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Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

werd.io

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Re: Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

#111

Post by joquarky »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #81
eviks wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, not if you are "all in" and spend enough time customizing it or getting used to the UI/features uniquely available to a specific browser. You won't be able to switch multiple times a day without noticing a lot of friction as you common workflows break down

In my role I have to do a lot of testing on different browsers so the least amount of friction is little to no customization, the only plugins are the ones I need for testing and nothing else. When I was a developer, I fell into the trap of trying to customize everything, only to have to keep doing it once a new browser or extension came out. I gave up trying to get something exactly the way I wanted it. I use as clo…

Another advantage to staying close to stock as possible is those configurations are the most heavily tested by QA.

If there is anything I've learned from decades of software development, it is that deep customization leads to headaches.

Re: Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

#112

Post by [deleted] »

heatmiser wrote: post #30
cycomanic wrote: post #28

It's weird how people always complain about lack of easy profile switching in Firefox. If one tells them that what they are really looking for is containers, they dismiss containers, but then proceed to complain that profiles don't have the same features. If you want sync across browser instances, manage them with one Firefox account... You really want containers not profiles.

I want both ;D I want profiles to have different partitions of plugins and browser configurations. I want containers to partition my browsing data. I want my Mozilla account to sync my browser history across all my profiles.

[deleted]

Re: Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

#114

Post by wlonkly »

gbrindisi wrote: post #23

I can't use Google Meet on firefox/zen, I tried every setting combination I could find but the video call quality is still not comparable to chromium based browsers, so at work I reluctantly switched to Vivaldi. If you figure this out please let me know!

I'm in a Zoom shop now, but when I was in a Meet/Hangouts shop, I used Chrome for that, and Firefox for everything else. If you're on a Mac, the utility Choosy can send links to appropriate browsers based on patterns.

Re: Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

#116

Post by ewf »

BoredPositron wrote: post #104
ur-whale wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> feels like people keep wanting more and more from the browser. The browser is the new OS, so no wonder there.

The browser is the new paper you still need a desk.

Ten years ago we installed ad blockers. Now we want AI to surveil us.

Re: Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

#118

Post by _345 »

SigmundurM wrote: post #52
monkey26 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I want profiles. For example, work and personal. Different bookmarks, different plugins. Even some different settings.

Firefox now has improved Profile mangement https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-management

Firefox profiles are still janky and I had a lot of issue switching and managing two profiles effectively. Specifically the biggest problem I had was that clicking on work links would not open them in my last used profile (work profile). They would always open in a default profile (non-work).

I ended up keeping chrome just for work, and using firefox for personal life.

Then I grabbed Browser Tamer and set up an AHK v2 script that, when I click on and focus any browser window, it executes browser tamer's CLI to update the default browser. Thus I get the behavior of "open links in last used browser", which is the correct browser for whatever link I click 99.9% of the time.

Re: Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

#119

Post by eviks »

joquarky wrote: post #110
eviks wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, not if you are "all in" and spend enough time customizing it or getting used to the UI/features uniquely available to a specific browser. You won't be able to switch multiple times a day without noticing a lot of friction as you common workflows break down

How is switching between a couple different web browsers any way cognitively different from context switching between a browser, code IDE, database client, and terminal windows?

You're not doing exactly the same tasks in other apps like you do in a browser, so you don't have browser-specific workflows you're used to that would break down.

For example, you have a browser where you can set up a shortcut _C_ to copy the current page URL to your clipboard. You've developed muscle memory of doing that, so feel it in another browser where it can't be set up that way.

You don't need that in a database client, so you'll never notice the difference there because you'll never use that shortcut

Re: Why I'm all-in on Zen Browser

#120

Post by eviks »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #81
eviks wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, not if you are "all in" and spend enough time customizing it or getting used to the UI/features uniquely available to a specific browser. You won't be able to switch multiple times a day without noticing a lot of friction as you common workflows break down

In my role I have to do a lot of testing on different browsers so the least amount of friction is little to no customization, the only plugins are the ones I need for testing and nothing else. When I was a developer, I fell into the trap of trying to customize everything, only to have to keep doing it once a new browser or extension came out. I gave up trying to get something exactly the way I wanted it. I use as clo…

> doing it once a new browser

Or you can stick to your old already customized browser and avoid the trap/friction! I mean, if were able to ditch everything completely, you should've been able to just stop checking everything new and shiny?

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