🔥 Why I deleted Firefox from my machines this weekend

July 14, 2024

I no longer trust or believe in Mozilla, so I deleted Firefox from my machines this weekend.

➜ brew remove firefox
==> Uninstalling Cask firefox
==> Backing App 'Firefox.app' up to '/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/firefox/112.0.1/Firefox.app'
==> Removing App '/Applications/Firefox.app'
==> Unlinking Binary '/opt/homebrew/bin/firefox'
==> Purging files for version 112.0.1 of Cask firefox
~ on ☁️   took 4s

There was no one decision, but Firefox version 128’s Privacy-Preserving Attribution update was the final straw.

The default browser you use is a personal decision, and I have always kept Firefox around. It was my default for over a decade until I gave up and switched to Google Chrome. At that point, Firefox became bloated and buggy like the Mozilla browser before it, and I found myself at that intersection again.

Last year, I switched to Vivaldi as my default browser and only kept Chrome around for a few organizations. Eventually, I’ll delete Chrome, too, but that’s more symbolic of removing Google from my life.

What annoys me the most is that Mozilla was supposed to be the company that knows better, but their leadership keeps reminding us of who they are.

Removing Firefox pains me because I believe in alternative browsers that aren’t controlled by one company. I have friends who have worked for Mozilla in the past and present.

Had Mozilla pledged to cut the bullshit and give me a Firefox Pro option to support them, I would have been one of the first to sign up. However, I don’t trust Mozilla when they aren’t focused on being the best web browser in the industry. I’d rather avoid their antics until they give me a reason to trust them again.

PS: Maybe Servo is a better alternative from Mozilla, but for now, Vivaldi is my best Chrome-like, and it’s not run by Google until something better emerges.

Originally posted on: https://micro.webology.dev/2024/07/14/why-i-deleted.html