SymbianAug 3, 2023
Steve Grunwell

Regular reminder: if your site or app doesn’t work in Firefox, it’s broken.

I lived through the “this site requires and/or is best in IE” era, and I’d rather burn it all down than return to that.

Pro-tip: Firefox does most things better anyway. Give it a spin and enjoy a less-tracked web.

Aug 2, 2023 at 2:23pmWeb
Show threadBen RamseyAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell Same for Safari/WebKit browsers.
Show threadDustin RueAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell @chris “use our app for the best experience!”
Show threadSteve GrunwellAug 2, 2023
@dustinrue @chris :shudder:
Show threadHexxy The GrouchAug 2, 2023
@dustinrue @stevegrunwell @chris Yikes! It's been a long time since I've applied for a new gig. I would view needing some company's app to apply for a job as a reverse screening criteria. "Sure, let me install this intrusive application on the least secure device I own and then put my social security number and other critical PII into it..." That's a hard pass if any of that is the case.
Show threadSteve GrunwellAug 2, 2023
@hexxy_the_grouch @dustinrue @chris the only way to win is not to play 🙃
Show threadDustin RueAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell @hexxy_the_grouch @chris “looks like you have an ad blocker installed. We get it, ads are annoying…”
Show threadHalf Cocked LawAug 2, 2023
@dustinrue @stevegrunwell @hexxy_the_grouch @chris It looks like you are adding our domain to NoScript
Show threadHexxy The GrouchAug 3, 2023
@halfcocked @dustinrue @stevegrunwell @chris In a meme format:
- Ad domains exist.
- Me tired of their nonsense and drive by attack vectors add them to NoScript and PiHole domains.
- Ad Domains :   (Surprised Pikachu face)
Show threadAroop RoelofsAug 14, 2023

@dustinrue "This page requires silverlight"

@stevegrunwell @chris

Show threadDustin RueAug 14, 2023
@finlaydag33k @stevegrunwell @chris
Show threadTanyaAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell @grrrr_shark only a few months ago a site said it only worked with IE & "Netscape". Seriously!?
Show threadVictoria (K8VSY) (she/her)Aug 2, 2023
@GrumpyGirdle @stevegrunwell @grrrr_shark lol, "What year is it???"
Show threadTanyaAug 2, 2023
@k8vsy @stevegrunwell @grrrr_shark the design was pretty 90s too
Show threadSteve GrunwellAug 2, 2023

@GrumpyGirdle @grrrr_shark I bet that site loads fast as fuck, though. Hemming and hawing over a couple hundred kilobytes while today’s sites are cramming five or six megs down the pipe.

Oh, ActiveX? Never mind…

Show threadJennifer Kayla | Theogrin 🦊Aug 14, 2023
@GrumpyGirdle @stevegrunwell @grrrr_shark Remember, it has to be Netscape Navigator 3.x on at least 800x600 resolution with 32-bit colours.
Show threadTanyaAug 14, 2023
@theogrin @stevegrunwell @grrrr_shark damn! I'll need a new monitor 🤦‍♀️
Show threadJuho MäntysaloAug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell

Alas, one of the sites that are broken is google.

Show threadjankkaAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell reminds me to fix my app/site. You're right.
Show threadjankkaAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell well well:
Cross-Origin Request Blocked: The Same Origin Policy disallows reading the remote resource.
There you go. Sucks that it works on Chrome...
Show threadAnselm FlügelAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell Actually, I'd maintain a good baseline is actually #netsurf: https://www.netsurf-browser.org Contrary to the "big" engines, this still has code a single person can grok, which for me is a good definition for "free as in freedom". We shouldn't lock such engines out for a bit of glitz and animations I'd like to turn off anyway...
NetSurf Web Browser

Show threadSven GeggusAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell #SAP I feel you 😞
Show threadPyperkubAug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell Bonus points - the more different browsers you use, the less effective stalker behavior from trackers are.

An instance in which "not" sharing your cookies is a 'good' thing! (but kids, please share real cookies with real people ;) )

Show threadSteve GrunwellAug 2, 2023
@pyperkub
Show threadPyperkubAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell Addendum - feel free to share cookies with Monsters as desired ;)
Show threadAlexander Portnoy 🌊 🏳️‍🌈Aug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell

Chrome needs an "Open in Firefox" extension.

Show threadbasisbit 🦈🇪🇺🇺🇦 🔜 KnStAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell
I strongly disagree at least when its related to WebRTC. Firefox is super buggy when it comes to WebRTC.
Show threadHias aus OlivaAug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell

Teams on Firefox is broken. I guess, MS did that intentionally

Again, same old f*+&king company

Show threadSteve GrunwellAug 2, 2023
@hias1234 is there a situation where Teams *isn’t* broken? 🤔
Show threadHias aus OlivaAug 3, 2023

@stevegrunwell
Well, as long as you avoid using anything else than video conferencing AND use the right browser, even Teams does its job.

But it is difficult to convince it to stay out of the way - like all Microsoft products 🙄

Show threadSteve GrunwellAug 3, 2023

@hias1234 (Clippy has entered the chat)

I looks like you’re trying to chat with you team, want some help?

Show threadDr. Juande Santander-VelaAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell agreed! And sometimes all that is required is changing the User-Agent to fake Firefox is Chrome…
Show threadKevin Teljeur ❄️Aug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell @cyclinggeezr There are too many sites - including those by governments - that only work in Chrome.
Show threadRonald vd W.Aug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell I switched to Firefox as the main browser on my work laptop earlier this week and (besides the expected re-logins) results were... interesting.

