this post was submitted on 12 May 2026

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686

EU browser choice rules send millions more users Firefox's way (www.theregister.com)

submitted 1 week ago by throws_lemy@reddthat.com to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[–] spaceracoon@lemmy.zip 98 points 6 days ago (7 children)

Man it's so funny how the only company that even thinks about allowing you to not have AI, gets so much shit from people.

OK you don't like AI, you can turn in off. They added an option for that. Meanwhile Chrome is automatically downloading 4gb worth of models without your consent. Same with basically each other browser.

Folks are free to use whichever distro they like, Librefox, Waterfox, but remember that without Mozilla foundation the very engine would stop working. Then these forks will not work anymore. Then where will you go? Chromium? Safari?

It's important to keep companies accountable, but nothing is ever black and white.

[–] czardestructo@lemmy.world 28 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

[–] timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 7 points 5 days ago

Yeah I get the feeling like 70+% of people here will never understand that.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 28 points 6 days ago

People seem to care more about synthetic benchmarks than using a browser that gives them much less tracking and ads. Remember when chrome was popular because its so fast? I never noticed a difference between that and Firefox in ordinary web pages, except Googles, since they are intentionally making it slow for Firefox.

And with all that going on, people still picked chrome. :)

[–] KatherinaReichelt@feddit.org 13 points 6 days ago

Yeah - people love to shit on Mozilla while posting from fucking Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

[–] imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 6 days ago (1 children)

OK you don’t like AI, you can turn in off. They added an option for that. Meanwhile Chrome is automatically downloading 4gb worth of models without your consent. Same with basically each other browser.

Because Chrome is used by normies who have no idea and wont care while Firefox is used by tech-literate users who care and like to tinker. The backlash was because FF implemented AI that you had to go to about:settings to disable. Result of backlash - a switch in settings to disable it.

It would be smart to implement AI and advertise people that they can switch it ON if they want to. Not the other way.

Folks are free to use whichever distro they like, Librefox, Waterfox, but remember that without Mozilla foundation the very engine would stop working. Then these forks will not work anymore

There is nothing to go to. But if we accept the outcome, we just submit to the system. Might as well switch to chrome at that point hoping that Servo gets developed fast enough. Firefox would lose their browser share at an instant once they are not different from chromium based browsers. Basically seppuku themselves.

Not understanding your user base is how you get a backlash.

[–] TotalCourage007@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Its okay we'll just cope with living in idiocracy. Some of this stuff is beyond basic. No wonder people find IT a thankless Job.

[–] Eximius@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

I like Vivaldi

[–] jjlinux@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

I've been looking in my laptop and PC (both running CachyOS) for that download Chrome is pushing, and haven't been able to find it in any of them. I'm not saying it's not happening, I'm saying that it seems like some Linux distros are immune to that crap.

[–] Jyxil@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I think you have to enable it now too, they heard people weren’t fans and responded.

I like that.

[–] rekabis@lemmy.ca 40 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Now if only Apple will let Firefox run its own rendering engine instead of Safari’s.

Like, that’s the only thing I don’t get. Other apps which are not web browsers, fine. Use Safari. But an actual web browser? FFS, let them use their own engine.

[–] pwxd@lemmy.zip 6 points 6 days ago

You can! There's a browser called reynard and it's based off gecko web browser but you still need to sideload them, it isn't available in App Store :-(

The main goal for this browser is to make web browsing usable for older iOS, I find it pretty neat so I wanted to share this!

https://github.com/byeCl0ud/reynard-browser-compiled

[–] Mwa@thelemmy.club 3 points 6 days ago (2 children)

its just that Apple forces Webkit to all Apps on the app store.

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 6 days ago

Orion has gotten around that, somehow. Not sure what kind of wizardry they’ve pulled, but they managed to get both Firefox and Chrome extensions working on iOS.

[–] badgermurphy@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That's Apple's explanation why, but it has flimsy justification. There is no technical reason why Firefox mobile can't use the Gecko rendering engine on Apple iOS. So, unlike every other graphical OS I've ever heard of, you can't really pick your browser. You can only play dress-up with Safari and pick its outfit.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I'm no apple fan, but I will note that their Tight AF control over the apps nets them a very very small power draw and ram footprint. I don't think they're pushing safari because they don't want you to have a choice, I think it's control over their own perf that they're looking for in this case

[–] badgermurphy@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

That argument seems flimsy when I can still download Trash Match Casino Deluxe: Extra Ads Edition from the app store.

[–] ReptilianCleric@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

I doubt it. There's a lot of money in surveillance capitalism and I don't buy for a minute that Apple are too good to do that or any stupid excuses.

[–] zr0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Now if Mozilla would finally get a CEO who is not driven by stupid capitalistic bullshit, I would actually start using Firefox again.

Until then, I stick to WaterFox.

[–] UltraBlack@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Isn't waterdox owned by a weird company?

[–] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 20 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Not anymore. It’s owned by the creator again.

[–] UltraBlack@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Oh awesome!

[–] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

I like because it’s essentially a stripped down version of FireFox that runs faster and does without any Google or AI being defaulted to on or being in the browser at all (AI).

[–] UltraBlack@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

I find the local trandlation AI to be quite useful. That's all I'm using though

[–] luciferofastora@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Does WaterFox allow using Mozilla accounts to sync bookmarks and tabs between devices or have some equivalent option?

[–] yessikg@fedia.io 1 points 5 days ago

It does, it's only flaw is that is uses Brave's ad hijacking thing

[–] Fuckswearwords@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Does anyone here know how to get the old menu UI back on mobile?

I can't get used to the new one. It's not ergonomic at all imo.

[–] Dremor@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

What do you dislike about the new one?

[–] Fuckswearwords@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Mostly that my eyes (and hand) have to change focus and that there's a more button. The new short menu takes up the same amount of space as the old one while showing less.

But it's mostly the firs reason I gave. It really breaks the flow.

[–] thedormantotaku@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Maybe Firefox is going to improve performance in android? Also PWA support on android would be great. PWA support is what's kept me stuck with Brave.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 11 points 6 days ago

I've got to be honest, the occasional glitch in Firefox Android is more than worth the price of not seeing the ads and consent banners that Chrome would have forced me to look at.

[–] Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Firefox on Android totally does support PWA's though, since 2018 even actually.

[–] thedormantotaku@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Really? Then maybe its just an issue with waterfox. I will try Firefox later this day. Some PWAs that I regularly use with Brave just showed up as add to home screen on Firefox and show up with title bar.

[–] magnolia_mayhem@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago

And here Mozilla is, trying to send everyone they can away

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