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Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

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Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#511

Post by adrianmalacoda »

homebrewer wrote: post #101
gldrk wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am surprised. Does that imply most GNU/Linux users go out of their way to install Chromium actually? Ubuntu and Firefox have a similar market share.

No idea about most Linux users, but here's what little we know for sure: Arch pkgstats (opt-in): ~64% FF, ~41% Chromium, ~17% Chrome https://pkgstats.archlinux.de/fun/Browsers/current Debian popcon (opt-in): 2.2% Firefox, ~10.3% Chromium https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=firefox https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=chromium Flathub installs: 10kk Firefox, 10kk Chrome, 1.8kk Chromium https://flathub.org/en/…

The usual package for Firefox on Debian is `firefox-esr`. 44.18%.

https://qa.debian.org/popcon.php?package=firefox-esr

The `firefox` package is only in `unstable` and thus installing it requires jumping through hoops.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#512

Post by wvenable »

andybp85 wrote: post #507
wvenable wrote: post #499

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That question completely misunderstands what AI is for. Why would I just do it when the AI did it for me in less time that I could myself and mechanically in a way that is arguably harder for a human to do? AI is surprisingly good at identifying all the edge cases.

i probably don't understand. the main thought i have re: llm coding is, why i would want to talk to a insipid, pandering chatbot instead of having fun writing code? but, as an engineer, i have to say if it works for you and you're getting quality output, then go for it. it's just not for me.

It seems to me you're coming in with a negative preconceptions (e.g. "insipid, pandering chatbot"). What part about coding is fun for you? What part is boring? Keep the fun bits and take the boring bits and have the LLM do those.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#513

Post by TRiG_Ireland »

PurpleRamen wrote: post #490
ethbr1 wrote: post #482

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [Mozilla always jumped on fads], everyone does. If you read down in the thread, there's a good discussion about how this simply isn't true about Mozilla. Of the fads Christophe Henry mentioned top of thread, Mozilla flat out didn't invest any resources in some of them, invested minimal resources in others (accepting donations in crypto), and modest resources in VR (which you'd expect given the browser-VR integratio…

> If you read down in the thread, there's a good discussion about how this simply isn't true about Mozilla. Yeah, I'm not searching 500 posts for this.. > Of the fads Christophe Henry mentioned top of thread Who is Christophe Henry? Is this some namecalling? > Mozilla flat out didn't invest any resources in some of them, That doesn't make it better, being somewhat selective is also normal. Most companies don't have t…

The link goes to a conversation on Mastodon.social, and one of the first commenters is called Christophe Henry.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#514

Post by immibis »

tliltocatl wrote: post #459
braiamp wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core No, the problem is that Mozilla needs money if they want to stop leaning off Google, and people are simply too blind by their hatred of AI that doesn't figure out that Mozilla needs money. What is giving shit loads of money right now? A-fucking-I. If their investors portfolio doesn't include AI on their products, nobody will…

And how exactly is the AI going to give Mozilla money? I mean not investor money, but actual profit? By alienating their moat userbase (privacy-minded technies)? Because if not for the AI haters, nobody would care about Firefox __at all__. Funding end-user-facing FOSS is hard. An OS kernel or a DMBS can count on corporations that need new features providing funding. A browser can't. But then if small individual donat…

By selling the default LLM slot, exactly the same way they sell the default search engine slot.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#515

Post by immibis »

rchaud wrote: post #487
zdragnar wrote: post #458

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A-fucking-I doesn't make the product better. Mozilla constantly runs in every direction other than what their core users want or need. > You want Mozilla to stop doing that? Guarantee their moneis flow. Sure, just as soon as they sell something a privacy focused user of a browser wants. Privacy focused password management built into Firefox with paid sync or enterprise integration. Privacy focused paid email hosting,…

Interestingly, Proton does a lot of what you're talking about: email hosting, password management, cloud storage, docs and spreadsheets. The only thing they don't have is their own browser.

