19 votes

New Brave Browser Release Available for General Download on Brave.com

47 comments

  1. [5]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [4]
      unknown user
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Why would liking him or not matter? He has ideas, and he has contributed financially to pursuing it politically. I'm all for recognising same-sex couples or polyamorist relationships and what not,...

      Why would liking him or not matter? He has ideas, and he has contributed financially to pursuing it politically. I'm all for recognising same-sex couples or polyamorist relationships and what not, but it's totally understandable (but not necessarily reasonable) for me that people want to "protect" the religious institution that is marriage (my personal idea is that we should ditch marriage for civil unions for everybody and make marriage a personal thing like what religion is) or have doubts or worries or what not about same-sex couples adopting kids. And it's a huge, huge injustice to do to someone what the FOSS community did to Brendan Eich. It shows how when the opressed of yesterday gains some power today, will act just like the oppressor of yesterday.

      Edit: I'm sorry for the above off-topic rant, please do not respond to it. If there weren't any comments made on it, I'd remove it, but let's not bloat a discussion on a new release of a web browser. The paragraph below, on the other hand, is on-topic.

      Apart from that rather off-topic rant, I wish ungoogled-chromium was packaged for Debian. My laptop is not good enough to compile it reasonably often, unfortunately. Firefox is unreliable for me, many times I've lost my open tabs, and recently I was almost losing all my bookmarks because I accidentally opened firefox-esr instead of firefox 61 (luckily had a backup of the profile...). I went so far as to blog about it and switching to Qutebrowser, but I had to return to it because I couldn't find something that was fast and secure. I miss xombrero so much... Wish I had the time and knowhow to port it to wekbit2.

      5 votes
      1. Akir
        Link Parent
        This is very off topic, but there are some misconceptions I would like to address before letting this go completely: The FOSS community didn't do anything to Eich. The largest and most visable act...

        This is very off topic, but there are some misconceptions I would like to address before letting this go completely:

        • The FOSS community didn't do anything to Eich. The largest and most visable act of protest was by Okcupid, run by a private corporation. Eich stepped down from Mozilla voluntarily without having been asked to resign by the board. Mozilla actually wrote a blog post to dispel the rumors: https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/04/05/faq-on-ceo-resignation/

        • Equality in the US needs to be marriage equality. "Marriage" is the term that is used by the law, therefore the term needs to apply equally to these types of unions. What you are proposing is rewriting centuries of laws from the federal, state, and local governments.

        • Almost nobody actually wants to change any particular religion's version of marriage. That was always just FUD. The whole point of marriage equality was getting access to the civil institution and all the rights and benefits thereof.

        4 votes
      2. Eva
        Link Parent
        He didn't just go for "I wanna defend marriage!" He funded some /blatantly/ homophobic ads that are disgusting. He deserved to be pressured into resigning. If you have a black employee and fund an...

        Why would liking him or not matter? He has ideas, and he has contributed financially to pursuing it politically. I'm all for recognising same-sex couples or polyamorist relationships and what not, but it's totally understandable (but not necessarily reasonable) for me that people want to "protect" the religious institution that is marriage (my personal idea is that we should ditch marriage for civil unions for everybody and make marriage a personal thing like what religion is) or have doubts or worries or what not about same-sex couples adopting kids. And it's a huge, huge injustice to do to someone what the FOSS community did to Brendan Eich. It shows how when the opressed of yesterday gains some power today, will act just like the oppressor of yesterday.

        He didn't just go for "I wanna defend marriage!"

        He funded some /blatantly/ homophobic ads that are disgusting.

        He deserved to be pressured into resigning.

        If you have a black employee and fund an ad that says something like "LYNCH THE [EXPLICITIVES]" you should be and generally will be pressured out of your position, and I don't see how this is all that different. Hell, you could even compare it to what happened to Papa John a few months back.

        4 votes
      3. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. unknown user
          Link Parent
          I deeply disagree with the entirety of your comment but will not further this off-topic conversation.

          I deeply disagree with the entirety of your comment but will not further this off-topic conversation.

          6 votes
  2. [26]
    Except
    Link
    As a person who knows nothing about Brave, is it worth to consider switching off Firefox for this? Or is it not really competitive with the mainstream browsers in terms of functionality?

