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Firefox on the brink?

brycewray.com

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Re: Firefox on the brink?

#501

Post by neltnerb »

hs86 wrote: post #117

I switched over after the Manifest v3 debacle, and after a couple of months, I wonder if the implications of using a browser with a lower market share are overblown. I haven't encountered any site that misbehaves, and the only missing feature so far is within the Google Drive web app because it uses a Chrome-only extension [1]. Maybe the ongoing standardization of the web shows its effects here, and using a standard-…

I have had several sites refuse to work properly (American Airlines maybe? It was some airline) with every single add-in disabled and with every security feature I could find disabled.

I am with you that it's super rare, I have only had to open chrome due to it being that bad a few times, usually I just need to disable javascript blocking or enable more cookies. But there are legitimately sites that are just so badly written that they won't take your money if you use Firefox.

I guess Google meet has frozen video for me on Firefox, but I expect Google to intentionally break their website for people not using Chrome after the "DRM Website" thing struck them as a great idea. Using Google products at this point is just asking for more lockin when we should really all know better. At least Zoom is a different company from Google...

But overblown for sure, if I disable javascript blocking and cookie autodelete and temporary containers that keep the site from realizing I already logged in -- pretty reasonable issues -- 99.99% of the issues I have vanish.

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#502

Post by theteapot »

taf2 wrote: post #408

I can't be alone in my view that open source won. Just not the original Mozilla open source browser. Instead the re-invented one spear headed by Google - Chrome. Chrome is like the 2.0 of everything the IE6 team and Mozilla team learned the hard way. It was built by many of the original founding members of those teams. It's not a bad thing when Microsoft now uses the open source Blink rendering engine. It's not a bad…

Google stands ready to snatch our victory away.

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#503

Post by aembleton »

jen20 wrote: post #465
jdlyga wrote: post #90

Firefox needs to focus all their effort on making a good web browser first . If the browser is slow, has a clunky interface, or lags behind on features, then people won't use it. Mozilla focus way too much of their attention on privacy and non-browser related projects. Look at how much attention that The Browser Company has gotten for their Arc browser on Mac. Their primary focus is great UI and making an excellent b…

Privacy must be a tier 1 feature of a web browser. The fact the market leader goes out of their way to shit all over privacy concerns says more about their marketing pull than the quality of their browser.

That privacy prevents organisations such as USWDS from seeing that it is in use as analytics are blocked.

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#504

Post by dheera »

mattl wrote: post #199
dheera wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.levels.fyi/companies/facebook/salaries/software-... https://www.levels.fyi/companies/amazon/salaries/software-en... https://www.levels.fyi/companies/google/salaries/software-en... https://www.levels.fyi/companies/apple/salaries/software-eng...

Distinguished engineers aren't really 'staff-level'

Oh bleh, distinguished members of "the staff" that works there, one of those things, either way, these are all far below the CEO and 1M+

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#505

Post by worik »

theboywho wrote: post #48

A lot of people around me are switching back to firefox as chrome is showing signs of cracks, especially with the Youtube/ad-blocking saga on chrome. Also, I don't think the US govt guidelines are going to have a dramatic worldwide impact on firefox numbers, the US is no longer the major online player it once was.

> especially with the Youtube/ad-blocking saga

I am afraid to say in my world if Google degrades Firefox for YouTube most people I know will switch to Chrome

I have had success persuading people to switch to FF (I am one of those people) but a degraded YouTube- even the outright criminality that involves - would be a deal breaker

The ad blocking blocking will work the other way.....

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#506

Post by roywiggins »

JohnFen wrote: post #499
amadeuspagel wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no standard that you can use instead of a set of browsers. There is no way of making sure that a website works with a browser other then testing it with that browser. The reason people test with different browsers is not that they want to use non-standard features, it's that even standard features often do not work in certain browsers.

> The reason people test with different browsers is not that they want to use non-standard features, it's that even standard features often do not work in certain browsers. This is exactly why sites should be tested for their conformance with the standard rather than with specific browsers. Testing against specific browsers just encourages browser-makers to continue to avoid fixing their shit.

If you want to make money or reach constituents, this isn't actually a viable option for anyone.

When people complain that they can't submit their DMV forms (or whatever) and you say, "well we followed all the standards, go find another browser" and they say "which one" and you say "I don't know, we didn't test with any browsers, we just test against the standard" who do you think they'll blame?

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#507

Post by aembleton »

jeromenerf wrote: post #463
JohnBooty wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're pretty GSuite/GAuth-oriented too but the parts we use work just fine on Firefox. What parts of that are forcing you guys to be Chrome exclusive?

Some google meet features are chrome only (background blur, picture in picture). I can't say I have noticed much else, so I use chrome for gsuite and firefox for everything else ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

> Some google meet features are chrome only (background blur, picture in picture).

They work for me on Firefox 120 on Gnome 45.2.

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#508

Post by neltnerb »

amanzi wrote: post #495
preinheimer wrote: post #489

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Specific problems I've had as a firefox user: - I can't pay municipal license fees (Site says "Use Chrome") - I can't use the Vendor management portal for $largePopularTechCompany type company for my small business ("We support Chrome") - Xero my small business accounting software just doesn't work properly ("Use Chrome")

I've used Xero for years with Firefox without issues.

Maybe you can share your configuration? I wonder if you are lucky or they are unlucky.

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#509

Post by kelnos »

deepspace wrote: post #454
sleepybrett wrote: post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The pig doesn't have any problem with the farmer until he shows up with the axe. Thus it is with chrome users.

That axe may just be Chrome's war on ad blockers.

I'd like to believe this, but what percentage of Chrome users actually use an ad blocker? My general feeling is that we on HN think ad blocking is a lot more common than it actually is.

Re: Firefox on the brink?

#510

Post by ruszki »

worik wrote: post #494
whakim wrote: post #475

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always see comments like this on HN, and I struggle to understand why. Firefox is plenty fast. Its interface is extremely similar to most of its competitors. It works well. What special sauce do you expect Mozilla to implement that'll suddenly change their fortunes? It's a browser, after all. And why do you think that such features aren't being implemented due to lack of resources or muddled priorities - surely Moz…

> I always see comments like this on HN, and I struggle to understand why. Many years ago Firfox was very slow It has improved enormously, obviously, but some people never forget It is a lesson. Never take your eye off the ball. Firefox did, back in the day, and Google ate their lunch

They rely on 10 years old information in IT. It’s extremely naive, and this mindset definitely hurts them in long term.
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