Proton started banning journalists and political dissidents, so they're a joke now.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#516

Post by godelski »

mapontosevenths wrote: post #476
godelski wrote: post #439

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's no better than going out wearing a swastika sign Come on, I'm far from a crypto fanboy but this is just making my case. It's incredibly egregious. You can call crypto a bullshit fad loved by scammers without saying anyone that accepts it is a Nazi. I don't see anyone getting all up in arms about the Wayback Machine, The EFF, or plenty of others who accept cryptocurrencies as payments. And again, to equate it t…

> You can call crypto a bullshit fad loved by scammers without saying anyone that accepts it is a Nazi. I'm actually mostly on your side in this debate, but to clarify that's not actually what I think they were saying here. I think they were talking about folks who argue that the swastiki was a Buddhist symbol first so it's fine to wear it in public... They aren't technically wrong they're just assholes. He was compa…

Fair, that is a different interpretation but I still think it's a bad comparison.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#517

Post by aryonoco »

giancarlostoro wrote: post #470
tliltocatl wrote: post #355

I think people screaming "but AI is the future" doesn't recognize what the problem is. The problem is not AI. The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core. There are a tons of "we bundled all the latest crap" Chrome forks out there. Nobody needs more those. Stop pushing bells and whistles. Give us more extensibility instead. Keep supporting v2 manifest and add more. Ther…

I am waiting for a serious fork of Mozilla to emerge at this point that pays the maintainers better in a bid to overtake Mozilla itself. People would donate to get a better browser, people dont donate because Mozilla wastes all their donor funds on nonsense.

There are those. I pay to support Floorp.

But I also donate to Firefox and Thunderbird cause the forks wouldn’t exist without them.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#518

Post by parl_match »

tliltocatl wrote: post #355

I think people screaming "but AI is the future" doesn't recognize what the problem is. The problem is not AI. The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core. There are a tons of "we bundled all the latest crap" Chrome forks out there. Nobody needs more those. Stop pushing bells and whistles. Give us more extensibility instead. Keep supporting v2 manifest and add more. Ther…

> There are a tons of "we bundled all the latest crap" Chrome forks out there. Nobody needs more those.

And it's fine if they want to compete in that space, but they don't even seem to have the drive or desire to excel there.

To this day, I'm surprised that chromium powers electron and firefox hasn't released a compelling alternative.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#519

Post by forephought4 »

jasonlotito wrote: post #472
forephought4 wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

5 step plan for Mozilla to succeed against the Behemoth Googzilla and the leviathans of MAWS. 1. build a team in Europe to create an email service comparable to gmail/protonmail - domains: mozmail.com, mmail.com, godmail.com, pmail.com, dogmail.com, meowmail.com - promoted as a simple everyday email – no overly complicated/advanced federati features in order to increase inter-operability, reduce spam and dealing with…

It's funny how you post this comment under a comment that says no to all but 2.1 and 2.2. > The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core.

Steps 2 and 1 should probably be swapped, but I wouldn't say the rest of what I listed are fads, but what they'd need to become a real and complete alternative to the current ecosystems.

Just a silly idea anyway.

Re: Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features

#520

Post by someNameIG »

godelski wrote: post #403
tliltocatl wrote: post #355

I think people screaming "but AI is the future" doesn't recognize what the problem is. The problem is not AI. The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core. There are a tons of "we bundled all the latest crap" Chrome forks out there. Nobody needs more those. Stop pushing bells and whistles. Give us more extensibility instead. Keep supporting v2 manifest and add more. Ther…

> The problem is not AI. The problem is that Mozilla keeps jumping on fads instead of focusing on their browser core Nah, the problem is people just want to hate on Mozilla. I mean even that Mastadon thread they bring up people hating on Mozilla for accepting crypto donations and are equating it to putting a miner in the browser. Like what a fucking joke. It's such a crazy exaggeration of what actually happened. Comp…

> using a fork like Mullvad or Waterfox. Those are going to keep all these AI features out. So what do we privacy maximalists care? The forks give us exactly what we want.

The thing is most of the forks are still using some/all of the on device ML models, they're just not advertising them as AI. From Waterfoxs announcement of "Not using AI*"

>The asterisk acknowledges that “AI” has become a catch-all term. Machine learning tools like local translation engines (Bergamot) are valuable and transparent. Large language models, in their current black-box form, are neither.

https://www.waterfox.com/blog/no-ai-here-response-to-mozilla...

Zen:

> Based on Firefox, Zen also inherit its translation features

https://docs.zen-browser.app/user-manual/translate

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