    As a person who knows nothing about Brave, is it worth to consider switching off Firefox for this? Or is it not really competitive with the mainstream browsers in terms of functionality?

    6 votes
    1. [16]
      novac
      Link Parent
      In my experience with both, Firefox still has a lot more to offer in terms of functionality than Brave does, and I can't justify switching to Brave as my every-day browser. I only have Brave...

      In my experience with both, Firefox still has a lot more to offer in terms of functionality than Brave does, and I can't justify switching to Brave as my every-day browser. I only have Brave installed for when the litany of security extensions I have on Firefox break a website. (Also, Brave doesn't play too nice with my Debian install and I can only run it in --no-sandbox mode)

      11 votes
      1. [15]
        PopeRigby
        Link Parent
        What's functionality does Firefox have that brave doesn't exactly?

        What's functionality does Firefox have that brave doesn't exactly?

        1. [5]
          novac
          Link Parent
          That I personally use, about:config, userChrome.css, and built-in container tabs.

          That I personally use, about:config, userChrome.css, and built-in container tabs.

          9 votes
          1. [4]
            PopeRigby
            Link Parent
            What do all those things do?

            What do all those things do?

            1. apoctr
              Link Parent
              about:config contains a huge amount of tweakable settings for Firefox internals. Allow you to change various security/privacy/performance related things. userChrome.css and userContent.css are CSS...
              • Exemplary

              about:config contains a huge amount of tweakable settings for Firefox internals. Allow you to change various security/privacy/performance related things.

              userChrome.css and userContent.css are CSS files you can use to modify the appearance of Firefox itself, built-in pages and other websites. Allows neat stuff like auto-hidden tree style tabs.

              Container tabs isolate website cookies and some other stuff in a given container. Very useful if used with something like Temporary Containers which can open new containers for every tab to prevent tracking.

              10 votes
            2. [2]
              novac
              (edited )
              Link Parent
              about:config let's you configure a plethora of advanced parameters (For example, I can set "geo.enabled = false" to disable geolocation), userChrome.css allows you to customize any aspect of...

              about:config let's you configure a plethora of advanced parameters (For example, I can set "geo.enabled = false" to disable geolocation), userChrome.css allows you to customize any aspect of Firefox's appearance using CSS, and container tabs let you isolate certain tabs, such that trackable data doesn't carry over to the contained tabs.

              5 votes
              1. frickindeal
                Link Parent
                I use container tabs for every common website now. Set-up was dead simple. It's a really cool feature I wish more people knew about. FF should really offer it baked-in, with major websites already...

                I use container tabs for every common website now. Set-up was dead simple. It's a really cool feature I wish more people knew about. FF should really offer it baked-in, with major websites already available as pre-set containers.

                3 votes
        2. [10]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. [9]
            PopeRigby
            Link Parent
            Well what kind of configurability? That's kind of what I was talking about. Also (this might be a dumb argument) firefox is dependant on the continued development of (I think it's called) the...

            Well what kind of configurability? That's kind of what I was talking about. Also (this might be a dumb argument) firefox is dependant on the continued development of (I think it's called) the Mozilla open source project. How is that really any different? Besides chromium being developed by Google, and Firefox and MOSP both being developed by Mozilla.

            1 vote
            1. [6]
              Comment deleted by author
              Link Parent
              1. [2]
                spctrvl
                Link Parent
                Woah, your battery can be tracked by websites? What possible use case justifies that?

                Woah, your battery can be tracked by websites? What possible use case justifies that?

                4 votes
                1. Diff
                  Link Parent
                  The idea is that websites can lay off the performance heavy stuff when they see you're short on battery. In reality it's basically only used to keep a closer eye on people across page loads even...

                  The idea is that websites can lay off the performance heavy stuff when they see you're short on battery. In reality it's basically only used to keep a closer eye on people across page loads even if they try to evade other methods.

                  9 votes
              2. [2]
                PopeRigby
                Link Parent
                That's a fair point. Would you think it would be a good idea for them to hard fork Chromium?

                That's a fair point. Would you think it would be a good idea for them to hard fork Chromium?

                1 vote
                1. Octofox
                  Link Parent
                  Only if they have a team of developers able to keep up with it. Which they probably don't.

                  Only if they have a team of developers able to keep up with it. Which they probably don't.

                  4 votes
              3. Octofox
                Link Parent
                Mozilla disabled the battery API by default for privacy reasons.

