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Firefox Sync actually works

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Re: Firefox Sync actually works

#191

Post by smarterhome »

mihular wrote: post #67
poisonborz wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can selfhost the sync server

How is this working nowadays? A few years back it wasn't exactly easy to self host. Ideally there would be a docker image and a docker compose config.

It works pretty well actually! I love FF sync and I started self hosting it earlier this year. You can find the full details (also changes needed in the browser settings) here: https://thesmarthomejourney.com/2023/03/18/self-hosting-fire... I only wish they would make their new rust based server available via docker(-compose) too. I have not found a working version of that yet

Re: Firefox Sync actually works

#192

Post by ryandrake »

dekatron wrote: post #84

One of the things that I like about Firefox is that it lets you right click on websites that disable right clicking by holding down shift. Reminds you that the browser should be the user's agent and not the website's.

This is great, but... As the meme goes, "why do we even have that lever" to disable a mouse click? More evidence that browsers are out of control, and have given over way too much agency to web developers. If a user doesn't want to right click on a page, they can just... not right click. Why does the developer even have a say?

Re: Firefox Sync actually works

#193

Post by nottorp »

marcosdumay wrote: post #177
nottorp wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personal account? Account? When I switch from my desktop to my laptop and back, I sometimes get an extra Firefox icon in my dock. I once hovered over it and I think it was the sync feature. I don't have a Firefox account and I'm not signed in into any browser on any account. Why does it try to sync things without my permission?

> Why does it try to sync things without my permission? It doesn't. (The interface for enabling it is even a little anxiety-causing.) It doesn't add extra icons anywhere either. You have some additional software doing that. Do you use a fork from the Mozilla code?

Nope, whatever they had me download. It's Macs so maybe they autoattached to handover or whatever Apple calls that feature. Which I like, but only for texts and phone calls.

The devices I mention are all in the same local network so maybe they discover each other.

Anyway, there's a post in this thread that explains perfectly why I (or that poster) don't need or want sync. Basically my different machines are used for different purposes so there's no reason to mix bookmarks or move browsing history around. As for credit card numbers... what is this insanity? I don't save credit card numbers anywhere.

Re: Firefox Sync actually works

#194

Post by jw_cook »

cvburgess wrote: post #172
jw_cook wrote: post #166

Since the main topic of this article is sync, does any browser or extension out there support syncing active tabs withing the browsing window, rather than putting them in a separate "recent tabs" menu? In other words, mirroring the entire browsing session across devices (ideally preserving tab order).

Arc[0] does this really well for me - across computers and even my phone. Its chromium under the hood but the UX and sync story is impeccable. [0] https://arc.net/

Good to know! I'm on the waitlist to try the Windows beta. Do you know if they're planning to port it to Linux at some point?

Re: Firefox Sync actually works

#198

Post by avtolik »

avg_dev wrote: post #185
bloopernova wrote: post #169

Firefox has multiple compelling reasons to use it: Sync Containers Tree Style Tabs uBlock Origin on Android Open Source since 1998! Not based on Chromium Be wary of sync on a fresh Linux install, it might sync the default bookmarks and merge them with your own. Not a huge deal but definitely an annoyance.

I’ll have to look into containers and tree style tabs. I have never knowingly used those.

Containers are the best. I use them every day.

Also I switched from Tree Style Tab to Sidebery. I like it better for some reason.

Re: Firefox Sync actually works

#199

Post by duskwuff »

ryandrake wrote: post #192
dekatron wrote: post #84

One of the things that I like about Firefox is that it lets you right click on websites that disable right clicking by holding down shift. Reminds you that the browser should be the user's agent and not the website's.

This is great, but... As the meme goes, "why do we even have that lever" to disable a mouse click? More evidence that browsers are out of control, and have given over way too much agency to web developers. If a user doesn't want to right click on a page, they can just... not right click. Why does the developer even have a say?

> As the meme goes, "why do we even have that lever" to disable a mouse click?

So that web pages can implement their own behaviors for right-click, e.g. web applications which have their own contextual menus, games which use right click as an input, remote desktops which pass right click to the remote host, etc.

Re: Firefox Sync actually works

#200

Post by rideontime »

bloopernova wrote: post #169

Firefox has multiple compelling reasons to use it: Sync Containers Tree Style Tabs uBlock Origin on Android Open Source since 1998! Not based on Chromium Be wary of sync on a fresh Linux install, it might sync the default bookmarks and merge them with your own. Not a huge deal but definitely an annoyance.

If Containers is a sufficient alternative to Chromium's profiles, I'm switching, that was the only thing holding me back.
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