>Without AI enabled features + agent mode being first class citizens, this will be a non-starter in 2 years.

I want an application to serve me webpages and manage said webpages. It wasn't a "non-starter" for me 2 years ago when I switched off Chrome who chose to be too user hostile to ignore. It won't be a non-starter here.

>I want my non-tech family members/friends to install Firefox not because I come over at Christmas, but because they want to. Because it's a browser that "just works." We can't have this if Firefox stays in the pre-ai era.

If "it just works" is all my non-tech family needs, I'm not really gonna intervene and evangelize for Mozilla. I don't work for them (if you do, that's fair). Most browsers "just work" so mission accomplished. These are parents who were fine paying Hulu $15/month to still see ads, so we simply have different views. I'm sure they felt the same way about my pots falling apart and insisting "well, they still work".

Meanwhile, my professional and personal career revolves around the internet, and I don't want to be fighting my screwdriver because it wants to pretend to be a drill. At some point I will throw the drill out and buy a screwdriver that screws.

▲ godelski 6 hours ago | parent [-]

If you want to be a power user, then be a power user. Switch to a fork like Mullvad or Waterfox.

Seriously, I don't get the problem here. I don't want AI in my browser either, but it is pretty simple for us who care to switch away. It's even easy for those who aren't technically skilled!

If this is what stops Firefox from drowning then I'm all for it. They are our last line of defense from a Google controlled internet. What Firefox puts in their browser isn't that critical to me (i.e. doesn't affect me) as long as it stays open source and there are forks. But Firefox dying does! So yeah, I'm gonna root for Firefox even when it does things I don't want because what I care about far more than any specific browser feature is the internet not being controlled by any single entity.

So can we make sure we're fighting the right battles?

▲ johnnyanmac 6 hours ago | parent [-]

>If this is what stops Firefox from drowning

By having the most engaged users leave and splinter the community furtehr in hopes that Mozilla out competes the trillion dollar monopoly in a war of data centers? We really will do anything except message your policy makers, huh?

I migrated several times before and am browsing around now. Id even be so bold to say that Mozilla dying will not kill the Quantum web engine scene, so I have no allegiance to rooting for yet another billion dollar corporation that has continually proven that their customers are not their interest. But I don't think "no one cares about you, just leave" is the healthiest option for your stated goals.

>Can we make sure we're fighting the right battles?

This isn't an argument, this is my statement. I don't want my tools to be bloated.

If the entire idea of a web browser collapses overnight, I'll make due. But the last thing I'll be accused of is remaining silent and having this industry bewildered on how this apocalypse came upon them. They got feedback and ignored it, stopped competing on merits over trends, and lost sight of what people actually want. That's their choice, and they will reap what they sow.

	▲	godelski 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		`> By having the most engaged users leave and splinter the community furtehr` Power users going to a fork like Mullvad or Waterfox still helps Mozilla. Just in the same way that people switching to Brave helps Google. `> We really will do anything except message your policy makers, huh?` I actually do this. And I'm actually decently satisfied with one of them. I bet you're grateful for that person too even if you don't know it. `> I migrated several times before and am browsing around now.` Cool? Switching browsers is literally one of the easiest platform migrations you can do. All your bookmarks and everything transfers. I'd bet something like Mullvad (works with the Tor foundation and their fork of Firefox) is better your speed. Yes, you can uninstall their built-in mullvad VPN extension and it'll just go away. `> But I don't think "no one cares about you, just leave" is the healthiest option for your stated goals.` Yet that's not what's going on `> I don't want my tools to be bloated.` So don't install them? Seriously, I don't get the problem. As far as I'm aware the only things that are opt-out are the smart tabs. Which is a 22.6MB and 57MB vector embedding models that can be easily removed. So what bloat? They said everything will be opt-in and that's cool with me. If they go back on that then yeah, grab the fucking pitchforks and I'll be right there with you because fuck those lying bastards. But so far they haven't done that so put the pitchfork down. All you're doing is being over zealous and attacking the greater enemy's (Chrome) enemy. You don't have to call Firefox your ally but it's pretty clear that Chrome is significantly more misaligned with your wants than Firefox is. So stop attacking the best thing we got right now. `> this industry bewildered on how this apocalypse came upon them` I'm pretty confident this is happening because all the privacy maximalists are not actually privacy maximalists and would rather lick the fucking boot than take a knight who's armor isn't pure. Doesn't matter if that boot is orange and shaped like a lion, it's still the boot. I'm sorry the choices are slim. I really do wish it was better. But we're never going to get there if we kill the last thing standing against the monopoly. So yeah, pick the right fucking battle.