                Mozilla disabled the battery API by default for privacy reasons.

                1 vote
            2. [3]
              spctrvl
              Link Parent
              Let's just say Google doesn't really have the best history when it comes to long term support of non-core products; even AOSP has been suffering lately.

              How is that really any different?

              Let's just say Google doesn't really have the best history when it comes to long term support of non-core products; even AOSP has been suffering lately.

              4 votes
              1. [2]
                kavi
                Link Parent
                Maybe so, but it's completely arguable that Google Chrome is a core product. If data is logged, it likely sells for a lot, and Chrome has the highest market share in browser usage (even if I don't...

                Maybe so, but it's completely arguable that Google Chrome is a core product. If data is logged, it likely sells for a lot, and Chrome has the highest market share in browser usage (even if I don't like it.)

                3 votes
                1. spctrvl
                  Link Parent
                  Chrome is, but we were talking about chromium.

                  Chrome is, but we were talking about chromium.

                  4 votes
    2. [9]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [4]
        Akir
        Link Parent
        Firefox has had better performance than Chrome for quite some time now. The only reason why I would recommend chrome to anyone now would be if they need to use one of Google's proprietary...

        Firefox has had better performance than Chrome for quite some time now. The only reason why I would recommend chrome to anyone now would be if they need to use one of Google's proprietary extensions like cloud print.

        5 votes
        1. [2]
          Octofox
          Link Parent
          I'd be weary of such a bold statement that x browser is better than y. It all depends on what part you are testing. From the stats I have seen, firefox is the fastest at web assembly (With Edge...

          I'd be weary of such a bold statement that x browser is better than y. It all depends on what part you are testing. From the stats I have seen, firefox is the fastest at web assembly (With Edge being about 12x slower) but it wouldn't surprise me if there are certain bits of chrome that run faster than firefox.

          4 votes
          1. Akir
            Link Parent
            The only testing I am referring to is my own subjective testing; Firefox has been better at general web browsing in my personal experience. I first noticed a year or two ago when I was stuck with...

            The only testing I am referring to is my own subjective testing; Firefox has been better at general web browsing in my personal experience. I first noticed a year or two ago when I was stuck with a Chromebook. Even with the extra overhead of chrooting into a new environment, Firefox was always more responsive than non-chrooted Chrome.

            Sure, if you check each part individually, you will see some parts are better and some are worse, but in the end the only thing that matters is stability and how fast it feels under real world conditions.

            1 vote
        2. frickindeal
          Link Parent
          The transition to FF was painless for me, and I use quite a few extensions. Everything I had on Chrome pretty much also exists on FF, and the one or two that didn't had good alternatives.

          The transition to FF was painless for me, and I use quite a few extensions. Everything I had on Chrome pretty much also exists on FF, and the one or two that didn't had good alternatives.

          2 votes
      2. PopeRigby
        Link Parent
        What do you mean exactly by

        What do you mean exactly by

        that there's no/limited support for Chrome extensions

      3. [3]
        hackergal
        Link Parent
        Cryptocurrency? Does this mean the browser is going to be mining in the background while I use it? Because if that's the case, I'll pass.

        Cryptocurrency? Does this mean the browser is going to be mining in the background while I use it? Because if that's the case, I'll pass.

        1. [2]
          Diff
          Link Parent
          No, no mining AFAIK. You just buy it with real money. Or I guess the owners just hand it out now and then?

          No, no mining AFAIK. You just buy it with real money. Or I guess the owners just hand it out now and then?

          5 votes
          1. PopeRigby
            Link Parent
            Yep. That's how it works

            Yep. That's how it works

    3. PopeRigby
      Link Parent
      If you like chrome but don't like all the Google spying, definitely!

      If you like chrome but don't like all the Google spying, definitely!

      1 vote
  3. [8]
    cardboard
    Link
    So does it eat my RAM like chrome then?

    So does it eat my RAM like chrome then?

    6 votes
    1. [7]
      PopeRigby
      Link Parent
      Not that I've noticed. I could check when I get home if you'd like me to?

      Not that I've noticed. I could check when I get home if you'd like me to?

      3 votes
      1. [6]
        cardboard
        Link Parent
        Sure, that would be awesome. Chrome eats up like 25% of my 16gb of DDR 5 and I'm really looking for an alternative. Maybe go back to Firefox. I do love the built in add blocker idea.

