Replacing Firefox to improve user privacy...

vimanuelt

What we have sadly overlooked is the Iridium browser.

vimanuelt

The Iridium browser defaults to Qwant.com as its search engine. However, Qwant is only available in certain countries. Fortunately, the browser provides an option in the settings to choose from several popular alternatives. Iridium might be a contender.

vimanuelt

Here is a comparison table with Iridium web browser included.

Weighted to LibreWolf's favor for the sake of argument over Telemetry.

grahamperrin

It's important to remember that the main setting for telemetry (toolkit.telemetry.enabled) can not be enabled with Firefox on FreeBSD and GhostBSD.

vimanuelt I disagree with your description of telemetry as optional.

For people who are not familiar with about:config:

the pictured padlock icon indicates that the preference can not be changed.

{Screenshot: toolkit.telemetry.enabled is false, can not be true, with Firefox on GhostBSD}

vimanuelt

I have highlighted the browser engines according to their respective families. It is important to note that funding challenges or development delays may impact not only individual browsers, but entire engine families. This broader context should be considered when evaluating long-term viability and support.

vimanuelt

Mozilla’s Gecko engine family is currently facing serious financial pressure due to the organisation’s heavy reliance on search partnership revenue. Approximately 85 percent of Mozilla’s funding comes from Google, which pays to remain the default search engine in Firefox. This relationship became a central issue during recent antitrust proceedings in the United States, where Mozilla’s Chief Financial Officer testified that the loss of this revenue could force widespread cutbacks and potentially make Firefox unsustainable (U.S. Department of Justice v. Google LLC, 2024).

The threat to Gecko has raised broader concerns. Mozilla President Mark Surman noted that Gecko is one of only three major browser engines in active use today, along with Google’s Blink and Apple’s WebKit. Surman warned that the failure of Gecko would leave the web increasingly controlled by a single browser engine family, undermining competition and innovation (Surman, 2024).

Mozilla has attempted to reduce its reliance on Google by exploring partnerships with other search providers such as Bing. However, internal analyses found that Bing produced significantly less revenue per user than Google. A previous partnership with Yahoo proved unpopular with users and contributed to a decline in Firefox’s market share before the agreement was ultimately cancelled (Brinkmann, 2017).

In summary, Gecko’s future remains uncertain. Funding instability within Mozilla has implications not only for Firefox but also for the health of the broader web ecosystem. If Gecko development stalls or collapses, the resulting loss of engine diversity may reduce user choice, weaken privacy protections, and concentrate influence in the hands of dominant commercial entities.

References

Brinkmann, M. (2017, January 24). Mozilla’s Yahoo search deal may have cost Firefox users. Ghacks Technology News.

Surman, M. (2024, April). Mozilla’s response to proposed remedies in the United States v. Google case. Mozilla Blog.

U.S. Department of Justice v. Google LLC, Case 1:20-cv-03010 (D.D.C. 2024). Testimony of Eric Muhlheim, Chief Financial Officer, Mozilla.

vimanuelt

While this may diverge slightly from the topic of privacy, funding concerns remain highly relevant and should not be overlooked.

grahamperrin

Amongst things that have been overlooked: Mozilla Sync.

Sync Firefox data | Mozilla Support

… a secure method for users to synchronize their data across Mozilla applications using a Mozilla account. Currently exclusive to Firefox, Sync ensures your data is effortlessly shared and up-to-date. …

vimanuelt

grahamperrin
Thank you for pointing that out. You are absolutely right that on FreeBSD and GhostBSD, toolkit.telemetry.enabled often shows a greyed-out padlock in about:config, indicating it is locked and cannot be user-modified. This usually means it is controlled by a default policy or compiled setting, rather than being something a user can opt into or out of freely.

This raises an important nuance in the telemetry discussion. If telemetry settings are not modifiable by the user—even if telemetry is technically inactive, the notion of it being “optional” becomes questionable. At minimum, the interface should clearly indicate whether telemetry is truly disabled or merely unchangeable.

For those unfamiliar with the terminology:
In about:config, a padlock next to a setting means that it is enforced and cannot be toggled from the GUI, often the result of a policy file or build-time flag. This differs from settings that are freely editable by users.

It may be helpful to clarify how Firefox behaves by default on BSD systems and whether any system policies or build configurations enforce these locked settings. If telemetry is forcibly disabled, that may be a positive privacy feature, but if it is enabled and locked, it raises serious concerns.

Would anyone with insight into how the FreeBSD or GhostBSD ports of Firefox are compiled or packaged care to confirm the default policy enforcement?

ericbsd

This was supposed to discuss the best Browser to replace Firefox. Although it derived from that, I still want everyone's opinion.

vimanuelt

It may be worth recognizing that software choices, especially when it comes to browsers, can change over time. For quite a while, Firefox seemed like the best option for privacy and compatibility. However, as things continue to shift, whether in terms of features, direction, or funding, it seems wise to re-evaluate from time to time.

Speaking for myself, I find it difficult to choose a browser that fully meets my expectations. None of the current options feel entirely satisfying, and each one involves certain trade-offs.

That said, here is one way I have been thinking about the situation:

Short term: LibreWolf, using the Gecko web engine
Long term: Iridium, using the Blink web engine
In case of serious disruption: Pale Moon, using the Goanna engine
(In this context, a serious disruption might include legal or funding issues that threaten the viability of Gecko or Blink.)

This is only a personal perspective, not a proposal or conclusion. I am very curious to hear how others in the community view this. How do you balance privacy, performance, and sustainability in your choices?

As Eric mentioned, your insights would be very much appreciated.

DHOC_TAZH

Based on that list, I'd vouch for LibreWolf if that ends up being the default for the next GhostBSD release. I already use it in Windows 11 and Linux (in addition to Edge in 11, Chrome and Firefox).

ericbsd

DHOC_TAZH Based on that list, I'd vouch for LibreWolf if that ends up being the default for the next GhostBSD release.

The next release will most likely be on Firefox. It is in July.

vimanuelt It would be nice to have a community poll. :-)

Yeah, we could probably do one.

We should ensure that the browser we choose supports extensions without doing extra work to make it work, so that it does not alienate the community, including me.

vimanuelt

It would be nice to have a community poll. :-)

htx80nerd

Easy answer is Librewolf to give the user 'something' then let them make their own choices from there. Just need to give the user 'some browser' then they can use their own judgement after that.

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