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Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

blog.mozilla.org

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Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#111

Post by fiatjaf »

> For example, if you need to jump on the internet to look up Muddy Waters’ real name

Best idea ever. That's the most common use case people have and one that's drastically underserved by current browsers.

If people can't get their browser to quickly open a link to simple stuff, it means the web is failing. If the web is failing they'll quickly jump over to sending images over WhatsApp or fall into the trap of using the Facebook app for all their needs that could be otherwise served by the web.

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#112

Post by jancsika »

pgeorgi wrote: post #96
bigbugbag wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it's been pointed out in the top comment that the browser itself includes a tracking and reporting antifeature. So much for not worrying about tracking.

Depends on what it's tracking. There's a huge difference between "On average Focus was started 30 times a day by any single user" (which can inform resource allocation decisions for that project) and "bigbugbag was reading hacker news for 4 hours on Tuesday" (uhm. no.) They should be more transparent and upfront what they're collecting and why though.

> They should be more transparent and upfront what they're collecting and why though.

... on their flagship browser. On their super-private, pinky-swear no tracking we-hate-ads-but-sure-do-love-you tiny browser, there should be... no tracking.

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#113

Post by gnicholas »

I love Focus and now use it for almost all of my mobile googling. One thing that would be nice is a share extension, so that when I'm in Safari and see a link I want to open I can share it to Firefox Focus. Right now I have to "share" it to [copy], open Focus, and paste it in. Not a huge hassle, but would be nice to streamline.

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#114

Post by Xoros »

How is this news ? I installed it weeks ago on my IPhone. I don't understand why Mozilla just announced it now. Maybe it's a new version.

On the browser itself, I launched it, navigate on a URI, closed it, relaunched it, type the firsts characters of my previous URI and it auto completed it. From my history I guess.

So it's not like incognito mode on other browsers. (Haven't retested again)

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#115

Post by notnarb »

api_or_ipa wrote: post #59

Why can Firefox build a browser with 16mb and yet every other app on my phone is 80+mb?

Because Firefox Focus isn't itself a browser, but rather a wrapper around Android and iOS's built in browsers. That is why the underlying engine in blink/webkit and not gecko.

I am probably drastically simplifying things but the primary components of the app are just a content blocker and a preferences page.

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#116

Post by catdog »

bdz wrote: post #68

I wish open source projects publish the compiled .apk file not just the source code. If I want to install this on my Fire HD I either have to download the .apk from some dodgy mirror site or install Google Play with some workaround on the Fire HD. Cause Firefox Focus is not available in the Amazon App Store. I mean yeah I can do both in the end, not a big deal, but I just want the .apk nothing else.

At least there is Yalp Store now [1]. But I agree it would be nice if more oss projects would provide the apk directly (or even better prepare the project for easy F-Droid inclusion).

[1] https://f-droid.org/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstore/

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#117

Post by fiatjaf »

nkkollaw wrote: post #47

So, if I understand this correctly... It's a regular browser, but like you're always in private mode + it's got a built-in ad blocker? If I want to check Hacker News let's say 5 times throughout the day and feel like leaving a comment, I have to login again, without autocomplete..? Maybe I'm missing something.

You didn't read the article, that's why you're "missing something".

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#118

Post by bigbugbag »

pgeorgi wrote: post #96
bigbugbag wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it's been pointed out in the top comment that the browser itself includes a tracking and reporting antifeature. So much for not worrying about tracking.

Depends on what it's tracking. There's a huge difference between "On average Focus was started 30 times a day by any single user" (which can inform resource allocation decisions for that project) and "bigbugbag was reading hacker news for 4 hours on Tuesday" (uhm. no.) They should be more transparent and upfront what they're collecting and why though.

It also depends on who it is sharing the data with, here it may be shared with google.

It also depends on what the data is used for, let's take an absurdity : 'send drones to kill all users that started Focus 30 times a day on average'

A closer to reality example is "our data shows less than 1% users have alsa only system, our implementation is sort of broken in fringe case and requires an overhaul that we don't want to do so instead of fixing it let's just drop it altogether, less than 1% of users is not enough to matter".

Re: Firefox Focus – A new private browser for iOS and Android

#120

Post by fiatjaf »

bigbugbag wrote: post #87
webdevatwork wrote: post #32

Firefox Focus is great. It's amazing how much better web readability and performance gets when you block most of the adtech garbage.

What exactly is great about firefox focus ? What does it have over installing ublock origins in any other browser ?

Read the article.
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