failing, to get them on the "ideal" browser. Edit: Instead of downvoting actually try convincing a normal person to switch to Firefox and see how well it goes. I've been recommending it for 10+ years and they're all still on Chrome. But in two days I have 4 new Brave users.

Analemma_ 2y ago
If one of my friends kept pitching cryptoscam shit to me I’d stop talking to them in short order. I suspect your IRL non-technical friends feel similarly.
- J_Shelby_J 2y ago
  At this point the backlash to crypto is more ridiculous than the actual crypto scams.
  - rtgdfm420 2y ago
    [dead]
  - hnpolicestate 2y ago
    It's used to steer people away from Brave because it's the lowest hanging fruit. Individuals can hide their true political motivations for trashing the browser.
- Spivak 2y ago
  Literally the first thing anyone who recommends Brave says is to avoid the stupid crypto thing, myself included. Look Firefox doesn't exactly come up smelling like a rose here, when you recommend Firefox you have to tell them to turn off the ads in the new tab page, ads in the URL bar (https://imgur.com/a/EXtzhg4 https://imgur.com/a/EXtzhg4), and Pocket, in Brave the crypto thing is opt-in.
hnpolicestate 2y ago
You have to take the CEO's philosophy into account when choosing technology tools unfortunately. I personally dmd Eich on Twitter during 2019-2021 ish. He's opposed to censorship, tracking, government lockdowns during COVID, and authoritarianism. That is exactly who you want running your browser and search company if you wish to use an open Internet. It's anti chat control, anti governments choosing which apps it's citizens can install, it's free speech for all, including "hate speech". Open and free wild West Internet culture.
- jrflowers 2y ago
  > He's opposed to […] government lockdowns during COVID > That is exactly who you want running your browser and search company Yes. “Does the CEO have strong opinions on public health? Are those opinions based more on public health fundamentals or is it vibes?” is the first line of inquiry I pursue when I am looking to download a program on the computer
  - hnpolicestate 2y ago
    No. You don't want someone who believes in vaccine passports and lockdowns running your browser if you truly value an open and free internet with roadblocks to tracking, fingerprinting etc. No CEO or developer is going to respect to software/hardware users if they believe that user should also use health verification software to go about public spaces. These are incompatible philosophies.
    - jrflowers 2y ago
      Exactly. When you want to use a program on the computer you want to make sure that the CEO of the company that makes it is very vocal about things completely unrelated to the computer. Like would you take your car to a mechanic who doesn’t post about the keto diet? Absolutely not. Would you buy a quiche from a man that does not have a dedicated page to perineum sunning? No one would, it would be insane to even consider such a purchase. Such a baker would be ostracized abd run out of business overnight
topspin 2y ago
> But in two days I have 4 new Brave users. What happens when adtech decides this is a problem because the hoi polloi have arrived? Have you thought about that as you're cluing in normies?
- Spivak 2y ago
  My only motivation is to help my friends who got the "uBlock Origin is no longer supported" notification get their ad blocking back in a way that sticks. To me that's the most important thing. Any what ifs about the future can be addressed then. The browser that is a literal drop-in replacement is the best way to do this. I think it's cool that other browsers are trying new things but now isn't the time. People have to be be in a place where they want something different in order to accept change. All of them got the notification while trying to something else and "install Brave, import, move Brave to where the Chrome icon used to be, and continue with what you were doing" is alarmingly effective.
soundnote 2y ago
Running uBO and Shields at the same time isn't a good idea, generally speaking. Pick one and go with it.

by Spivak 2y ago

Analemma_ 2y ago

If one of my friends kept pitching cryptoscam shit to me I’d stop talking to them in short order. I suspect your IRL non-technical friends feel similarly.

J_Shelby_J 2y ago
At this point the backlash to crypto is more ridiculous than the actual crypto scams.
- rtgdfm420 2y ago
  [dead]
- hnpolicestate 2y ago
  It's used to steer people away from Brave because it's the lowest hanging fruit. Individuals can hide their true political motivations for trashing the browser.
Spivak 2y ago
Literally the first thing anyone who recommends Brave says is to avoid the stupid crypto thing, myself included. Look Firefox doesn't exactly come up smelling like a rose here, when you recommend Firefox you have to tell them to turn off the ads in the new tab page, ads in the URL bar (https://imgur.com/a/EXtzhg4 https://imgur.com/a/EXtzhg4), and Pocket, in Brave the crypto thing is opt-in.

hnpolicestate 2y ago

You have to take the CEO's philosophy into account when choosing technology tools unfortunately. I personally dmd Eich on Twitter during 2019-2021 ish. He's opposed to censorship, tracking, government lockdowns during COVID, and authoritarianism. That is exactly who you want running your browser and search company if you wish to use an open Internet. It's anti chat control, anti governments choosing which apps it's citizens can install, it's free speech for all, including "hate speech". Open and free wild West Internet culture.

jrflowers 2y ago
> He's opposed to […] government lockdowns during COVID > That is exactly who you want running your browser and search company Yes. “Does the CEO have strong opinions on public health? Are those opinions based more on public health fundamentals or is it vibes?” is the first line of inquiry I pursue when I am looking to download a program on the computer
- hnpolicestate 2y ago
  No. You don't want someone who believes in vaccine passports and lockdowns running your browser if you truly value an open and free internet with roadblocks to tracking, fingerprinting etc. No CEO or developer is going to respect to software/hardware users if they believe that user should also use health verification software to go about public spaces. These are incompatible philosophies.
  - jrflowers 2y ago
    Exactly. When you want to use a program on the computer you want to make sure that the CEO of the company that makes it is very vocal about things completely unrelated to the computer. Like would you take your car to a mechanic who doesn’t post about the keto diet? Absolutely not. Would you buy a quiche from a man that does not have a dedicated page to perineum sunning? No one would, it would be insane to even consider such a purchase. Such a baker would be ostracized abd run out of business overnight

topspin 2y ago

> But in two days I have 4 new Brave users. What happens when adtech decides this is a problem because the hoi polloi have arrived? Have you thought about that as you're cluing in normies?

Spivak 2y ago
My only motivation is to help my friends who got the "uBlock Origin is no longer supported" notification get their ad blocking back in a way that sticks. To me that's the most important thing. Any what ifs about the future can be addressed then. The browser that is a literal drop-in replacement is the best way to do this. I think it's cool that other browsers are trying new things but now isn't the time. People have to be be in a place where they want something different in order to accept change. All of them got the notification while trying to something else and "install Brave, import, move Brave to where the Chrome icon used to be, and continue with what you were doing" is alarmingly effective.

soundnote 2y ago

Running uBO and Shields at the same time isn't a good idea, generally speaking. Pick one and go with it.