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Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

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Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#161

Post by 482794793792894 »

bhnmmhmd wrote: post #15
notheguyouthink wrote: post #2

I just wish it was .. faster. Lately I've been moving away from Google everywhere I can. I moved everything but Google Voice. Yes, even Google Search - I've moved to DuckDuckGo. On windows however, I had to fall back to Chrome, because I was just shocked at how slow Firefox was. Opening pages like Twitch.tv proved to be shockingly slow. Furthermore, my habit of opening many tabs in the background like I do in Chrome/…

I always admired Mozilla for their efforts in making Firefox better. But I switched to Chrome many years ago. For me, the problem with FF was UI and UX. Chrome and Safari just feel more "smooth and sleek", and UI elements are consistent (Look how Chrome buttons are rounded-rectangles). The other reason I switched from FF was that Chrome has always been simply better. Sure, FF can handle many tabs, but I save that for…

A redesigned UI is coming to Firefox with version 57. Maybe you'll like that one better.

Can't exactly argue with your other point, since you don't explain how Chrome beats Firefox, but as many people in this thread have already said, Firefox is currently picking up a lot of speed. You can try Firefox Nightly, if you want a taste right now. Or wait until Firefox 57, which will hit stable on Nov 14.

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#162

Post by noisem4ker »

482794793792894 wrote: post #127
jacquesm wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is the perfectly functional tree style tab extension. That's another waste of resources. Really, Mozilla resource allocation is a mystery to me.

They are trying to move away from the old extension API (because maintaining that ate up a crap ton of resources, so don't come up with that move being a waste of resources) and Tree-Style Tabs is not yet compatible with this new API. The Vertical Tabs test pilot thing was them demonstrating that it could be done (including to themselves, they need to test these APIs) and giving the community something to work with,…

>The Vertical Tabs test pilot thing was [...] to test these APIs

Except that Tab Center wasn't a way for them to test the new WebExt APIs, as it was still based on XUL. See here: https://discourse.mozilla-community.org/t/whats-all-this-abo...

>maintaining [the old extension API] ate up a crap ton of resources, so don't come up with that move being a waste of resources

Arguably not a waste if that meant preserving the most powerful extension environment out there, and also one of the very few reasons for people to stay with Firefox.

Signed: a Firefox user

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#163

Post by paulio »

romanovcode wrote: post #148
paulio wrote: post #147

I find it hard to believe that speed is really the issue here. I suspect it's more likely it's the aggressive advertising scheme in which Google push for Chrome. I think these projects which Mozilla test/launch are an indication that even they don't know how to stop the eroding of Firefox market share. If I were Mozilla I'd be seriously worried about Electron.

Isn't Electron based on Chromium? Also, why would they be worried about it? Chrome cannot control, for example VS Code.

Because developers will code apps around Electron -> Chromium. It'll get more focus because of that.

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#164

Post by paulio »

mirsadm wrote: post #154
paulio wrote: post #147

I find it hard to believe that speed is really the issue here. I suspect it's more likely it's the aggressive advertising scheme in which Google push for Chrome. I think these projects which Mozilla test/launch are an indication that even they don't know how to stop the eroding of Firefox market share. If I were Mozilla I'd be seriously worried about Electron.

Speed is definitely an issue on the mobile app. Personally I think Mozilla should try harder with the mobile market. Providing an ad and tracking blocking browser is still desirable on Android. Firefox is just too slow at the moment.

I'd forgotten about Firefox mobile. I agree, it's very slow.

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#165

Post by yAnonymous »

dmitriid wrote: post #142

Didn't they say not a few months ago that "the reason Firefox has fallen behind is that we focused on stuff that wasn't browser-related like MozillaOS etc."? Learning from own mistakes anyone?

Seriously. They're behind in speed, security, quality of the developer tools etc. and introduce new useless toy features and one re-design after the other.

I appreciate a lot of stuff Mozilla do outside the browser for the open internet, but the development of Firefox is pretty bad and it looks like the project leaders are incompetent.

