Oh wow, Google is really sneaky with their AI Mode button on the new tab page in Chrome. Here's a very unintuitive way to disable it.
1. Open chrome://flags/ in your browser.
2. Look for "ntp-compose-entrypoint".
3. Switch to "disabled".
4. Restart your browser.
A three line title! There you go. I’ve written a few times about a favorite web diversion/excursion, triggered by a 6+ year old browser tool that does something magical. Think of how many tim…
@stefan You can also, from what We can see, add the following to the my filters list in uBlock Origin
www.google.com##.plR5qb
@stefan My new tab page opens Duck Duck Go... ;)
That's another way to disable that.
But there you only need a different sub-domain to disable the "AI" fluff
@zetabeta @jorgecandeias @stefan
And it's easier to disable: https://noai.duckduckgo.com/
This URL also works with the 'bookmarklet' for Settings.
And DDG can filter out AI-generated images from image search results.
https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/results/how-to-filter-out-ai-images-in-duckduckgo-search-results
"We rely on publicly available lists to filter out AI-generated content, like those provided by uBlockOrigin & uBlacklist Huge AI Blocklist, an open-source blocklist, manually curated by project contributors."
"Private search engine DuckDuckGo is leaning further into the generative AI opportunity."
Yeah, not for me, sorry.
" I just don’t use the AI part"
Right, and I just disabled AI Mode in Chrome. And uBlock Origin Lite still works pretty well for avoiding ads and trackers.
"Mozilla AI, a new startup launched by the non-profit behind Firefox, aims to champion ‘trustworthy’ development of artificial intelligence (AI) amid the rapid acceleration of the generative AI space."
"Firefox users looking for a quick way to tap into generative AI can now do so without even leaving the current page."
"Mozilla under fire for Firefox AI "bloat" that blows up CPU and drains battery"
https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1mm8u6g/mozilla_under_fire_for_firefox_ai_bloat_that/
"Mozilla has responded to user backlash over the Firefox web browser’s new Terms of Use, which critics have called out for using overly broad language that appears to give the browser maker the rights to whatever data you input or upload."
Yeah, not for me, sorry.
@KewlCat @boo_ @stefan @hisold @orrickle But it's published *by* Mozilla, so it's weird to say it has none of their shenanigans. Is the de-shenaniganizing audited by any outside parties? It's also apparently named Firefox Focus in most of the world.
Anyone have an opinion of it vs. Waterfox on Android?
@mweston @boo_ @stefan @hisold @orrickle « Builds of "Focus for Android" have telemetry enabled by default ("opt-out") while builds of "Klar for Android" have telemetry disabled by default. »
https://web.archive.org/web/20171231163247/https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/focus-android/wiki/Telemetry
Also, it's not "weird" to say it's not the full Firefox for Android (with translation, AI, phoning home, whatever) because it really is not Firefox for Android.
@KewlCat @boo_ @stefan @hisold @orrickle I wasn't trying to say that Firefox Klar is the full Firefox for Android. So far as I know, both Firefox for Android and Firefox Klar are published by Mozilla, so saying that it "has none of Mozilla's shenanigans" is what seemed weird to me.
But Firefox Klar does not appear in my Google Play, so I may be wrong about the publisher. Firefox Focus *is* there, and is published by Mozilla.
Still open: My question about anyone having opinions on Firefox Focus vs. Waterfox. The later is based on Firefox, is not published by Mozilla, and is in my Google Play. So it's currently my leading contender for my next browser on Android devices.
@hisold @stefan @orrickle the Safari part aside (I am fine with Safari, as long you don't use a Chrome specific API that Google tried to sell as an "open" standard but that was drafted entirely by Google engineers, it works great... often) I think the business idea discussion is quite interesting and valid:
Could a browser following @kagihq business model work? Would people pay to use a browser as long as it's safe, supports the latest standards and respects user privacy?
To be fair, I would not pay, but I'm the guy who prefers self-hosting things rather than paying subscriptions, so I would prefer something FOSS, but I see the potential of this idea.
@hisold @stefan @orrickle @kagihq Just check Kagi fans: they truly think that something paid will be better than something free as, if something is free, you are the product.
(aka Linux doesn't exist, nor business models where a product can be free and be funded by alternate means like paid support, VPN services, optional AI, other services from the same company that have better integration)
@hisold @stefan @orrickle Never mind. I did find a way to make LibreWolf my default browser, but now I'm finding issues.
First I found that I had to turn off "Delete cookies and site data when LibreWolf is closed" because I wasn't willing to log into everything again every time I close the browser (which I do at least once a day, and obviously have many times today). Solved.
But time zones in Todoist weren't working, so it thinks today is Tuesday (it's ~5pm on Monday). I turned off ResistFingerprinting, which apparently is the cause of this issue, and now it works again, but have I now neutered LibreWolf to the point that I should just go back to Firefox?
@hisold @stefan @orrickle Then use Ungoogled Chromium, genius! How many times has it been that Firefox has been insufficient in webpage compatibility.
If Mozilla's gonna be a handful of greedy, lazy bastards, I might as well use Dillo when I need to view websites in low-end computers -- it delivers what it promises and nothing more.
@lucyruthe You are very welcome!
And yeah, it's one thing to try to put "AI" into everything, but making it hard or impossible to opt out really brings this to a new level.
Truly smells of desperation, though.
@stefan Right now, Vivaldi has promised not to include AI into their browser and Startpage seems to be free of AI as far as I can find.
Certainly if other tools work as well or better for you, go for it. But there are a few other options out there if you dig.
@cynical13 Vivaldi seems pretty decent, from a quick search I did.
I'm not sure I have the bandwidth/mental energy to go learn a brand new browser just yet, but will definitely take a closer look. Thanks!
@stefan Honestly, I get it. Vivaldi in particular has an absolute ton of options to flip through if you really get into the weeds, but you can opt to turn all of that off during the onboarding screens and it runs pretty much like Chrome. I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with it, but it's a useful tool to be proficient with.
Good luck!
@mweston @stefan I'm primariy using Firefox though I've tried most of the more popular forks.
Floorp has possibilities, but there are several features that are incomplete or broke during the last nig update. I like Zen, but I've read some reports of concerns about security and privacy.
Vivaldi is currently my backup browser when I need something with Chromium.
I disable every flag that mentions "NTP". Whatever it is, I don't want it
@stefan alternativly even better you could
Not use chrome
@stefan this way is also possible:
1. uninstall chrome
Step 2 ?
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