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Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

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Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#191

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

Ayesh wrote: post #113
traveler01 wrote: post #102

I want to like and use Firefox. Seriously, I really do. But when will they fix the performance of the browser? They're spending devs time on useless crap instead of being improving the engine, which clearly needs improvements. For example, I wanted to send some thousands of pictures to Proton Drive (doesn't have a sync App yet) and tried doing it in Firefox. It literally started to take all the computer RAM (my compu…

I don't know the technical details behind this, but Firefox always felt slower in file upload front. It was very late to the directory upload feature that Chrome had (in mostly non-standard ways I don't doubt). It doesn't bother me to a point that I can't use Firefox, but for those who regularly upload files, I can totally see Firefox being a subpar experience.

I've noticed something similar with download speed; I accidentally discovered a while back that using wget to download the same file would run far faster than firefox.

Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#193

Post by mawise »

I saw the screenshot for Firefox View and at first I thought they were bringing back RSS! How slick would it be for Firefox View not to just show you the list of recent sites you've visited, but give you a preview of the _current content_ on those sites using RSS!

Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#194

Post by 2Gkashmiri »

mdaniel wrote: post #170
2Gkashmiri wrote: post #4

Got the upgrade a few days ago. I am loving it. I reside 12 hours a day within the private window itself and the ui looks quite nice now. The purple and all. Keep it up

Have you seen the browsing containers^1, including the self-destructing ones? I'm 100% not trying to lobby you out of private browsing, just wondering if you were using the mode that best fit your needs Also, be aware that (unless something has radically changed) all private windows share state with one another, which to the very best of my knowledge isn't true for the browser containers 1: https://addons.mozilla.org…

yes. i use that too.

here is a stupid habit i formed years ago.

when i start my machine, the first firefox window i open is the normal window + containers for email and some other website.

i open private browsing window.

then i go about with my day. any website i have to sign in, like hn, the passwords are saved in firefox so it is just a 2 step process usually. sometimes some website asks for an otp, email or mobile which is a pain but fine.

i can access youtube or whatever, amazon or something else and once a window has too many open tabs, i create a new window and pick up the work from there.

i like how i can close the private windows and everything gets logged out automatically. No stored prefs, no history, no records on my machine, no recomendations say on youtube based on my previous search history or browsing history. Same for amazon. I can search for any darn thing all day and i don't sign in unless i have to actually order something and if i do, i sign in, order and sign out.

This has served me well since 2010 at least and firefox with ABP+noscript at first but then ublock origin....

i am not really concerned about "isp tracking" or google analytics, i have a pihole installed which takes care of most of the things.

>all private windows share state with one another yes. my understanding is that is a feature because as i said, i can open youtube and continue the thread if i open too many tabs (unless i want to close all of them) . the upside of this is, unless one window is open "ctrl+shift+t" works on firefox but not on chromium based browsers and private window. that is a 100% useful feature because i do not rely on browser history for my surfing so if i make a mistake, ctrl+shift+t and i am back.

edit: i log in to HN 3-4 times a day because of this. sometimes once, sometimes 4 times, depending. that is not a bother

Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#195

Post by Fervicus »

bhhaskin wrote: post #32

Mozilla & Firefox stop trying to be a god-damned social movement. Just be a fucking browser.

Everything is a social movement these days. TV Shows, movies, games, apps, social media, news, ads. Can't even get a cup of coffee without getting some social uplifting messaging shoved down my throat.

Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#196

Post by godelski »

Nextgrid wrote: post #63
coldpie wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As it stands even with all telemetry off Firefox is extremely chatty and I’ve had Mozilla developers tell me they have no intention to fix this. What data is being communicated? What about that data is harmful to you? (Genuinely asking for more information, not trying to convince you you're wrong.)

> What about that data is harmful to you? Arguments like these always reminds me of the story where some town had a population register that included religion, and then the Nazis invaded. You don't know how or when the collected data will be misused, whether by the original owner, a malicious third-party breaching their systems, or the government (and even somewhat-stable governments can quickly turn sour, see Russia…

> Arguments like these always reminds me of the story where some town had a population register that included religion, and then the Nazis invaded.

