Seems handy, although I wonder if most people would be more likely to do this to a browser or just use something like Zen Browser? Like, if you're too afraid to switch away from Chrome or Edge,...
Seems handy, although I wonder if most people would be more likely to do this to a browser or just use something like Zen Browser? Like, if you're too afraid to switch away from Chrome or Edge, are you really going to run this on your browser?
Still, anything that works to remove AI is always a good thing in my opinion.
The last FAQ takes a crack at answering this: Additionally, browser forks (e.g. LibreWolf) usually have one or at most a small handful of maintainers, which makes their longevity highly doubtful....
The last FAQ takes a crack at answering this:
Why not just use an alternative web browser?
You can do that! However, switching to alternative web browsers like Vivaldi, SeaMonkey, Waterfox, or LibreWolf can have other downsides. They are not always available on the same platforms, and they can lag behind mainstream browsers in security updates and engine upgrades. Just the Browser aims to make mainstream web browsers more tolerable, while still retaining their existing benefits.
Additionally, browser forks (e.g. LibreWolf) usually have one or at most a small handful of maintainers, which makes their longevity highly doubtful. (No offense to the maintainers, but keeping up with the firehose of mainstream browser development is going to be a rich source of burnout.)
For Firefox, all it does is change six config options: For me, this doesn't achieve anything: I've already changed most of those options because they're exposed via Settings, and I don't care if...
DisableFirefoxStudies - Prevents Firefox from enrolling in Studies, which may involve additional analytics reporting.
DisableTelemetry - Prevents the upload of telemetry data. As of Firefox 83 and Firefox ESR 78.5, local storage of telemetry data is disabled as well.
DontCheckDefaultBrowser - Prevents popup warnings about Firefox not being the default browser.
FirefoxHome - Turns off stores, sponsored stories, and sponsored top sites on the Firefox Home page.
GenerativeAI - Turns off all generative AI features, including AI chatbots in the sidebar, link previews, and tab group suggestions.
SearchEngines - Removes Perplexity AI as a default search engine.
For me, this doesn't achieve anything: I've already changed most of those options because they're exposed via Settings, and I don't care if Perplexity is available as a search engine since I never use it. The exception is the GenerativeAI option that you otherwise have to disable via several separate settings rather than just one.
I'm not convinced that disabling telemetry is a good idea. I think it's more useful to let Mozilla know whether people value their AI features or not.
Seems handy, although I wonder if most people would be more likely to do this to a browser or just use something like Zen Browser? Like, if you're too afraid to switch away from Chrome or Edge, are you really going to run this on your browser?
Still, anything that works to remove AI is always a good thing in my opinion.
The last FAQ takes a crack at answering this:
Additionally, browser forks (e.g. LibreWolf) usually have one or at most a small handful of maintainers, which makes their longevity highly doubtful. (No offense to the maintainers, but keeping up with the firehose of mainstream browser development is going to be a rich source of burnout.)
Fair point. I guess I totally missed the FAQ. Again, anything that gets rid of AI or debloats I am always in favour of.
In case of Firefox, is this essentially just an installer for Betterfox (or, more specifically, Peskyfox). If not, what are the config differences?
For Firefox, all it does is change six config options:
For me, this doesn't achieve anything: I've already changed most of those options because they're exposed via Settings, and I don't care if Perplexity is available as a search engine since I never use it. The exception is the GenerativeAI option that you otherwise have to disable via several separate settings rather than just one.
I'm not convinced that disabling telemetry is a good idea. I think it's more useful to let Mozilla know whether people value their AI features or not.