I'm all for blocking surveillance but how tiring is it to block JavaScript as suggested and then watch the majority of the internet not work?
The thing is - with everything - it's never easy to have strong principles. If it were, everyone would do it.
Using Firefox Add-Ons on a "smartphone" sucks because one has to access every Add-On interface via an Extensions menu.
In that sense _all_ Add-Ons are only semi-functional.
I use multiple layers: uMatrix + NetGuard + Nebulo "DNS Rules", at the least. Thus I have at least three opportunities where I can block lookups for and requests to Google domains.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Advanced-settings
Having tried both, IMHO they do not do exactly the same thing. One is pattern-based, the other is host-based. As such, one can use them together, simultaneously.
Basically uMatrix is so donor to use that anybody can use it. The equivalent uBO section is so complicated that I feel I need to take a master degree in that subject.
Also, deleting everything when Firefox closes. It's a little annoying to re-login to everything every day, but again, they are banking on this inconvenience to fuck you over and I refuse to let them win. It becomes part of the routine easily enough.
It has pretty advanced features but also basic ones that allow you to block scripts by source
I read HN and every site submitted to HN using TCP clients and a text-only browser, that has no Javascript engine, to convert HTML to text.
The keyword is "read". Javascript is not necessary for requesting or reading documents. Web developers may use it but that doesn't mean it is necessary for sending HTTP requests or reading HTML or JSON.
If the web user is trying to do something else other than requesting and reading, then perhaps it might not "work".
If you're spending 99% of your time on your favourite websites that you've already tuned the blocking on? Barely a problem.
On the other hand if your job involves going to lots of different vendors' websites - you'll find it pretty burdensome, because you might end up fiddling with the per-site settings 15+ times per day.
My personal devices block everything I can get away with
I won't browse the Internet on my phone without it, everything loads instantly and any site that actually matters was whitelisted years ago.
Many sites work without (some, like random news & blogs, work better). When a site doesn't work, I make a choice between temporarily or permanently allowing it depending on how often I visit the site. It takes maybe 5 seconds and I typically only need to spend that 5 seconds once. As a reward, I enjoy a much better web experience.