It's going to take a bit of fettling and configuring to iron out some wrinkles.

Show threadAverageDood  Aug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell The only thing I've ever had a problem with in Firefox is the Gamepad API when using some web based games, or something like Game Pass Ultimate or Nvidia GeForce Now, and even that was only once, and never again
Show threadgunstickAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell recently I had to switch to Edge (chrome) to be able to use a telepresency robot. The video connection dropped consistently after 10 seconds.
Show threadkomikymiAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell my websites look the best on firefox just sayinnnn
Show threadthomkennonAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell or: Firefox is soft tech fascism, blocking shit by authoritarian default that i want to open. I wish Brave was better or some light non surveillance capitalist alternative. Any recos?
Show threadAngle🖇Aug 3, 2023
@thomkennon @stevegrunwell ...What does it block that you want to open? Only thing I ever have that with is stuff that's not properly encrypted. :/
Show threadthomkennonAug 3, 2023
@Angle @stevegrunwell Yeah I prolly should take the time to customize it. A bunch of sites I use frequently (lots of older academic sites) it just breaks and hangs. It's a nanny app and I guess I'm too old and anarchic.
Show threadTopaz, fluffy yip Aug 3, 2023

@thomkennon @Angle @stevegrunwell hmm maybe flipping off the "tracking protection" switch (it's per-site; if the shield icon next to the HTTPS lock isn't (IIRC) purple then it's not involved) could help?

there's HTTPS-only mode but if that was your problem it would throw up a big "page is not HTTPS!!!!", not just hang. Same if it was an older version of HTTPS. Things on the page not loading sounds like a content blocker issue.

Also, of course, if you have any extensions those could be doing it (we have uBlock Origin set to block third-party frames which gets rid of 90% of crap but sometimes breaks things), but you'd know if you have any.

Show threadthomkennonAug 3, 2023
@topaz @Angle @stevegrunwell awesome tips. Thank you!
Show threadTopaz, fluffy yip Aug 3, 2023

@thomkennon @Angle @stevegrunwell Yeah, course! *wag*

Safari has stuff like this as well, now. It's basically a necessity these days.

(If you want better filtering and WAY more control, try the uBlock Origin extension. You can use it with public filter lists, or you can decide /exactly/ what to block on a given site! (Which stacks with the filter lists, you get both.))

Show threadjec&Aug 3, 2023
@thomkennon lol... maybe it's the sites that need fixing, ever thought about that.... ? you have old, broke, probably badly developed and unmaintained sites, but you choose to blame the gold standard for modern browsers instead.

yet you claim to be an academic. I hope this is not the way in which you normally reason and work...
Show threadjec&Aug 3, 2023
@thomkennon whoa. this tbh has got to be one of the worst takes about anything I have heard in quite a while. that is quite amazing.

I think you really need to step away from the keyboard and spare innocent bystanders of your harmful nonsense...
Show threadCwnidogAug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell : That was back in the days of MS "embracing and extending" standards, AKA being non-compliant. But their developer tools depended on those non-compliances, so stuff developed using them wouldn't work on anybody else's browser.

Firefox has always been standard-compliant.

Show threadDiesel DawgAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell Downloading eDiscovery results from Office (er, sorry, Microsoft365) STILL suggests using IE. TBF, they've updated the verbiage to say "Edge or IE," but damn. Let IE die!
Show threadLord Graham Kirk 💙Aug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell
Firefox coupled with Duck Duck go has been my only provider for many years.

If a site doesn't work with those, I have nothing to do with the site.

#firefox #DuckDuckGo

Show threadAndrew DouglassAug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell I love Firefox and used it as my daily driver until last year. Their refusal/inability to support some of the lower-level web APIs like real file system access or hardware stuff like webUSB makes me question this argument.

Is my app broken because I want to use the web browser as a cross-OS compatibility layer instead of writing native code? Or is Firefox broken for not supporting features that people can expect on any chromium browser?

Show threadHexxy The GrouchAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell I agree Firefox is the better browser. It's my go to for a most cases. I use a modest collection of privacy plugins and it works for me. Chrome still has to live on my computer for specific tasks though. The two primary cases are intranet things and HID access so I can configure my keyboard. The first because the internal powers don't think about these things. The second is a decision by an open source group who I suppose wanted to drop the standalone tool? (caniusevia FYI)
Show threadWade McGillisAug 2, 2023

@stevegrunwell firefox doesn't support "font-variant-emoji"

edit:

my computer doesn't have chrome on it. firefox is the browser that i use all of the time.

Show threadAnecdotally ExtantAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell
Show threadKaitlyn~EthyliaAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell CC @darkwiiplayer :3
Show threadDanAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell did have a banner on an old site that said that the site was only designed to work with W3C compliant browsers and that if the graphics were gkitching try a better browser.... But that was back in the days of HTML 4.01 transitional
Show threadSeedy Three SixtyAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell @wx1g And for God's sake, install UBlock Origin!
Show thread🏳️‍🌈Superdave! 😘🍷👨‍🦯Aug 2, 2023
@seedy @stevegrunwell Only extension I have is ublock origin!
Show threadEric GilmourAug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell it's been many years since I've come across a website that doesn't work on firefox
Show threadcatfluoride Aug 2, 2023
@stevegrunwell nope, I'll keep using Brave. Firefox sucks badly on 1) performance, 2) UI, 3) privacy (lots of telemetry and calling home by default). Plus, Mozilla doesn't deserve any credit nowadays. They're as shitty as google. Just smaller.