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Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

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Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#201

Post by stjohnswarts »

rwmj wrote: post #34
sandyarmstrong wrote: post #3

I noticed this yesterday. I've been using Mozilla/Phoenix/Firebird/Firefox as my primary browser for over 20 years. They've made some questionable calls, sure, but most of the recent things that have bothered people (like Pocket integration) haven't really irked me. This is the first time where I got a visceral feeling that maybe this isn't the browser I knew and loved anymore. It's not like I'm uninstalling and swit…

The Android version of Firefox recently started promoting commercial bookmarks on the home screen, another case where it seems they've lost the plot.

You can't turn it off? I haven't used Android in a while, but always like Firefox made it easy to turn this type of stuff and telemetry off.

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#202

Post by crossroadsguy »

0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #48
ilikepi wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you miss the episode in 2017 in which they used an internal control to force the installation of an add-on as part of a promotion for a television show? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15941302 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15940144 I feel similarly to you...long-time user, bummed out by stuff like this. Sometimes it feels like Firefox would be a lot better off without Mozilla occasionally making deal…

I read a conspiracy that Google has paid off Mozilla management to specifically sabotage the browser development. Actions like this make it hard to dispute the moves that frequently seem deliberately anti-user.

Reminds of good old Mr Elop.

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#203

Post by Zak »

eterm wrote: post #83
VTimofeenko wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bugzilla links in yesterday's post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36077360 seem to indicate that Mozilla intended for the popup to be shown if the user is AFK for 20 minutes but that timer malfunctioned

That's worse . The last thing I want is my browser popping something up when I'm AFK.

(Bug reporter here)

I don't know exactly what anyone else experienced. What I experienced is: I was away from my computer and noticed that my Syncthing[0] folders were out of date, so I used KDE Connect[1] to make sure Syncthing was running on my PC, which opens a tab connecting to Syncthing on the local machine in the default browser - Firefox in my case. Some time later, I unlocked my PC and found the advertisement on top of my Syncthing admin page.

So yes, it popped something up while I was AFK, though I can't guess whether it would have done so if I hadn't remotely triggered a new tab. Needless to say, I was very surprised to see that behavior from Firefox, and even more surprised that despite posts to reddit and HN complaining, I didn't find a report in Bugzilla.

[0] https://syncthing.net/

[1] https://kdeconnect.kde.org/

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#204

Post by worrycue »

philistine wrote: post #77
0cf8612b2e1e wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read a conspiracy that Google has paid off Mozilla management to specifically sabotage the browser development. Actions like this make it hard to dispute the moves that frequently seem deliberately anti-user.

That makes no sense. Mozilla goes so hard on the VPN ads exactly because it wants to diversify its revenues away from its vassalage to Google.

A pet theory of mine is Mozilla’s C-suite knows no matter how bad Firefox gets and how low their user count, Google will continue to fund them because Google likes something to point to if antitrust came knocking - in fact the lower Firefox’s influence the better as Chrome can then unilaterally control the web.

So they spend all of Mozilla’s money on various BS like Pocket and now VPN to try to make more money so they can further increase their already high salaries, instead of reinvesting into Firefox - hence the anti-user intrusive ads, the reduction of head count while paying themselves millions of dollars.

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#205

Post by whoisthemachine »

bee_rider wrote: post #78
whoisthemachine wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I can't help but think that giving normal, technical users a great browser, and then catering on bended knee to enterprises for a very controllable, supported, extended version as the source of revenue that supports the normal browser is a sustainable model. Maybe not a model that takes over the world, but one that sustains development of a good open source browser.

Are there any open source projects run like that? The closest thing I can think of is, like, Chromium but they don’t really make a framework that anyone can customize, they are inextricably tied to Google, right? IMO open source works best as a community implementing small, single-purpose programs, which the users can integrate however they’d like. Web browsers have gotten too monolithic and the internet has gotten t…

Red Hat?

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#206

Post by postalrat »

handsclean wrote: post #198
postalrat wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Safari is the MSIE 6 of this time period.

Safari is the fastest browser, the most standards compliant browser, and regularly updated, the only similarity to IE6 is it’s buggy. Chrome, on the other hand, followed IE’s whole playbook: leverage a platform monopoly to push the browser, then leverage browser monopoly to undermine standards, coercing devs into dropping support for the competition.

How is the the most complaint browser?

https://html5test.com/results/desktop.html

Looks like its the worst. Unless you have something proving otherwise. Till then I'll assume all your facts are bullshit.

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#207

Post by sphars »

NickHoff wrote: post #184

So, what do people think of Vivaldi? I'm a long-time Firefox user but I've been scanning for a new browser for a while now. Even if it weren't for stuff like this, I'll have to change anyway when Firefox dips below ~3% and websites stop supporting Gecko.

I used Vivaldi on and off over the past few years, but I've been using FF full time since late last year. Vivaldi eventually starting slowing way down for some reason. Startup took nearly 10 seconds, when it used to be Also their address bar behavior was way different than Chrome or FF, and it kept messing me up.

It might be better now, they've had many updates since I last used it. Might give it another go, now that FF is doing this stuff.

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#208

Post by Dylan16807 »

ilikepi wrote: post #172
jeroenhd wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The execution was definitely terrible, but "browser company ships promotional easter egg" isn't that bad as "browser company inserts ads into browsing experience" in my opinion. These ads are why Windows 10+ has become a trash fire despite all the technical improvements made to Windows. Mozilla were stupid enough to try and sneak this Roboto stuff in, probably as part of the requirements or intentions of the ad campa…

> The execution was definitely terrible, but "browser company ships promotional easter egg" isn't that bad as "browser company inserts ads into browsing experience" in my opinion. These ads are why Windows 10+ has become a trash fire despite all the technical improvements made to Windows. I'm not sure I agree. The Mr. Robot "promotional easter egg" was done by installing an add-on via the Shield Study system. This sy…

They could have hard coded it, would that have been better or worse in your view?

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#209

Post by wlonkly »

chrsig wrote: post #118
jeroenhd wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The execution was definitely terrible, but "browser company ships promotional easter egg" isn't that bad as "browser company inserts ads into browsing experience" in my opinion. These ads are why Windows 10+ has become a trash fire despite all the technical improvements made to Windows. Mozilla were stupid enough to try and sneak this Roboto stuff in, probably as part of the requirements or intentions of the ad campa…

how are you differentiating "promotional easter egg" from "ad"?

They did a better job of hiding the promotional easter egg.

Re: Mozilla stops Firefox fullscreen VPN ads after user outrage

#210

Post by Dylan16807 »

chrsig wrote: post #118
jeroenhd wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The execution was definitely terrible, but "browser company ships promotional easter egg" isn't that bad as "browser company inserts ads into browsing experience" in my opinion. These ads are why Windows 10+ has become a trash fire despite all the technical improvements made to Windows. Mozilla were stupid enough to try and sneak this Roboto stuff in, probably as part of the requirements or intentions of the ad campa…

how are you differentiating "promotional easter egg" from "ad"?

You had to enable extensions.pug.lookingglass before it even loaded the code.
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