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Choose your browser carefully (2021)

unixsheikh.com

11–20 of 37 posts

Re: Choose your browser carefully (2021)

#11
Falkon hasn't been updated in nearly three years, and I really hope this doesn't mean it has been abandoned, because it's one of the few "just a browser"s left. It's not a "service", it doesn't call home, it's... just a browser, and it's a real shame that it is not the default for most Linux distros.

Re: Choose your browser carefully (2021)

#12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Safari doesn't even meet the most basic requirement for a web browser: Support for uBlock Origin. If Apple cared about privacy, they would support uBO.

I'm using uBO with FF right now, and have used and enjoyed FF mobile with uBO back when I was using Android, but the issue being discussed here isn't ad blocking but privacy.

Ublock origin is about privacy, not just ads.

Re: Choose your browser carefully (2021)

#13
post #4

I have mixed feelings on this. While I agree with the author on many points, this feels like letting perfect be the enemy of better. Does Firefox have problems? Of course, 100%. Is it much much better than Chrome? Yes. Let's focus first on the fights that can be won. It's hard enough to get people to switch off of Chrome to Firefox, lets not try to push them to something they've mever even heard of.

I don't like Google, but Chrome is a better browser - especially if you're frontend dev. I'd love for Firefox to be better but it's way slower and its developer console is no match for Chrome's.

I vouched for you as I don't think you should be down voted for having an option as a developer.

I don't know why others are disagreeing (I assume this is why they down vote), but I am not fond of your statement because it hits a sore spot for me with web devs and users: you like it because it's convenient for you as a web dev. Chrome is anything but better for me as a user.

I've written something like this before but my frustration with web dev and websites in general is that my understanding is that web devs have an unrealistic expectation for how users use their sites and optimize for a use pattern that doesn't match reality.

I might spend a few minutes on any sight for any given day; typically I'm on a Mac so of course I want safari for the battery life benefits. When I encounter a site that is using some chrome only API or tooling and no longer works, I have a decision to make: do I really want to install another browser to view something I might not even look at more than a few minutes just because the site uses a call only chrome supports? Or do I just want to skip it?

So far, the second option has been my choice every time as I just have not found a site that warrants a dedicated browser to view.

For devs the decision is for their convenience, and because web dev doesn't explain its decision, I just have to live with the consequences. This means that a site that works perfectly fine one day,even sometimes a few minutes ago, suddenly stops working because of a behind the scenes change and I have no idea what the issue is, why a change was made, and for who's benefit.

I am not aiming this post at you specifically, it's just such a perspective I find is unique to web dev and to software with rolling updates, but even the latter has release notes. Web dev is weirdly accountable to none of it's audience, and even worse, many web devs choose to argue against the users choice in browser instead of responding and fixing the issues with specific browsers. I'm not even talking about Fringe browsers, just the major ones (FF, safari,Chrome). Even mobile FF gets broken on some sites that try to use chrome only optimizations

Chrome for users is NOT a guaranteed best option. It lacks battery optimizations on most machines, it doesn't support ublock origin, it is incredibly invasive.

The main frustration i have is that if a site does optimize for chrome, it forces a decision that for me is always the same result: will I install chrome just for this site and give up the benefits of other browsers/pay the Google privacy price?

For me that answer is "No", with gusto.

Again this isn't targeted at you, but I really want to ensure web devs see the user side here and the choice they're asking users to make when they optimize for chrome without considering the experience of other browsers.

Re: Choose your browser carefully (2021)

#14
Regarding "Ungoogled-Chromium":

> "The binaries are provided by anyone who are willing to build and submit them. This means that authenticity cannot be guaranteed and there is always a risk that the binaries may have been tampered with"

This does not seem (entirely?) correct, builds seem automated: https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium#automated-or-m...

Re: Choose your browser carefully (2021)

#15
post #4

I have mixed feelings on this. While I agree with the author on many points, this feels like letting perfect be the enemy of better. Does Firefox have problems? Of course, 100%. Is it much much better than Chrome? Yes. Let's focus first on the fights that can be won. It's hard enough to get people to switch off of Chrome to Firefox, lets not try to push them to something they've mever even heard of.

I don't like Google, but Chrome is a better browser - especially if you're frontend dev. I'd love for Firefox to be better but it's way slower and its developer console is no match for Chrome's.

Strictly from a frontend dev perspective, sure, also just because popularity alone - but why would you not have a separate personal and development browser? I definitely wouldn't want to mix the two - various comfort extensions mingle with DOM and rendering, and reverse I also don't need analytics/dev extensions clutter/slow down non-dev reading experience.

Re: Choose your browser carefully (2021)

#18
post #4

I have mixed feelings on this. While I agree with the author on many points, this feels like letting perfect be the enemy of better. Does Firefox have problems? Of course, 100%. Is it much much better than Chrome? Yes. Let's focus first on the fights that can be won. It's hard enough to get people to switch off of Chrome to Firefox, lets not try to push them to something they've mever even heard of.

I don't like Google, but Chrome is a better browser - especially if you're frontend dev. I'd love for Firefox to be better but it's way slower and its developer console is no match for Chrome's.

What's better about chrome's console?

Re: Choose your browser carefully (2021)

#19

Mozilla has a special agreement with Cloudflare to resolve DNS queries without logging anything, so that's not an argument against Firefox

Did you read the article? Or do you dispute its points?

> Anyone who has worked with DNS servers knows what goes into such logs and in order for Cloudflare to keep their promise they need to: Delete the DNS requests information, but at the same time somehow still keep "anonymized" logs of the total number of requests, a list of all domain names requested, a so-called "sample" of complete DNS queries along with date and time.

Re: Choose your browser carefully (2021)

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Safari doesn't even meet the most basic requirement for a web browser: Support for uBlock Origin. If Apple cared about privacy, they would support uBO.

I'm using uBO with FF right now, and have used and enjoyed FF mobile with uBO back when I was using Android, but the issue being discussed here isn't ad blocking but privacy.

Privacy violations on the internet are almost always related to AdTech.
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