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Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

blog.mozilla.org

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Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#461
post #455
post #449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Incognito mainly to let my friends log into their accounts for a minute on my computer, if they desperately need to e.g. make a bank transaction or an Amazon purchase or something using some combination of my information and theirs, where I can type stuff in (e.g. my shipping address) and they can type stuff in (e.g. their login credentials.) Porn browsing, meanwhile, is much better done with a secondary dedica…

Probably a better idea to use `firefox --ProfileManager` for that. That way you don't risk exposing your bookmarks, history, active logins, etc

Chrome profiles don't require you to log into them. They pop up a login prompt on the welcome screen, but you don't have to use it.

I would recommend actually using it, though—with a dedicated porn-browsing Google Account, that you created once upon a time in an internet cafe, using Mailinator or the like as the recovery email. After all, nothing gets people to keep digging more than a layer of anonymity; and nothing gets people to stop digging more than finding what seems to be a real person who "uses" a bunch of services like Google, Facebook, etc. all with the same email.

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#462
post #410

Firefox needs to be the browser OF something, something super simple: privacy, security, convenience, etc. "Reduce Your Online Annoyances" is a bit of a mouthful. Being the browser of "Support Us Or Google Will Own Everything" is likewise not compelling for the vast majority of users. Firefox has the functionality, now it needs to cement its narrative.

“Firefox, the browser without shitware”?

A start page without my bookmarks... "main websites" and "in evidence"

https://support.mozilla.org/it/questions/1185996 https://support.mozilla.org/it/questions/1185347

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#463

I have been using Firefox on macOS for a while but firefox is not well-integrated with the OS. Scrolling, downloading files, playing video/audio and many more have different convention from Safari/Chrome. Also, I am trying to avoid using Firefox on battery because it is a killer.

I've been using FF on macOS for the past year and haven't noticed any problems with the battery. I'm not sure what the problems are with scrolling, downloading, or playing media are either to be honest.

2015-01-25 Support elastic overscroll (rubberbanding) on macOS: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1124108

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#464
post #153

> With this update, Firefox is introducing scroll anchoring, which ensures that you’re not going to bounce around on the page as these slow-loading ads load. While I love the idea of videos not automatically playing, I'm almost more excited for the scroll anchoring feature.

Same. Have you ever tried to click a link only to accidentally click something else because the page won't stop loading? It's infuriating.

Or all of the sites that have adopted a 'card' view. Gannett sites all have this terrible UX that if you click in the white space around an article, it closes the article and takes you to the home page. [0] Accidental clicks on white space shouldn't do anything!

[0] https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/tourney/2019/03/...

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#465
If Firefox had treated TabMixPlus (TMP) and other extensions as first-class citizens when they introduced quantum, I can guarantee I'd be using Firefox today (along with all the less technical people in my extended network, who I'd install it for).

Unfortunately, during the transition to quantum and WebExtensions the developers blocked add-ons making changes to the Firefox interface, which crippled TMP and a variety of other add-ons. To suddenly have your favorite add-on crippled is a little painful but what made me walk away was the tone of responses from Mozilla people on the boards and the bug reports. It ranged from dismissive, to arrogant, to angry which, particularly given how quickly the transition took place, just added insult to injury.

It seemed like Mozilla did get the message by the end of 2017 that their approach and response to add-ons had alienated many users. One of their 2018 visions included a statement that 'In 2018, extensions will be one of the reasons why people choose and use Firefox.' Unfortunately, when I looked at the TMP message boards last year I still saw very little in the way of signs of cooperation and encouragement from Mozilla. The TMP developer, onemen, still seems to be trying his best to produce a suite of extensions to reproduce the lost functionality and to be fair to Mozilla they have been moving obstacles out of the way but the pace is glacial.

Chrome may be creepy and invasive but right now it's far more flexible and remains a smoother experience. I'd really love to switch away from Chrome but I won't trade it for an inflexible Firefox UI. If Mozilla could loosen up on the UI restrictions, demonstrate that they're doing everything possible to make the product friendly for add-on developers, and somehow get themselves around to replicating, or helping to replicate, TMP and other crippled add-ons then I would enthusiastically consider switching.

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#466

I've switched over to Firefox on all devices. It's especially useful on Android because I can use uBlock and other useful extensions, where Chrome doesn't have any. The only feature I hope for is "hit tab to search" after typing a domain name in the search bar. For example in Chrome I can type "youtube.com" and then hit tab, and then type in a search query.

> uBlock and other useful extensions, where Chrome doesn't have any.

The most underrated and undermarketed to the average user Firefox feature.

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#467

If Firefox had treated TabMixPlus (TMP) and other extensions as first-class citizens when they introduced quantum, I can guarantee I'd be using Firefox today (along with all the less technical people in my extended network, who I'd install it for). Unfortunately, during the transition to quantum and WebExtensions the developers blocked add-ons making changes to the Firefox interface, which crippled TMP and a variety…

the chrome UI is vastly more restrictive than the Firefox one (addons effectively can not modify it in any way), so i'm not sure what you are saying here.

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#468

Firefox needs to be the browser OF something, something super simple: privacy, security, convenience, etc. "Reduce Your Online Annoyances" is a bit of a mouthful. Being the browser of "Support Us Or Google Will Own Everything" is likewise not compelling for the vast majority of users. Firefox has the functionality, now it needs to cement its narrative.

Saying it's the browser that brings "No-ads experience to your Android smartphone" would be pretty powerful message to get a share on average users market.

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#469
post #332

I've switched over to Firefox on all devices. It's especially useful on Android because I can use uBlock and other useful extensions, where Chrome doesn't have any. The only feature I hope for is "hit tab to search" after typing a domain name in the search bar. For example in Chrome I can type "youtube.com" and then hit tab, and then type in a search query.

I just wish FF Focus would let you sync your browsing history :(

But Focus doesn't store your browsing history.

Re: Firefox 66.0 Aims to Reduce Online Annoyances

#470
post #383

> Searching within Multiple Tabs – Did you know that if you enter a ‘%’ in your Awesome Bar, you can search the tabs on your computer? This will be a big help for me. Makes me wonder how many more there are that are just too cumbersome to discover.

What would be even better is if they let me add arbitrary keyboard shortcuts that don't need to wait until the document has loaded, like they did up to 2016.
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