For sure. It seems like some kind of “metaverse” will happen at some point, given the increasing use of technology, but as you say not like Zuck would like it!
The thing is, that if people don’t use Firefox, there is only one big company left behind most browsers and that’s Google. If you care about privacy it means you have to support the only browser that actually has any relevance besides Google. I wouldn’t say that Firefox is inherently the more secure or better browser overall, but the big picture is what makes Firefox incredibly important when it comes to privacy.
Sometimes it feels like a cult, yes, but Firefox simply is important so that Google doesn’t have a monopoly on basically how all users use the internet. It’s a matter of principle, which often can be seen as annoying fanboy-ism.
Firefox is the only really viable alternative in the mainstream. I am aware that recently they have tried to push the data sharing/sync type stuff. I find the sync to be very useful but they need to be told that the reason people like us use their browser is that we value privacy. If they are struggling financially then perhaps we should support them, but if that is the case then we need to see accountability. @firefox don’t lose the plot!
As it relates to protecting privacy, I believe that Firefox and/or the browsers based on it are the only viable options. The objective evidence for that has already been presented time and time again in various topics including the Which Privacy Browser topic. I don’t really feel the need to write a book about it every time. Especially since privacy is such a complicated topic that not everyone understands or cares about.
The high level reasons for that are:
- Firefox has privacy related controls and add-ons that aren’t available on Chromium-based browsers.
- Google continues to make privacy difficult in Chromium and there is only so much that Chromium-based browsers can do to stop that. The future looks even bleaker as it relates to Chromium with Google’s upcoming changes there.
If you want the specifics behind that, read the 600+ posts in topic linked above.
To be very clear, I am not pro-Firefox. It is simply that the current situation for browsers is not a good one. The only fully featured browsers available for Linux are either based on Firefox or Chromium. 
It really isn’t the same at all. I am talking about the eco-system more broadly(all browsers based on Firefox) and a narrow part of the feature-set(privacy). What would be more closely analogous is something like “if you care about high-end ray tracing performance, you need to get an nvidia-based gpu if not, there are some great options from amd”.
If I had said, “Firefox is the best browser”, I can see how your analogy would apply.
2 Likes
I’m saying it! Firefox is the best browser … for most people! Nothing wrong with it. 
2 Likes
Me too. All the time. Sync services can go jump.
Not really.
Chrome / Chromium is built from the ground up to track and collect user data. Breaching privacy is Google’s business model. It is what they do. This is Chrome’s primary purpose for existing.
All their tools & services are designed to lure users in and mass collect data on them. All of them.
Like a paedo with sweets in a playground. Sickening.
1 Like
It never ends, let’s just say FF is good, it’s the best free one and just move on. Every time this gets brought up it’s FF is better with this and that. Use what works for you and what you trust it’s pointless arguing about it. What eve anyone says it is always FF some will find something bad about another browser except based on FF or FF itself.
I agree if you like it use it. If not use something else simple as that. 
Firefox 94 is doing a very good job regarding hardware acceleration and EGL.
The requirement to set media.rdd-vpx.enabled to false is a security risk but they are already working on it, to move the process to the GPU.
Quote from Arch Wiki:
Warning: Disabling the content process sandbox is a security risk, in the future VA-API will be moved to the GPU process so it is properly sandboxed.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Firefox#Hardware_video_acceleration
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1683808
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1732951
2 Likes
OK, can you provide any evidence that Ungoogled Chromium is tracking their users and collecting their data?
Yes, I agree. A monopoly is almost always a bad thing.
But the irony is that most of Mozillas money comes from Google.
3 Likes
Yes, because it’s all just subjective. That’s why I was asking for a objective discussion. I don’t want to see more claims. I’d like to see some proof for all those claims. But it looks like nobody’s interrested 
I’m not against you I’m with you. Personally, I’m not a FOSS fanatic. I use the stuff if it works for me. If I want to block something I will find a to stop it. I used to be with Mozilla since it came out but slowly I moved away because I didn’t like FF and some stuff they do or did.
I even use Chrome and then Chromium but I never liked them mainly performance.
I found a browser that I truly like Vivaldi. It has everything I need to let me customize the way I want. Yes, it’s not 100% free. Its UI parts are proprietary but I trust the guys behind Vivaldi. It performs better than Chrom or FF for me. Never has any issue with it on Windows or on Linux. Sync works like a charm.
No one has reported they are selling stuff even the UI being proprietory. People say FF is this and that but their main money flow comes from google. But that’s fine. Because FF is free and “private”.
As I said just find a tool that works for you and use it. Most people think whatever they use is the best. With a person, we can talk to people we can’t. So best to just leave it at that and use whatever works for you.
Generally speaking and not referring to this particular topic, you would need to travel far and long to come across people who are interested in this kind of discussions in this time and age.
Not saying that there are none, but they are few and far between.
The “norm” seems to be taking their own subjective opinion and heighten it to the level of universal validity and raise their voice to put some more weight behind it. The louder, the more sensationalist, the more alarmist, at times, you are the more you are in the right.
Sorry for the Off-Topic 
1 Like
Ok, I will check the Privacy Browser topic and see if I can find some evidence there.
I am not saying Mozilla is bad, but it got worse with time, and normally you
expect otherwise, I still use Firefox and exp. Thunderbird is hard to be replaced.
And yes I still prefer Mozilla against Edge, Vivaldi, Chrome, Opera by all means.
Despite my rant against Mozilla, I hope it finds ways to get better and popular
again, even though when so many people just take
edge, google chrome without thinking about those details.
I just want to point out that you haven’t provided any objective data that there is another browser with better privacy protections than Firefox.
If you want to have an evidence-based discussion, you might consider providing some evidence yourself.
It seems more like you were triggered by the discussion itself as opposed to you actually agreeing or disagreeing with the point being made.
Well, yeah, I agree with most of what you wrote.
I’m not for or against anyone here either. And I’m definitly not looking for ppl to tell me what I should use. I use what I like and I do that based on my opinion and knowledge. But I’m aware that my knowledge is limited. See, I mostly use Brave now. I do that because I like the UI and UX and because I think that it’s pretty good in terms of privacy. Many ppl here don’t like Brave. I don’t care, I use it anyway. But if someone could prove to me that Brave has serious cons for privacy I would probably change my mind and stop using it.
And that’s why I’m here, that’s why I engage in this and other communities. To learn and broaden my knowledge.
Don’t get me wrong, I also like Memes and some smalltalk, but that’s not what I’m here for in the end.
So about what you wrote at the end of your post and about what @pebcak wrote: If most people are not interested in digging deeper on topics, if most ppl are not interested in providing proof for their claims, if it comes to “just let 'em talk and use whatever you like” the what am I doing here? My take on messsge boards always was and is that it’s a place for discussing things in much greater detail than you usually would in a more mainstream place. Discussions require arguments and arguments require proof to back them up.
I’m not here for the chit chat and I’m definitly not here to feed my ego. I’m here to dig deeper and to learn.
2 Likes
