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Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

zen-browser.app

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Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#171

Post by mthoms »

gexla wrote: post #154
BiteCode_dev wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read it the opposite way: - I feel more passion from the author. - I value the pride they show in their work. - I know many people actually care about beauty. In fact, with the same amount of bugs, the users of the most beautiful software will actually report it's less buggy. The problem is when someone makes appearances more important than being useful. But I want to give this project the benefit of the doubt. We…

How do you know it was one of the developers who wrote this? Maybe they hired someone to create the site and the content. Granted, the site is in the repo and you can see who committed the assets. But that still doesn't tell you who originally wrote it.

The developers either created or commissioned the website. Accordingly, I think we can safely assume it conveys their goals.

Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#172

Post by gexla »

billsmithaustin wrote: post #156
gexla wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you know it was one of the developers who wrote this? Maybe they hired someone to create the site and the content. Granted, the site is in the repo and you can see who committed the assets. But that still doesn't tell you who originally wrote it.

You're suggesting one of the developers went through all the trouble to create a browser, then allowed someone to add assets to the repo without the developer reviewing them first?

I'm suggesting that you don't know who wrote the content. You don't know the developers wrote it. And if a non-developer wrote it, then that person probably isn't going to commit the content to a repo.

Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#174

Post by dartos »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #157
dartos wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is based on Firefox, so it doesn’t really help with browser diversity. Ladybird does, but it’s not really ready for prime time yet

Of course it does. Right now FF shares are so low devs are ignoring it. If more browsers use this engine, more devs will test with it. Also, if it reaches success, it make FF future more robust, which also helps with future diversity.

No way.

If google decides that they don’t want to fund Mozilla anymore, then these Firefox derivatives fall as well. I don’t really see the zen team (or other ff forks) hiring the FF devs that are making 6 figures at Mozilla.

If Firefox decides to deeply ingrain some DRM standard, there’s a high likelihood that it’ll be included in downstream browsers like this one, unless they are privacy nuts like librewolf.

We need entirely new browsers that are more than window dressing on top of existing ones.

Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#175

Post by Perz1val »

ramon156 wrote: post #77

While I don't condone complaining for the sake of complaining, I really don't see why I would use this. Every argument feels very "floatey". When I think of browser devs, I don't think about fancy UI, and blazingly fast speeds! I think about engineers who know what they're talking about. I've never heard of floorp, and the arguments against librewolf are silly. On top of that, some of these "features" like themes, pr…

The whole thing looks like the "new month, new JS framework" situation

Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#176

Post by slightwinder »

jay_kyburz wrote: post #94
nokeya wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tab groups again? I don’t remember when exactly, but like 10 years ago Firefox already had this feature. I was using them happily, organising all my numerous tabs to a dozen of groups by theme (work, social, movies, etc). But then Mozilla decided: “Nobody is using tab groups, screw it!” and removed them. All groups and tabs were lost. Now history will repeat?

I never understand the need for tab groups, once you get above 4-5 tabs you are actively working in, whats wrong with bookmarks?

Bookmarks suck. They are slow and cumbersome to manage, especially when it's many related urls. And for working with them, I need to open them as a tab anyway, so why not stay there from the beginning?

Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#177

Post by slightwinder »

1oooqooq wrote: post #127
dao- wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I work at Mozilla as an engineer for Firefox, and I'm generally happy to see this. I currently work on tab groups, and I'm curious to see what their implementation will look like or whether they'll try to fast-track our work-in-progress once that's somewhat viable. For the sidebar and vertical tabs, they seem to have implemented their own thing rather than using what our team has been working on. At a first g…

Firefox defaults lately are awful and out of touch... gestures for reload/back/forward? really? several decades and still not incorporating uBlockOrigin as a native feature? really? a convoluted only-4-containers shenanigans that not even the author understand instead of simply isolating private tabs per window like everyone asked over the years? using on android? too bad now you don't have half the settings availabl…

> several decades and still not incorporating uBlockOrigin as a native feature? really?

Might be better that way. AdBlockers are fast-moving, with a dedicated, diligent working community. Outside the browser, they probably can work better.

Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#178

Post by eddyg »

The most game-changing thing for me about Arc has been Air Traffic Control. I have spaces set up my various web-based apps, and previously they would be scattered among my dozens of browser windows. Now, the tabs of each web app are beautifully contained in their own spaces, thanks to ATC.

Any idea if Zen supports this? And ctrl-tab for quickly cycling between recent tabs (even across Spaces)?

Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#179

Post by immibis »

dartos wrote: post #174
BiteCode_dev wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it does. Right now FF shares are so low devs are ignoring it. If more browsers use this engine, more devs will test with it. Also, if it reaches success, it make FF future more robust, which also helps with future diversity.

No way. If google decides that they don’t want to fund Mozilla anymore, then these Firefox derivatives fall as well. I don’t really see the zen team (or other ff forks) hiring the FF devs that are making 6 figures at Mozilla. If Firefox decides to deeply ingrain some DRM standard, there’s a high likelihood that it’ll be included in downstream browsers like this one, unless they are privacy nuts like librewolf. We nee…

Remember what happened to Thunderbird, though. Mozilla dropped it, and it got better. There are good reasons to think that Mozilla - the corporate entity - is cancer.

Re: Zen, a Arc-like open-source browser based on the Firefox engine

#180

Post by yonrg »

1oooqooq wrote: post #127
dao- wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I work at Mozilla as an engineer for Firefox, and I'm generally happy to see this. I currently work on tab groups, and I'm curious to see what their implementation will look like or whether they'll try to fast-track our work-in-progress once that's somewhat viable. For the sidebar and vertical tabs, they seem to have implemented their own thing rather than using what our team has been working on. At a first g…

Firefox defaults lately are awful and out of touch... gestures for reload/back/forward? really? several decades and still not incorporating uBlockOrigin as a native feature? really? a convoluted only-4-containers shenanigans that not even the author understand instead of simply isolating private tabs per window like everyone asked over the years? using on android? too bad now you don't have half the settings availabl…

I'm a firefox-only user, and I read your comment in two ways. It's grumpy, but also on the point! Thanks, I feel similarly. What is your main browser btw?

FF works for me in great ways, and I am highly productive with it, as long as some plugins still work: uBlock, tridactyl, foxyproxy. And for UI: sidebery, stylus.

From time to time I feel I should turn my back towards FF when they come up with new decisions in their UI, which I drastically reduce (no menu, no tabs,...), or new features, which are more disturbing than helping.

On android, I discovered 'kiwi browser' which is FF based but does not blacklist the plugins.

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