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Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

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Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#351

Post by jacquesm »

Tepix wrote: post #220
Certhas wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I am completely fine with them trying to run their own ads. It's much better than indirectly funding them through Googles Ads. But just be upfront about what you're doing. This extends to the splash screen as well. No "disable ads" button just "not now" or "settings". In contrast the settings dialogue looks fine.

I really hate this as well. If there is a "not now" button, why is there no "no and do not remind me, ever" button, too?

It's a dark pattern I call 'the consent ratchet'. As soon as you ever get irritated enough and misclick that button is gone for ever and good luck disabling the 'feature' (term used lightly) seven layers of menus down, assuming it can be done at all.

Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#352

Post by hnbad »

samizdis wrote: post #128
eCa wrote: post #4

As someone who has used Firefox since v0.* I really, really, really dislike the language they have used lately. > relevant suggestions from our trusted partners The suggestions are not relevant to, and the partners not trusted by, me.

> I really, really, really dislike the language they have used lately. That is exactly the problem I have with it - weasel words and euphemisms; FF is scoring an own-goal here and eroding trust. Why not just tell it like it is. "We need funding and are lining up deals with third parties to display their ads/messaging in the address bar search. We vet these third parties by holding them contractually to these standard…

> Why not just tell it like it is.

Given the massive salaries and bonuses paid out to upper management[0], I think their problem would be not sounding like that dril tweet about budgeting[1].

After the massive layoffs and cuts to vital web platform projects this move just feels consistent in their move from their old "quirky nerd charity" image to a new, more corporate one. I'm not saying that this is a good thing.

[0]: https://calpaterson.com/mozilla.html

[1]: https://twitter.com/dril/status/384408932061417472

Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#353

Post by dividedbyzero »

neuronic wrote: post #251
dividedbyzero wrote: post #240

I've observed windowserver on macOS constantly eat 30+% of my CPU whenever Firefox is running for a few versions now, and more and more web apps effectively require Chrome nowadays. Plus now this sort of change coming up ... maybe it's a good time to try out something new. Brave perhaps?

Brave is Chromium...

I was under the impression that Brave was a more privacy-friendly variant of Blink/Chromium?

Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#354

Post by mactavish88 »

Can someone please just offer an open source browser that I can pay towards somehow?

IMO adtech is the root of all that’s wrong with the modern internet. It gives companies 2 masters: advertisers and users. Guess who’s prioritized when there’s a conflict between the needs of the two? Whoever’s paying the bills, of course.

Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#356

Post by krono »

morsch wrote: post #345
krono wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I'm sure it was a genuine installation. See this: https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=99040

I found this thread from 2012 while researching my post. There are in fact not a lot of posts about this topic. Are you sure these entries are sponsored? It doesn't say sponsored in the screenshot.

It's been half a decade since I last used VLC and looked this up, but I'm certain there was a VLC staff member, perhaps a moderator, who explained the presence of these sidebar entries as measures to cover development cost.

  There are in fact not a lot of posts about this topic
You mustn't have looked very far ;)

Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#357

Post by RealStickman_ »

vadfa wrote: post #279
hnlmorg wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mozilla are in a no-win situation: - implement the standards and they get blamed for dancing to Google's tune - don't implement the standards and people quickly drop Firefox because it doesn't support "the modern web" The only way Mozilla can compete is to play along. So it's better they do that and take the criticism than ending up obsolete through stubbornness.

Mozilla could've banded together with Apple to refuse to implement things (Safari doesn't implement many of the things Google proposes).

Safari has nothing to loose by standing against Google. People on iPhones will still (have to) use Safari.

Firefox stands to loose the last few percents of browser market share they have.

Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#358

Post by AndyMcConachie »

And of course they allow you to turn it off, but it's on by default. Notice how they don't really tell you whether it's on by default, they tell you that another feature was on by default and this new feature is getting wrapped up into that.

No discussion on how much money they're making from this.

So absolutely sleazy. Whoever wrote this has read too much marketing bullshit from other tech companies and wants to emulate their intros. The weasel wording in this is just sad and pathetic coming from Mozilla. I expect this from a company like Facebook, but if Mozilla is going to introduce something like this they should at least have the decency to talk to their users like competent human beings and not complacent idiots. It's insulting.

Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#359

Post by GeckoEidechse »

AegirLeet wrote: post #84
Certhas wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A browser is expensive. Currently Firefox is funded (though not controlled) by Google's Ad business. I am all for them reducing their reliance on Google's Ad business. In this sense this is a step _towards_ what you want. I really really dislike them double speaking about this though.

Reducing reliance on Google by partnering up with a different ad company instead. What good does that do? I don't want ads anywhere near my browser. Here's what I'd really like them to do: * Stop paying out millions to execs * Focus more on Firefox instead of other side projects * Let me pay for Firefox development directly

> Let me pay for Firefox development directly

Same. I already donate to the Mozilla Foundation but I'd love to fund Firefox more directly.

Re: Mozilla to put ads in Firefox address bar suggestions

#360

Post by AndyMcConachie »

Adrig wrote: post #34

Meh, the feature is easily deactivable, the settings are clear and extensive. As far as ads go, it's one of the best implementations. Firefox still has no alternative in the privacy / user-centric space (don't mention Brave, I'm gonna get mad). Mozilla has done a lot for the web, I can give them some slack for exploring different revenue models. Still, I'm going to keep on eye for this kind of practices in the future…

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