whouStop using Brave Browser
drcouzelisTo anyone reading this article, only the first quarter of it is about the beliefs and political stance of the developers. The rest of the article after that goes into more technical reasons.
IHeartBadCodeAll I needed to read was in the first paragraph.
Brave Software, the company behind the browser of the same name, was founded by Brendan Eich. He's best known as the creator of JavaScript from his days at Netscape Communications
I mean, JS is his baby that's all there needs to be said about the person's motivations.
JS is his baby that’s all there needs to be said about the person’s motivations.
“During these formative years of the Web, web pages could only be static, lacking the capability for dynamic behavior after the page was loaded in the browser. There was a desire in the flourishing web development scene to remove this limitation, so in 1995, Netscape decided to add a scripting language to Navigator. They pursued two routes to achieve this: collaborating with Sun Microsystems to embed the Java programming language, while also hiring Brendan Eich to embed the Scheme language.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript
I think you’re confusing the reasons behind the initial intent of JS to what it has evolved into almost 30 years later.
Imagine a world where Java integrated into the web was just as standard as JavaScript is now.
we were really close… I remember lots of placeholders for where Java applets were meant to be
During these formative years of the Web, web pages could only be static, lacking the capability for dynamic behavior after the page was loaded in the browser.
And it was better. Frankly, http was a mistake, humanity would be healthier and happier if we stopped at gopher.
Very strongly worded, but yes.
Brave have had a history of controversy since their inception. Every time something happens, the CEO went on a marketing campaign across social media and drummed up enough new users to drown it out. However the attitude of the business is clear: it would take a very small sack of money for Brave to sell out its users.
If you’re going to use a Chromium web browser, there are non-commercial open source projects that don’t have a history of shady shit. However Firefox forks are better.
Which forks do you suggest?
Mullvad , LibreWolf and Tor.
sickdayNot the OP, but here are some alternatives anyway.
Firefox:
Chrome:
RootiestI use fennec from F-droid on mobile
SatyrSackAlso Mull and Iceraven from F-Droid
HamartiogonicOk, but why? What’s wrong with Firefox and how do the forks address those points?
I posted the list of alternatives simply because OP asked for forks.
What’s wrong with Firefox
Me posting this list shouldn't be an implication that I believe Firefox to be bad. I'm offering alternatives as the OP requests.
and how do the forks address those points?
Every one of the links I shared have detailed information about how their product mutates the original Firefox or Chromium browser. Do you really need me to copy-paste that information into a comment?
Other people have given desktop examples. For Android, I use Mull, which also has a companion Android System Webview implementation (Chromium) called Mulch.
AbsolutelyNotCatsDoes it support extensions like Firefox?
Yes, full support for desktop extensions.
Just saw it does support custom add-on collections like Firefox beta and nightly… I’m going to give it a try
All I can say is try DivestOS :)
My opinion: It doesn’t have full customisation (compared to eg. CRDroid) but it does at least have call recording and long press back button = kill app process, along with traffic monitors for the status bar. All regular phone calls have a banner at the top reminding you that they’re not secure (as opposed to E2E encrypted chat calls over the internet) and Location permission settings seem to be a bit more expansive than other ROMs.
Absoutely. I mostly use Firefox because I’m so familiar with it by now but the privacy is generally much better and it doesn’t have a massive monopoly on the web. I’m just a lot more comfortable with it.
When I have to, I use ungoogled-chromium on desktop and Bromite on mobile. I recommend those to anyone familiar with Chrome.
Unfortunately Bromite has been abandoned, however someone has made a fork called Cromite.
Link.wav [he/him]I don’t trust homophobes or cryptobros, especially not those with a history of selling users out like Brendan Eich
Especially when there is Firefox and Firefox-based, privacy-focused alternative with great add-blocking and privacy extensions.
I don’t trust anyone who invented Javascript.
Double_AIm just waiting for Firefox mobile to add back support for all add-ons.
Have you tried Fennec? It’s a stable and up-to-date release of Firefox with full support for add-ons and about:config
Not all add-ons work for mobile, but many of them do. You just have to use the “save to collection” feature to add them. I’ve got sponsorblock working in mine.
I don’t know why but firefox feels sluggish compared to cromium based browsers on android
See, I’ve heard people say this, but this has not been my experience at all, and the data seem to support that it’s not slower on Android. If anything, it should be faster.
I always disable intrusive settings like “suggestions from sponsors” and “improve the Firefox experience,” so maybe that’s the reason?
Strange, I’m using Fennec so it shouldn’t be using any telemetry. But I’ll give it another shot for science
Could be a unique hardware thing as well. I have an S21 FE running the stock OS, but I’ve disabled certain system apps I find annoying, such as Samsung Internet and Modes and Routines
Mull supports add-ons. Also has a companion to replace the system browser Android System Webview, called Mulch.
glacierFireFox Beta and Nightly, and forks like Fennec and Mull from F-Droid support all add-ons.
if you useanything alphabet like chromium, then YOU are the problem.
Firefox ftw
I think it’s pretty unfair to put all of the blame on everyone who uses a chromium browser, considering that most people with a computer have no idea what the hell you are talking about.