        Sure, that would be awesome. Chrome eats up like 25% of my 16gb of DDR 5 and I'm really looking for an alternative. Maybe go back to Firefox. I do love the built in add blocker idea.

        3 votes
        1. [4]
          PopeRigby
          Link Parent
          Alright here. Is this alright? My specs are: i7-7700 GTX 1060 6GB 8GB RAM DDR4

          Alright here. Is this alright? My specs are:

          • i7-7700
          • GTX 1060 6GB
          • 8GB RAM DDR4
          5 votes
          1. [3]
            cardboard
            Link Parent
            Oh wow. Thank you for that!

            Oh wow. Thank you for that!

            2 votes
            1. [2]
              PopeRigby
              Link Parent
              No problem! So is the performance better than your chrome?

              No problem! So is the performance better than your chrome?

              2 votes
              1. cardboard
                Link Parent
                Yes, from the looks of it, it is. I'm gonna download it next time I hope on my computer and give it a whirl.

                Yes, from the looks of it, it is. I'm gonna download it next time I hope on my computer and give it a whirl.

                1 vote
        2. PopeRigby
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          Ok. You got it (:

          Ok. You got it (:

          4 votes
  4. [8]
    kavi
    Link
    I'm rather confused - is it just Chrome with an adblocker and cryto support? Does it sport any other features?

    I'm rather confused - is it just Chrome with an adblocker and cryto support? Does it sport any other features?

    2 votes
    1. [3]
      KapteinB
      Link Parent
      The killer feature is something they call Brave Payments; while browsing the web you automatically make micropayments to web sites and content producers. Now if you're thinking "that sounds like...

      The killer feature is something they call Brave Payments; while browsing the web you automatically make micropayments to web sites and content producers.

      Now if you're thinking "that sounds like something a browser extension should be able to do", you're right.

      And if you're thinking "surely there must be a way to do the same using my credit card instead of cryptocurrency", you're also right.

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        kavi
        Link Parent
        Is the cryptocurrency worth anything? If not, it's kinda useless. Is it stable-ish? What incentives people to use it?

        Is the cryptocurrency worth anything? If not, it's kinda useless. Is it stable-ish? What incentives people to use it?

        1 vote
        1. KapteinB
          Link Parent
          Value doesn't really matter, the way I see it. If it's worth less, just give more of it. Incentives to use it instead of credit card transactions are anonymity and lower transaction costs. And of...

          Value doesn't really matter, the way I see it. If it's worth less, just give more of it.

          Incentives to use it instead of credit card transactions are anonymity and lower transaction costs.

          And of course, like all cryptocurrencies, there are a lot of "investors" who are holding, hoping it will multiply in value so they can cash out.

          3 votes
    2. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [2]
        kavi
        Link Parent
        The Tor support seems pretty useful - I'm just kind of worried it might put pressure on the tor network. Has it got any leaks?

        The Tor support seems pretty useful - I'm just kind of worried it might put pressure on the tor network. Has it got any leaks?

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. kavi
            Link Parent
            Thank you for the explanation!

            Thank you for the explanation!

            2 votes
    3. [2]
      PopeRigby
      Link Parent
      It has dark theme, all the Google stuff is stripped away and mostly replaced with their own stuff, built-in torrent client, UI is bit different (and nicer looking imo), there are some other things...

      It has dark theme, all the Google stuff is stripped away and mostly replaced with their own stuff, built-in torrent client, UI is bit different (and nicer looking imo), there are some other things that can't remember.

      1 vote
      1. kavi
        Link Parent
        Thanks! I'll be sticking to Firefox, as it's got a nice UI, dark theme, and I prefer to keep my torrents separated from my web browser. It seems a fantastic project however - and I wish it the...

        Thanks! I'll be sticking to Firefox, as it's got a nice UI, dark theme, and I prefer to keep my torrents separated from my web browser. It seems a fantastic project however - and I wish it the best of luck!

        2 votes
  5. rickdg
    Link
    Nice, was looking to replace Chrome as it keeps dropping random requests with ERR_ADDRESS_IN_USE.

    Nice, was looking to replace Chrome as it keeps dropping random requests with ERR_ADDRESS_IN_USE.

    1 vote