Firefox is a sad example of how a successful software can be overtaken by a new competitor within only a few years due to a lack of focus.

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#166

Post by dmitriid »

newscracker wrote: post #150
dmitriid wrote: post #142

Didn't they say not a few months ago that "the reason Firefox has fallen behind is that we focused on stuff that wasn't browser-related like MozillaOS etc."? Learning from own mistakes anyone?

Quoting from the article: "These are obviously experimental tools and there’s no guarantee they will ever make it into a release version of Firefox. Indeed, the idea behind Test Pilot is to allow the Firefox team to test new concepts." The efforts on making Firefox faster and more responsive have been going on for a few years (e10s/electrolysis being one of them) and are appearing in the releases as fast as the team…

It doesn't matter if they are experimental or not. It doesn't matter if they will make it into the release or not. There is one very certain thing: these experiments divert resources and people.

"Fast and more responsive" is just one aspect. Because "we're getting faster" and "these are just experiments" lead to a situation when "Browse against the machine" [1] uses FF for work and Chrome for play, and pretends it's ok.

[1] https://medium.com/the-official-unofficial-firefox-blog/brow...

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#167

Post by j_s »

dmitriid wrote: post #166
newscracker wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoting from the article: "These are obviously experimental tools and there’s no guarantee they will ever make it into a release version of Firefox. Indeed, the idea behind Test Pilot is to allow the Firefox team to test new concepts." The efforts on making Firefox faster and more responsive have been going on for a few years (e10s/electrolysis being one of them) and are appearing in the releases as fast as the team…

It doesn't matter if they are experimental or not. It doesn't matter if they will make it into the release or not. There is one very certain thing: these experiments divert resources and people. "Fast and more responsive" is just one aspect. Because "we're getting faster" and "these are just experiments" lead to a situation when "Browse against the machine" [1] uses FF for work and Chrome for play, and pretends it's…

More people won't necessarily help solve any problems though. (Insert obligatory Mythical Man Month mumble mumble, hand-waving, etc. here.) Perhaps additional resources could help.

In general I agree that Mozilla has lost its way with its current head count; successfully funding a company with advertising revenue tends to do that.

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#168

Post by sgift »

482794793792894 wrote: post #158
sgift wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the OP, but I switched to Nightly a week ago and unlike stable I would recommend it to anyone. Not just to people who don't want to use anything Google. It's fast and doesn't hog memory. A far better experience than before.

Over the course of the next two weeks, they'll be merging some major UI overhauls, as well as remove swaths of legacy code, so things might be a bit rockier for some time and I wouldn't necessarily install it on my gramma's PC right in this moment, but other than that, yeah, it is pretty crazy how big the difference is, with Nightly being just three months ahead.

Okay, fair point: To everyone who understands that nightly means "unstable at times".

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#169

Post by syrrim »

yAnonymous wrote: post #165
dmitriid wrote: post #142

Didn't they say not a few months ago that "the reason Firefox has fallen behind is that we focused on stuff that wasn't browser-related like MozillaOS etc."? Learning from own mistakes anyone?

Seriously. They're behind in speed, security, quality of the developer tools etc. and introduce new useless toy features and one re-design after the other. I appreciate a lot of stuff Mozilla do outside the browser for the open internet, but the development of Firefox is pretty bad and it looks like the project leaders are incompetent. Firefox is a sad example of how a successful software can be overtaken by a new co…

>due to a lack of focus.

And due to their competitors ability to advertise on the majority of people's home page. For most people, chrome wasn't a firefox alternative, it was an internet explorer alternative.

Re: Mozilla launches voice search, file-sharing and note-taking tools for Firefox

#170

Post by jesse_m »

rudedogg wrote: post #101

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone use a Vim plugin for Firefox? I keep trying to switch, but the scrolling of VimFX drives me crazy. Here's an issue outlining the behavior: https://github.com/akhodakivskiy/VimFx/issues/830 Are there any other Vim plugins without this issue?

I use keysnail for the emacs key bindings but I think it has a vim mode too
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