# The Future of Firefox



## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

* Is Firefox OK? *
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/02/is-firefox-ok/

I've used FF since it's early days.
For me, it's worked well with few issues.
I've grown so accustomed to it, experimenting with other browsers isn't fulfilling.
I'd hate to see FF ended, but it looks like it's 'day' has come and is about to end.


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## SpywareDr (Mar 31, 2014)

Sad ain't it. 

I use their privacy-focused Focus mobile browser: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browsers/mobile/focus/


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

I’m not too surprised TBH, given I believe, if I remember correctly, someone mentioned Firefox hogs more RAM. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t use chrome, at least withon my network of tech nerds 😎


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## CFIannotti (Jul 30, 2002)

There was some aspects of the early FF I liked, but as they streamlined the look, it seemed like a clone of Chrome.


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

CFIannotti said:


> There was some aspects of the early FF I liked, but as they streamlined the look, it seemed like a clone of Chrome.


What aspects are those that you speak of ??
I like chrome for its developer tools ✨


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

Not everyone is going to find any particular browser suitable simply because of personal tastes, the way they feel most comfortable using it.

That said, FF became great against the mess Microsoft had made of IE.
If anyone remembers, IE ( at least version 6 ) even had it's own rebuild/restore option to correct for corruption, it was so bad. And FF introduced tab browsing versus the back button of IE. FF introduced security in the browser.

But, imo, I don't use Chrome because it feels like a kluge. Admittedly, a fast one, but painful at the same time.
And security settings don't seem straight forward to me.
And I really hated the dropdown Bookmarks menu.

I'm not claiming FF is perfect. It isn't and it feels like over time it has instituted changes that make me grumble too often.
For me, it's been easier to adapt than change.
A little at a time rather than a wholesale jump into a different browser.

Getting off the MS Windows bandwagon made my life a lot easier, but I had a choice.
With FF, their decline imposes a decision. One that I wouldn't have made otherwise.

But.....'Things change'


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

SpywareDr said:


> Sad ain't it.
> 
> I use their privacy-focused Focus mobile browser: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browsers/mobile/focus/


I'd give it a try, out of curiosity, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a Linux version.


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## SpywareDr (Mar 31, 2014)

Correct. A few interesting Linux alternatives to Firefox Focus are:

Brave (Free, Open Source)
Tor Browser (Free, Open Source)
Opera (Free)
Chromium (Free, Open Source)


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## CFIannotti (Jul 30, 2002)

Cheeky3 said:


> What aspects are those that you speak of ??
> I like chrome for its developer tools ✨


_ liked a bookmarks "tab" to click on and easily see a list of bookmarks._


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

All browsers have bookmarks?

Also I feel like chrome has caught up with, if not overtaken, firefox with regards to extensions


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

This thread isn't a popularity contest.
If it works for you, use it.

As an aside, competition makes products better.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

Cheeky3 said:


> I don't know anyone who doesn't use chrome


I don't. I've had to use it at various jobs, but have never installed it on any of my home systems. I use FF, primarily, with a backup of Opera, and Pale Moon on rare occasions ...


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## SpywareDr (Mar 31, 2014)

Know what you mean. Use at least three different browsers daily (C,F,E), depending on where and what I'm trying to get accomplished.

FWIW, https://gs.statcounter.com/


> Browser Market Share Worldwide - January 2022
> Chrome 63.06%
> Safari 19.84%
> Firefox 4.18%
> ...


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

I have Pale Moon for a backup.
Mostly because it came with Puppy.
However, I seldom use it.
It's really just an older version of FF, a fork pre Quantum.


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

Johnny b said:


> This thread isn't a popularity contest.
> If it works for you, use it.
> 
> As an aside, competition makes products better.


I am respectful of everyone's opinion, we are all entitled to our own 👍🏿

I'm not here to prove I'm right, there is no right or wrong answer, I'm just keen to understand others" thoughts that's all ☺


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## renegade600 (Jun 22, 2006)

to me Firefox is dated. I have been using chrome more and more, though recently started using Firefox regularly again because it renders some websites faster and better.


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

renegade600 said:


> to me Firefox is dated. I have been using chrome more and more, though recently started using Firefox regularly again because it renders some websites faster and better.


I agree about Firefox being dated.
It's interesting you notice Firefox rendering faster. I noticed that on Chrome. What sites in particular load faster on Firefox for you and out of curiosity, what are your speed test results?


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## SpywareDr (Mar 31, 2014)

https://browserbench.org/Speedometer2.0/

Edge 106 Runs/Minute (Winner)
Chrome 105 Runs/Minute
Firefox 61.10 Runs/Minute
Seamonkey 44.6 Runs/Minute

https://www.cloudwards.net/fastest-browser/

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


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## renegade600 (Jun 22, 2006)

not going to check the speeds but reddit will load extremely slow in chrome but immediately in firefox. basically the same settings in both and the same extensions in both.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

SpywareDr said:


> https://browserbench.org/Speedometer2.0/
> 
> Edge 106 Runs/Minute (Winner)
> Chrome 105 Runs/Minute
> ...


I only tested FF.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

LOL.....I thought I'd check out my Pale Moon since it's installed.
I upgraded PM to 29.
No add ons or extensions.
Ran the test.
And it stalled at #44


Blech


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## SpywareDr (Mar 31, 2014)

Cool. When I ran the test a bit ago I was running Windows 10 Pro 64-bit on an ancient i7-2600K (released Q1'11) overclocked to 4.2 GHz with 16GB of DDR3 2000MHz RAM.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

Mine's Xenial Pup on a refurbed Lenovo M83 64bit I5 3.2 ghz with 8gb memory.
Hardware is completely factory spec.