I agree that these questions often are asked by those being deceitful, but the reason that works is because it is a dog whistle. Something that hides in normal speech. But we can't presume that someone asking a question like this is in fact dog whistling. If we do, we only enable to whistlers because honest askers will be put off by pretentious and arrogant responses. It is better to answer in good faith until they show their true colors. Even if it is a dog whistle, others will read this public forum and go "why are they attacking someone who is just asking a question?" That gives them power. So let's be honest here.

Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#197

Post by NayamAmarshe »

cptskippy wrote: post #166
NayamAmarshe wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Perhaps it speaks more to your priorities? I can't see anyone outside of a web developer who needed that feature 1 time or even caring that backdrop-blur wasn't implemented. The point is, if Firefox can't even make basic web features like blur work on the browser (that are available on even no name mobile browsers) I can't expect Firefox to ever surpass Chrome or other competitors and it's evident. > The fact that…

> Firefox can't even make basic web features like blur work on the browser I wouldn't call backdrop-blur trivial or a basic feature. It's non-trivial to implement and used very little. Why should it be a priority? > (that are available on even no name mobile browsers) What no-name mobile browser that isn't based on an engine like Chromium has implemented more "basic" features than Firefox? The fact of the matter is t…

> I wouldn't call backdrop-blur trivial or a basic feature. It's non-trivial to implement and used very little. Why should it be a priority?

Why shouldn't it be? If Firefox can't lead in web development, how do you even expect it to keep up with times?

I'm not sure why someone would defend Firefox's incompetency. I see things as they are and I make decisions based on that.

Even if I see things as they could be, I'd rather not bet my money on Firefox.

Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#198

Post by zeppelin101 »

causi wrote: post #189
zeppelin101 wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't tried other browsers lately. I agree that FF is less snappy compared to Chrome, for example, but I have a fast phone. I haven't experienced those issues you talk about - maybe it's just my luck! I particularly like the ad-blocking abilities of FF.

I still use Firefox for high-risk browsing like porn or piracy, but for regular browsing the adblocking built into Vivaldi or Brave works just fine.

Interesting that you'd bring up Vivaldi. I think I tried it on my phone a few years back and it worked OK. But on a PC or Mac, it's the most bloated and slow piece of software I've seen. Which is a damn shame, because it has a lot of unique features.

Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#199

Post by altairprime »

mdaniel wrote: post #177
user3939382 wrote: post #16

Why don’t you give power users at the very least in about:config an option to disable ALL phoning home by Firefox upon launch and exit. As it stands even with all telemetry off Firefox is extremely chatty and I’ve had Mozilla developers tell me they have no intention to fix this. You can profile this yourself on macOS with Charles Proxy (GUI) or mitmproxy (CLI). Until this is fixed all I can do is roll my eyes when I…

I realized while reading your comment they actually do have the perfect button for "I wish to disable browser telemetry": the DNT checkbox Its whole premise is "I, as a user of this browser, do not want to participate in tracking activities." I don't see why mozilla should be exempt from that intention. I'd be some top shelf :chefs_kiss: if mozilla.org honored the DNT but the browser itself didn't

The T in DNT stands for Do Not Track, not Do Not Telemetry.

Telemetry and Tracking are not mutually exclusive; both can be implemented by software developers.

Telemetry is unidentified software usage statistics from a random IP address somewhere on the Internet, generally without caring about whose telemetry it is.

Tracking is an attempt to identify who is operating the software, in order to associate that software's activity with specific human beings in a database.

DNT is Do Not Track, which means "do not attempt to identify me" — but I assume that Firefox telemetry typically isn't attempting to identify you in the first place, so making a statement about tracking with the DNT checkbox would not affect telemetry decisions.

Re: Firefox Private Browsing mode upgrade

#200

Post by Macha »

throwaway82390 wrote: post #176
stoplying1 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it still have the cursed text with it that says "going away in (some month soon)". It's so stupid and confusing and baffling that I want to rage quit Firefox with this as the absolute last straw. Like wtf, you're gonna take back my color in a few months? Just pull the upsell for it? Why the hell am I having to wonder about any of this? Why on God's green earth was this done instead of spending any effort getting…

New colorway themes are a limited time offer because that will create seasonal excitement and users will be more likely to customize their Firefox theme if they know the other options will be taken away from them in a few months. Or at least that's product management's hypothesis for increasing user engagement.

So we're going to use FOMO to increase the interaction rate of a feature. I'm sure that looks great on the PM's quarterly review when they can point out how many users used the feature, but is it actually better for the users who were uninterested in the feature?
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