Comic Strips

it should be the new logo

The backlash is over the CEO's comments of "evolving into an AI browser" instead of the current implementation

I like your take. An optimistic me would be fully onboard with it. But this isn't a single change in a vacuum. I think the reason people aren hating is because they're seeing it as yet another symptom of enshitification, and I don't disagree.

There are rare examples of outstanding companies like Steam that talk the talk and walk the walk. But with Firefox, they're headed the wrong direction. They cut 30% of their staff this time last year, cut their internet freedom advacacy group, and I think that was the point where they started a hard shift away from who they were. They're harvesting and selling user data now (removed the old "Nope. Never have, never will" [sell user data] from their FAQ), they've got a CEO that's taking an absolute fortune off the top of a struggling company, and they're steadily removing long time features like pocket integration and compact mode.

The last straw will be if Google ever pulls their deal as Firefox's default search engine... Mozilla will very likely pivot hard to nasty, modern money making practices to keep themselves alive if they lose 80% of their revenue all at once like that.

Isn't this already covered with extensions, though?

I like Librewolf on my PC. It shuts down a bunch of stuff right off he bat.

I'm looking for some recommendations for android devices.

I unironically use https://servo.org/ from time to time for light surfing like researching something on wikipedia.

It breaks on most modern websites especially SPAs of course its like super alpha but its heading in the right direction its great to have a alternative showing up in times like this.

Still have Firefox with all AI disabled for heavy usage and stuff like banking.

There are a few browsers/browser engines in the works, but right now you could try a Firefox fork

Servo and Ladybird are in the works. They're both new browsers built from scratch, but they're both largely still in alpha

Firefox is the biggest non-chromium browser competitor, and was an advocate of privacy and not selling user data

But they recently did a 180, started selling user data, and are now shoving FF full of AI bloatware nobody wants

So the userbase is feeling very betrayed

The new CEO has said he wants to turn Firefox into a "modern day AI browser"

"Clue me in" is the idiom. ~~Que~~ Cue is closer than queue, if you were an actor and needed a hint on where to go next.

it's "clue" me in on. But "cue" does make sense, from an "eggcorn" perspective. It's not the phrase, but it makes sense.

Hasn't google pretty much always supported Mozilla/firefox? I was pretty sure this was the case since basically forever.

You've got it backwards. It's the threat of anti-trust against Google's ownership of Chrome that puts Firefox at risk. Google has pretty much always supported / paid Firefox either to have Google as the default search or more direct support to stave off the anti-trust claims.

However, if Google has to sell / spin-off chrome, there is no longer as big of a reason to fund Mozilla and that's why you're seeing Moz scramble to find new ways to find funding. This AI push is no doubt a desperate attempt to lure in investor dollars as they're reading the room and see that their current funds will likely disappear in the coming years

Edit: spelling