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Comment by trevyn | Hacker News Reader

I still see zero benefit to me, today, to use Firefox.

For me Firefox is the one browser I feel I can really lock down. Ads are blocked, no java-script or active content is enabled by default on any site, and with some additional tweaking a minimal amount of data is sent to 3rd parties. More than once I've had to disable some feature in Firefox when there was no workaround provided in Chrome. Most recently it was this:

https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2018/11/supercook...

From a security and data privacy standpoint Firefox seems like the only option.

Containers (per-tab identity) are my favorite Firefox feature these days

Firefox has some nice features that are fundamentally at odds with Google's business model so highly unlikely to ever land in Chrome. Reader mode, container tabs, and tracking protection are probably my favorites.

This is the exact attitude that is going to doom the open web.

I state it in the spirit of helpfulness — openness itself is clearly not a compelling feature to the masses, and the masses are who needs to be compelled. So if this is your battle, perhaps a different strategy is in order?

What are the benefits, _today_, to use Chrome?

I use Firefox and Chrome. I've never had to switch to Firefox to get a site to work correctly for me, but I have had to switch to Chrome.

If a family member asks me what to use, I would tell them to use Chrome just because it's likely to be a better experience for them.

It’s a known quantity — it’s what I’m currently using, and it works.

Well lets not act like Firefox is not known. Its been pioneering browser for years and it's in no way inferior to chrome. It's also indepedent and you dont have to send all your data to google when you use it.

It is slower than Chrome. That's enough to me not to consider Firefox, given that speed is everything I care about.

I wish people would try current version of Firefox.

The ability to use multiple accounts of Gmail, Trello, Bitbucket, whatever service you use in a single window. I happen to use the same services for work and for private purposes and it's inconvenient having to log in and log out all the time.

You can sorta do the same in Chrome by creating a full separate profile and opening an extra window, but then your passwords and bookmarks are separated as well. It's a pain in the ass.

I still see zero benefit to me, today, to recycle.

It's all about tree tabs ;)

I still see zero benefit to me, today, to sort waste or save energy.

In comparison to what browser? Or do you not use the web at all?

They keep breaking extensions.

I am sick of Firefox now.

They don't keep breaking extensions. They HAD TO drop XUL, because you couldn't have multi-process, sandboxing etc. with it.

I bet if they kept XUL, people would complain about the other things, in Fact they used to.

It's basically a 'dev' browser for me. Grid inspector plus a few development extensions and that's it. Everything else is in Safari.

Although, I'm considering moving more to Chrome because of how Apple is breaking old extensions in Safari 12.

Who asked for more native apps? Because I sure didn't. Make no mistake, it's about security, but they still chose the wrong path. If they just made people sign their .safariextz bundles, we wouldn't have to go through this dance.

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