We’ve been anticipating it for years,1 and it’s finally happening. Google is finally killing uBlock Origin – with a note on their web store stating that the extension will soon no longer be available because it “doesn’t follow the best practices for Chrome extensions”.2 Daly Barnett. “Chrome Users Beware: Manifest V3 is Deceitful and Threatening.” EFF, December 9, 2021. ↩ Lawrence Abrams. “Google warns uBlock Origin and other extensions may be disabled soon.” Bleeping Computer, October 13, 2024. ↩

We’ve been anticipating it for years, and it’s finally happening. Google is finally killing uBlock Origin – with a note on their web store stating that the extension will soon no longer be available because it “doesn’t follow the best practices for Chrome extensions”.

Now that it is finally happening, many seem to be oddly resigned to the idea that Google is taking away the best and most powerful ad content blocker available on any web browser today, with one article recommending people set up a DNS based content blocker on their network 😒 – instead of more obvious solutions.

I may not have blogged about this but I recently read an article from 1999 about why Gopher lost out to the Web, where Christopher Lee discusses the importance of the then-novel term “mind share” and how it played an important part in dictating why the web won out. In my last post, I touched on the importance of good information to democracies – the same applies to markets (including the browser market) – and it seems to me that we aren’t getting good information about this topic.

This post is me trying to give you that information, to help increase the mind share of an actual alternative. Enjoy!

  • kava@lemmy.worldEnglish
    121·
    2 months ago

    I can’t think of a single example where a web page doesn’t work on FF.

    if FF want wider scale take-up outside of geeky niche groups

    Lol. I remember when FF was the most popular browser.

    • Petter1@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      2 months ago

      I just need a „install as app“ Feature in Firefox, that is not as pain as the webapp Manager app we currently have

        • Petter1@lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          2 months ago

          Install PWA so that you can start those as normal native apps without it looking like a website in a browser (remove unnecessary window decorations) and cache js for ever, so that the PWA can be used offline, if features are not dependant on API calls

        • Petter1@lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          2 months ago

          I guess, I only know the way on iPhone using “add to homescreen”

      • kava@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        2 months ago

        Around 2009~2011 if I remember correctly. Back then it was either IE or FF. Then Chrome came on the scene with their fancy marketing ads and blew up very quickly to overtake FF.

        At the time FF felt bloated compared to Chrome, so Chrome was like the fresh new and faster alternative.