Google Chrome is the single most popular web browser. Everyone’s work uses it, everyone’s school uses it, why would they possibly question it? And then they discover a new browser someone recommended - why would they look into “chromium” and what it all means? It’s just not reasonable to expect of nearly the entire population at this stage.
Take your anger out on the company and educate people.
from what i understand 99% of US mobile views is safari. NOBODY needs to usw Chrome.
Everyone uses it? ARE YOU DRUNK? give the firefox sub a visit and meet many people with backbones.
the problem laziness! one can educated themselves. chrome as much as apple users keep repeating the sentence “but it works so well”…for them…on the backs of others…hm, if that is not selfish i dunno what is. fuck em!
There’s nothing to understand. Google has over 60% market capture, safari has 20%. It’s not even close. And I never said they “need” to, I’m saying “why would they question it  when it’s everywhere? I completely agree that we should get off of it. You need to calm down.
ARE YOU DRUNK?
Ease off the throttle with the caps. I use FF.
I really don’t understand why people get so confrontational about this kind of thing. It’s a fucking web browser. I have a strong opinion about how they should be developed, but it has never been important to me to actually care what other people choose to use, especially not to the degree of lashing out at end users.
Educating people on their choices is good, but nobody should be getting this worked up over user choice.
Dude, touch some grass. You’re being way too aggro at someone explaining why a person might use a particular browser
99% of US mobile views is safari
Source: 🎱
Chris RemingtonPlease, be(e) nice when using Beehaw. Enjoy a three day vacation from here.
Bro, eat a snickers…
What do you mean by “on the backs of others”? Are you saying that then using chrome impacts others that don’t use chrome?
This is true, and there are people who are required to use it at work due to bad and outdated policies, but I do think it’s fair to say of anyone who does know better yet stubbornly persists in using Brave or Chrome.
I have seen people reply that they don’t care if they’re supporting an untrustworthy homophobic cryptobro because “everything is bad” or something like that. Those people are part of the problem. We’re spiraling toward a situation where internet is the new cable TV, under full control of two colossal corporate entities (Google and Microsoft), and I think it’s fair to expect more from those of us who do know better, but stubbornly persist for whatever reason.
Totally agree. Unfortunately the other dude is completely unhinged about this.
I agree, but I think it stems from the frustration we all feel that we’re losing our privacy and now we’re even at risk of losing the ability to choose our own services (with Google’s proposed DRM changes and the possibility of gutting certain services in Manifest v3).
It’s accurate that a very small slice of the pie are non-chromium users, and so I understand what you mean by “no one uses Firefox.” I’m not quite sure what to do to change that.
Also, I can understand why people get upset about this and might seem unhinged. For me, worst-case scenario is I simply no longer use the internet unless I’m required to for work; but for many people, the internet hosts their only comfortable spaces. For example, I’ve seen an interactive map where LGBT+ people post from where they live, and there are people living in the absolute middle of nowhere in rabidly conservative towns of less than 500. I can understand that the prospect of losing our privacy and the only safe spaces they’ve got must feel devastating.
Let me be very clear here: I am very passionate about privacy. I have been donating and volunteering for years with the EFF and other organizations to support net neutrality, fight terrible policies like SOPA/PIPA, etc.
All I said was why some people seem to “not care,” because the implication from other people is that it is malice or selfishness. It’s about education, that’s almost always what it’s about. And I’m advocating for educating people so they get off alphabet products. So I don’t understand why people are acting like I just don’t care or I am saying “Google Chrome is perfectly good.” I said nothing like that, in fact, I said quite the opposite.
Despite how many times I will end up making my position clear, I’m sure people will read past my comment and keep accusing me of not caring and lecture me about why it matters. Even though I agree lol
I totally get that, yeah. I understand.
I work for a large agency of the US government. We get the “choice” between chrome and edge.
I’ve worked for a similar employer! I’m supposed to use Chrome at my current employer, and it sucks. Zoom, too.
I’m sure part of it is that I’m just used to Firefox, but I don’t know how people choose to use Chrome. All of its “features” are creepy and stalkerish.
If you’ve found your way to the technology community on a federated lemmy instance, youre techy enough to take the blame for using chromium
He’s talking about literally everyone. Read his follow up to me.
BoozillaRight, but if I take your perfectly reasonable and mature position then I can’t prove to the web how edgy and superior I am!
orcaIt’s only a matter of time until Eich sells all of Brave’s users down the river.
You look deep enough at any company and you will find a lot of shit you don’t like.
Go live off the land in the woods if you don’t want to support shitty companies.
Otherwise STFU
OK, but it's also a pretend privacy browser that doesn't actually protect or respect your privacy.
The browser as is right now is open source and has way better defaults for privacy than Firefox (currently it seems it is the best browser in this aspect. see: privacytests.org/private.html).
There are a lot of issues with Brave, but it’s actually a decent browser if your concern is privacy. Way better than chrome, edge, etc.
Doesn’t mean I endorse it of course. Don’t use brave.
Do you think AD Block Plus to be non privacy oriented because it shows you non invasive ads?
No ads I’ve seen in the browser ever seen like they’re targeted. As for crypto, it’s anti privacy as the blockchain tracks everything you do on it… So yeah any of the crypto stuff they did isn’t that bad TBH and it is also OPT in…