Hacker News Reader

Comment by vlunkr | Hacker News Reader

I really don't understand Brave. What special thing do they offer that people actually want? The main concrete selling point seems to built-in ad blockers, but we've had that for ages in every other browser. They have some crypto stuff going on, I'll be honest, I don't understand it, because I don't care, I just want to browse the web. That should be possible without a blockchain. They claim performance is better, but at the end of the day, it's chromium, I'm skeptical that they can do much to make a huge difference. Now they're offering yet another search tool. ok. If they didn't market themselves so aggressively in tech circles I think we would have all forgotten about this.

View on HN

People want a browser with an ad-blocker, and are too lazy to configure it themselves. Brave adds it and starts some "tell your friends" marketing hype. The rest writes itself.

> People want a browser with an ad-blocker, and are too lazy to configure it themselves.

It's always shocked me, but this really is the case.

I make a habit to install an adblocker (if they consent) whenever using a friend's computer, and have had many thank me for doing so a week later, saying what a huge difference it is - but none had thought it was worth the "effort" before.

?????

The world of postmodern software really is confusing.

It's not just laziness. My elderly parents aren't technically inclined, and are quite stubborn to learn.

After they were phished by a malicious banner ad, I told them to install Brave since the idea of browser extensions would go over their heads.

> What special thing do they offer that people actually want?

I tried every browser and was a long term chrome user. I tried brave and was immediately sold. I use(d) chrome/chromium (and recently used vivaldi) on 3 different plattforms. Brave is noticeable faster on every one. I use it for like 3 month now and never looked back.

Its a very pleasant experience for me.

> Brave is noticeable faster on every one

This is interesting, because in my experience Ungoogled Chromium/Vivaldi feels much snappier than Brave across my computers. Especially on older devices (like my trusty X201), Brave starts to really chug when I open more than 4 or 5 tabs.

When you notice Brave slowing down, check › More Tools › Task Manager in the browser to see which process(es) in particular are responsible. We're always happy to chat about how we can improve. Thanks!

> I just want to browse the web

Do you run an ad blocker? If so you mean you want to browse the web ad-free, as many people do. The crypto stuff you don't understand is the killer feature for Brave.

Instead of seeing ads everywhere, you can automatically contribute a small (configurable) amount to sites you spend time on, based on how much time you spend there. Come across an interesting or helpful article on someone's blog? Just click the button on your toolbar and give the owner a tip. Same thing to support a GitHub project you find particularly useful.

Have you given it a try? The crypto-currency parts are optional (you have to actually enable them). Brave has got a solid adblocker and privacy features out of the box

Google's targeted advertising campaign is also optional, that doesn't make me any more comfortable with the fact that it exists.

"Targeting" means something entirely different to Brave than it does to Google. Google engages in targeted advertising by collecting your data wherever possible. Brave doesn't do anything remotely like that. Instead, in Brave, the entire Ads component is optional and off by default. If/when you opt-in, your data never leaves your device. Instead, Brave uses on-device machine-learning to determine what types of ads you might be interested in. This machine-learning evaluates a regional catalog which is routinely downloaded to your machine—the entire process happens locally, rather than in the cloud. And, if an ad is shown to you, you get 70% of the associated revenue. I covered this a bit more in a recent 5-minute talk: https://youtu.be/LsrrT502luI

> What special thing do they offer that people actually want?

Brave has iOS bookmarks sync with Windows, while preserving privacy (by not asking for an email to create an account).

Firefox and Edge require an account, Vivaldi doesn't have an iOS app, Safari requires a separate iCloud install on Windows, and Chrome is a non-starter for privacy reasons.

I use brave on mobile. Because they seem to be the only stable Browser that offers bottom UI (tabs and new tab button in a bottom menu bar). I don't know how people use >6" phone screens with navigation all on top and I have hands the size of dessert plates!

Firefox offers bottom UI on Android and supports ublock origin.

When I tried it, it was crashing a lot.

"Three times faster than Chrome. Better privacy by default than Firefox. Uses 35% less battery on mobile."

If we're trusting the lies they dump onto the website, that should make Safari the fastest browser! /s

Where is the lie? Independent researchers have found Brave to exists in its own class as the "most private" browser: https://www.scss.tcd.ie/Doug.Leith/pubs/browser_privacy.pdf. Happy to discuss any concerns you may have.

That paper compares them to Chrome, Firefox, Yandex, Edge and Safari. Of course your browser phones home less than them, it would be pretty damn hard to make a browser that does beat them for violating user privacy and security.

Brave isn't competing against those browsers though. If you want to impress people who care about security, compare your browser to options like Vivaldi and Ungoogled Chromium. Otherwise, you're just bragging about having less telemetry than the foxes in the hen-house.

It is?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com