Ask HN: Anyone Use Firefox in 2023? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Anyone Use Firefox in 2023?

10 pointsakasakahakada31 comments

Tried Firefox mobile multiple time in 2022, underwhelming.

Tried Firefox desktop these days, super underwhelming. I can't even show my bookmark bar.

Of course. Both desktop and mobile version as well with uBlock Origin. Don't have any issues so far except Google Meet not being able to blur the background on the video calls, but I can live with that.

Love using it on MacOS and have been using it since 2010. It does everything that Chrome does and additionally has container tabs (you can sign-into like unlimited GMail accounts at the same time).

Firefox for Android is like the dream web browser. AFAIK it is the only mobile browser with Add-Ons support. I hate the Youtube app, it is too addictive for me. I would like to occassionally watch videos on the browser though. Using an add-on, I can keep the Youtube video playing in the background, always play 4k videos, etc. Firefox Android also has uBlock and works perfectly.

Firefox for iPhone sucks but most of it is due to Apple (the walled garden) and not FF https://mzl.la/2duGEDd

Yep, and I show my bookmark bar too with no trouble. Not sure what the issue was for you there.

Not that Firefox isn't without it's issues, but I'd much rather deal with those few and far between ones than use Chrome and surrender more of my privacy to Google.

Yes. Also on MacOS.

I am a fan of container tabs which allow me to use a website with multiple identities such as the AWS console and to constrain the tentacles of Facebook.

Wow, I didn't know that container tabs exists. I always used private windows to use multiple identities.

For Firefox desktop I have enabled the menu bar and the bookmark bar with the methods commented in the other messages.

Also, I use a custom userChrome.css that uses as basis https://github.com/aris-t2/customcssforfx

From time to time comes a Firefox update that makes mandatory to update such userChrome.css and waste time trying to find what additionally changed and needs to be updated by my_userChrome.css also, but as reward for such pain I have the same view that was used to be with the browsers years ago. I mean, from top to down with small gray icons: menu bar, url bar with addons at the right, bookmarks bar where I put folders based by category (unfold and fold on press), and finally tabs and pinned tabs over the page content.

With the minimalist tendency of current browsers, they sacrifice what makes a browser usable, an usability killing that also forces the user to continually waste time making hacks for to conserve it. But at least it can be done, so at my side I just pray that it at least stays that way.

Yes, have used it every day for three and a half years (on Windows, MacOS, and Linux). Not any real huge benefits over using Chrome, but I was the only guy who would spot FF bugs on our site during review.

I have to use Chrome for Google Meet on my new work machine though. There's just a ton of problems. Not sure if that's 100% FireFox's fault though.

> I can't even show my bookmark bar.

I just right clicked on the empty space to either side of the address bar and there was an option to always show it.

I do. It has a very effective ad blocker (uBlock) that also works on my phone. Firefox Sync syncs my passwords and browsing history (and my tabs when it feels like it).

I use it in both desktop and mobile. Works pretty much the same as the other browsers, and it has much better extensions.

Yes for several reasons:

out of habit,

spreading my browsing over several browsers (because I think competition is good),

cross-browser checking work on my work since I know there are users using it (both design and javascript has occasionally looked/worked differently from other popular browsers).

and lastly I like the non-business model feel of Mozilla

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/bookmarks-firefox#w_boo...

Always using Firefox on desktop. Never used Chrome. Developer since 2006.

Google chrome wants to hamstring ad-blockers and plans to do so with manifest v3.

Using chrome is pretty unacceptable given this if you work in tech or have technical competence.

> I can't even show my bookmark bar.

Right click left of the url bar -> Bookmark toolbar -> always show?

Alternatively there are probably plugins that do exactly what you want.

I switched away from chrome after manifest v3 was announced and haven't had any problems or felt any non-chrome related pain.

Yes, rocking FireFox on 3 Macs and an Android.

I can't imagine using the web without its amazing add-ons, enhanced tracking protection mode, and the multi-account containers...

Yes. Works fine on all but one site, which only works on chrome. (Running on Linux and Android.)

Also firefox seems slightly faster to start & to execute than chrome, though I'd be happy to drop lots of the JS garbage to make proper fast. And does it really need to always cache 1GB of old web stuff?

> I can't even show my bookmark bar.

Eeh... hamburger menu on the right -> "bookmarks" -> "show bookmark bar". Are you even trying?

I'm using it because plugins. ublock origin, privacy badger, vimium, tomato clock, modheader...

Yes, on Windows (for work) and as a second browser on macOS. I mainly use Safari but sometimes it fails in weird ways so I need an alternative browser. I've never downloaded Chrome on my personal devices.

Yes, as my main browser - like the compartments...but mainly it's habit, as I've been on board since the netscape navigator days.

Although, my telecoms provider fails me - for that I use 'Min' (chrome based)

Yes, I use it for my personal browsing. For company related stuff i uses Chrome

You can't show your bookmarks bar?

It's ⌘-B on macOS to toggle on/off

I presume it's ctrl-B on Windows (but can't verify at the moment)

Or you can go to View->Toolbars->Bookmarks Toolbar and change you preferences there

I'm using Firefox on MacOS and on Android. On Android it's a little bit slow to open it up, but I can live with that.

I like it, and I don't want to go back to Chrome.

On iOS, in the simplified version branded as Qwant browser (Qwant is a French privacy-respecting search engine).

Sure, it's excellent. Nothing else is as simple to set-and-forget in my experience.

Both on Desktop & Mobile.

Yes. But just to use the Firefox Relay XD

Occasionally but only for websites which refuse to render correctly without javascript. The rest of the time it is Pale Moon. I hope mozilla dies.

FF is my primary browser.

Yes, on macOS.

Yes :)

yes

Only techies use it, when the rest of the world is using Chrome and it's derivatives.

Firefox usage has declined year over year [0] and has lost millions of users [1] with a downward trend overall.

[0] https://gs.statcounter.com/

[1] https://data.firefox.com/dashboard/user-activity

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