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Comment by 999900000999 | Hacker News Reader

Have it as a stand alone plugin.

I should have to manually install this AI stuff.

Forcing everything into a plug-in is architecturally more complex, and less performant... I'm imagining proxying from native code through JavaScript APIs, then back to native code for LLM operations and context storage. But might lead to creation of some new AI extension APIs.

Then ship a FireFoxAI browser for users who want it.

Forcing everyone to by default use AI isn't freedom. I might as well just use Chrome.

So now we're debating compile-time feature flags vs run-time, and the overhead of running/maintaining multiple build configs. And picking good names for each... "Firefox Pro with AI" vs "Firefox Lite for Engineers". This isn't what Mozilla needs to be focusing on right now, imo.

With over 600 million in revenue they can afford to put up a different page for Firefox AI.

A large percentage of users, particularly Firefox users , don't want this AI stuff built in.

Where does this AI even run. Does it have to make an API requests to send all of the webpages I view somewhere else ?

Is it even my computer anymore, my browser, or am I sharing it with people who want to extract more money from me.

As is Google forced me to view often incorrect AI summaries when I have no interest in them.

Do I want the only real Chrome competitor to also force bad ai content in my face ?

Is it using AI if you don't click on the feature's related button? AFAIK when I choose to translate a page or a selection it only starts working when I do it.

The team (AND Marketing) should focus on saying it's a fast core browser with the extensions you want to make it yours.

Have recommended extension sets ([uBlock, Sponsorblock], [Containerise, Sideberry, Decentraleyes], [AI translation + Dictionary/Thesaurus]).

Make me want to use your AI features, don't just slap them on my face wishing I'll do more than get mad and try to get rid of them.

This. My browser should be a browser and nothing more. If I want more, I should be able to use an add-on. Stop baking everything in out of the box.

Language models are not like the Classic Theme, which can be relegated to an extension (now defunct).

Language models are like Hello, Pocket, and Sync. Core browser features one and all that must silently run by default unless explicitly disabled.

Sync is the only feature you listed which is arguably a core feature, in that it makes sense to build into the browser to be able to sync as much of the browser's settings and data as possible for the user. Everything else --- Hello, Pocket, and LLMs --- can and should sink or swim as extensions which the user must seek out and install if they provide sufficient value.

You won't find much relating to Pocket or Hello in the OSS project. I predict a lot of the new AI functionality will stay out too. So not core functionality.

You're not a normal user of Firefox then.

Who is a "normal" user.

Normal users install Chrome.

We want "normal" users to use Firefox, not to push it to a smaller niche with more force. Even though I don't like or use this "AI thingy", it should be equally easy to use and equally easy to disable.

If Firefox can provide a more anonymized gate to these providers and guarantee that prompts are not used for training, this would be a net win for people who want to use AI but doesn't know better, i.e. the "normal" users.

That's how normal users stay on chrome while your users leave firefox. That's how you get no users at all.

Hardly. Hundreds of millions of "normies" want a browser that just "gets rid of ads and spam and stuff". If ff can be that go-to browser, they have hundreds of millions of potential users.

Potential users are not users, and firefox can't be that browser. Actually that browser is brave, and it also doesn't have hundred of millions of users. You can't fight defaults browsers, people don't care.

I don't get this dark/pessimistic/Firefox's so done view many people love to harp. Do we want Firefox to return, or to die? We should decide and act accordingly.

Telling Firefox to not to move and get out of the place where it currently is a great contradiction in itself.

Many potential Chrome users were not users, and now they are. You can change public opinion by putting your money where your mouth is, and being persistent about it.

Also, let's not forget that Firefox is kinda preventing itself being detected via standard mechanisms so global analytics show its numbers a bit low than the reality, as well.

Many potential Chrome users were not users, and then android happened. I'll believe firefox has a shot to become mainstream when they do something similar. Until them, keep your users or alienate them and disappear.

I'll agree to disagree here and will leave to get a fresh mug of coffee.

Unless we meet in another thread, merry Christmas and happy new year in advance.

Normal users will be fine if they will see two big squares side by side as an installation step: „with AI“ and „without AI“, where the former will just install and enable the plugin. Explicit choice is better than opt-out, and it’s not going to be something people frequently change their mind about, so another switch can be buried in settings.

Firefox has <5% of browser share, no one is a normal user of firefox.

Was actually looking for somebody mentioning this bit. Admittedly, one of the few regular Firefox users. Yet, as a regular Firefox user, this much ranting about something that can be turned off with a click, is kind of annoying. The stuff that's been added so far ("Allow AI to read the beginning of the page and generate key points", "Solo AI Website Creator", "Sidebar AI chatbot") is incredibly easy to disable. Been in advanced, beta, dev releases for a while.

Edge has a larger market share (4%-7% depending on who you ask)

Firefox has (2%-6%, similar issue). Firefox mostly scores well among Wikimedia users and tracking. (High as 15% recently) Firefox barely even registers with Mobile users (0.5%-1.5%).

And. They both pale in comparison to Chrome (56%-69%) and Safari (14%-24%) in terms of user base / market share. People can argue and rant about Firefox doing something, yet they're arguing about 2%-6% of the WWW users currently.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers

https://radar.cloudflare.com/reports/browser-market-share-20...

https://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php

https://kinsta.com/browser-market-share/

https://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share

https://www.statista.com/statistics/545520/market-share-of-i...

I've been a normal user of Firefox for over 20 years.

I should have to manually install this bookmarks stuff.

I should have to manually install this search bar stuff.

I should have to manually install this FTP client stuff (okay that last one is the case)

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