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

renegade600 said:


> not going to check the speeds but reddit will load extremely slow in chrome but immediately in firefox. basically the same settings in both and the same extensions in both.


Interestin, thank you for sharing your experience! Do you know what speed you pay for and what broadband type?

I'm just wondering whether high internet speeds i.e. fibre connections would make the difference negligable. As it's possible that Firefox perhaps uses compression tactics? I know opera compresses graphics for sure, msking it fast to load. Think I'll research that. sounds interesting to me


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## SpywareDr (Mar 31, 2014)

> Mine's Xenial Pup on a refurbed Lenovo M83 64bit I5 3.2 ghz with 8gb memory. Hardware is completely factory spec.


Wow, cool. Soon as get my Pinebook 64 back up and running I'll give it a try. Guess I could boot up Slax, Backtrack or Zorin on my Lenovo T470s or Dell Optiplex 980 and also do some tests. Wonder what the new 9-10980XE DigitalStorm I have my eye on will do? <Drool!>



> Interestin, thank you for sharing your experience! Do you know what speed you pay for and what broadband type?


https://www.verizon.com/home/fios-gigabit-connection/Verizon Fios Gigabit[/url (1,000 Mb/s theoretically) $79.00/month.



> I'm just wondering whether high internet speeds i.e. fibre connections would make the difference negligable. As it's possible that Firefox perhaps uses compression tactics? I know opera compresses graphics for sure, msking it fast to load. Think I'll research that. sounds interesting to me/quote]
> 
> From the Wikipedia link I posted above:
> 
> ...


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

SpywareDr said:


> Wow, cool. Soon as get my Pinebook 64 back up and running I'll give it a try. Guess I could boot up Slax, Backtrack or Zorin on my Lenovo T470s or Dell Optiplex 980 and also do some tests. Wonder what the new 9-10980XE DigitalStorm I have my eye on will do? <Drool!>
> 
> ......................


LOL.....I followed your link to that Digital Storm......OMG! Nice! 
Gotta wonder what the electric bill would be


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## renegade600 (Jun 22, 2006)

Cheeky3 said:


> Interestin, thank you for sharing your experience! Do you know what speed you pay for and what broadband type?
> 
> I'm just wondering whether high internet speeds i.e. fibre connections would make the difference negligable. As it's possible that Firefox perhaps uses compression tactics? I know opera compresses graphics for sure, msking it fast to load. Think I'll research that. sounds interesting to me


speed really makes no difference since I run both browsers side by side when Reddit is slow. Basically when it loads, the main body loads first well before the comments in chrome. Sometimes I have to reload the page to get the comments. In firefox, everything is at once. I tested my cable speed yesterday and download was running over 200Mbps which is also what I am paying for. .


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

I used to use FF [in fact there are still two systems here using FF] on my personal system, I use edge. It seems quick and not too many problems. Here is the speed test.


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## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

SpywareDr said:


> Wow, cool. Soon as get my Pinebook 64 back up and running I'll give it a try. Guess I could boot up Slax, Backtrack or Zorin on my Lenovo T470s or Dell Optiplex 980 and also do some tests. Wonder what the new 9-10980XE DigitalStorm I have my eye on will do? <Drool!>


Not a match for my upgrade -getting rid of 286 to this baby
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3248268...pitDjVULleIbBGErhvdpPqI1XcPVPqJAaArFTEALw_wcB


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

renegade600 said:


> speed really makes no difference since I run both browsers side by side when Reddit is slow. Basically when it loads, the main body loads first well before the comments in chrome. Sometimes I have to reload the page to get the comments. In firefox, everything is at once. I tested my cable speed yesterday and download was running over 200Mbps which is also what I am paying for. .


That sounds interesting, i may try it out 

I also have a 200mbps fibre line 👍🏿


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

I also wonder why pale moon is slow in comparison to firefox as some users have stated.

Perhaps it’s due to compression in firefox, it sounds interesting - I may have a read!

I’m learning a lot from this community - I never knew what Pale moon is before I joined!!


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## 2twenty2 (Jul 17, 2003)

On my antiquated system >

*Firefox*









*Edge*


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

Speaking of 'antiquated' and defective (  )

I ran the tests on a HP AMD Phenom 11 840T with 4 gb memory.......and a defective memory controller.

FF:









Amazingly, Pale Moon did complete the test, but poorly:









My Lenovo computer tested the same as before.


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## Cheeky3 (11 mo ago)

I realise I’m OT here. However, was it just me or did anyone else experience constant IE crashes back in the day?? Every single laptop and desktop bought. IE eventually just wouldn’t open. Always had to switch to another browser 👻


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

Cheeky3 said:


> I realise I'm OT here. However, was it just me or did anyone else experience constant IE crashes back in the day?? Every single laptop and desktop bought. IE eventually just wouldn't open. Always had to switch to another browser 👻


I experienced a lot of browser crashes with IE 5.5 and 6
As I remember, IE 6 had an option in the Programs and Features folder, in the Control Panel, to rebuild/repair IE.
IE seemed quite unstable, imo. I was repairing IE almost every other month.
Tabs were a big attraction for FF.
Security better.


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## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

I don't really recall using IE enough to have problems. I used Netscape Navigator, then Firefox.


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## Johnny b (Nov 7, 2016)

This was interesting.

I just upgraded Puppy Linux from XenialPup to Fossapup.
A fresh instal.
Both configured the same.
Both running Firefox v. 97.0.1
Both had identical extensions, NoScript, AdBlock Plus, Ghostery and Privacy Badger.
No other extensions with either setup.
No other browser mods.

As already posted, FF on XenialPup scored an 83 and that was with all extenions enabled.
But after a fresh instal of FossaPup, FF with extensions enabled only returned a 56.5.
And with extensions disabled, FF returned a score of 80.2


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