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Google looks to be fully shutting down unsupported extensions and ad blockers in Chrome, such as uBlock Origin – which might push some folks to switch to Firefox (www.techradar.com)

submitted 2 months ago by ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Clearly, Google is serious about trying to oust ad blockers from its browser, or at least those extensions with fuller (V2) levels of functionality. One of the crucial twists with V3 is that it prevents the use of remotely hosted code – as a security measure – but this also means ad blockers can’t update their filter lists without going through Google’s review process. What does that mean? Way slower updates for said filters, which hampers the ability of the ad-blocking extension to keep up with the necessary changes to stay effective.

(This isn’t just about browsers, either, as the war on advert dodgers extends to YouTube, too, as we’ve seen in recent months).

At any rate, Google is playing with fire here somewhat – or Firefox, perhaps we should say – as this may be the shove some folks need to get them considering another of the best web browsers out there aside from Chrome. Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, has vowed to maintain support for V2 extensions, while introducing support for V3 alongside to give folks a choice (now there’s a radical idea).

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[-] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

Until you actually need a chromium based browser. I get so annoyed when this happens.

[-] LucidNightmare@lemm.ee 27 points 2 months ago

Almost 20 years and I've never needed a Chromium browser for anything. I'm sorry you were forced to use such garbage ass software.

[-] BassTurd@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

I have chromium installed for the sole reason to cast some streams to my remote TVs. Otherwise it stays closed. I tried some work around with FF, but I couldn't get it to work. It's only once or twice a week for live sporting events, so I can stomach it.

[-] LucidNightmare@lemm.ee 10 points 2 months ago

I understand where you're coming from. It's never happened to me, but if a website didn't work with Firefox, I would just assume it's a shit site ran by rookies who know nothing, and move on to a different site. I understand most people don't have that kind of principle though.

[-] BassTurd@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

It's not that the site doesn't work in FF, it's that casting the stream from that site to a remote TV in the house is only possible in chromium, at least with my current device setup. If I just watch on my computer, I watch in FF.

[-] LucidNightmare@lemm.ee 3 points 2 months ago

Ah, you did say that. I'm sorry for my misunderstanding. I've never tried that, and you're the first I've seen to mention it. I concede to your argument.

[-] BassTurd@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

I'm in the slow process of replacing devices with HTPCs then I won't need to cast anything. Unfortunately computers and time don't grow on trees.

[-] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

As if installing and using something else means you can't have Chrome lying around for that one stupid website.

[-] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

And I do. Sometimes I'll just fire up Edge if Chrome isn't installed since it's chromium based.

[-] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 months ago

In what situation do you need one?

I've been using Firefox for over a decade and have literally never once needed to open a different web browser. For anything, ever. This is a very common complaint that tons of people seem to have that I have never seen happen even once out in the wild.

[-] suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Several government websites for the state of Pennsylvania complain and refuse to work if they detect that you aren't using chrome/edge/safari.

[-] bitwolf@lemmy.one 8 points 2 months ago

You can spoof your useragent to appear as chrome. And you should as it makes your browser less "unique"

[-] suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml -5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

While you can do this, it's not clear to me that you should. There are a number of additional laws having to do with perjury and misusing goverment sites and while I would undoubtedly agree with you, were you to assert the application of those laws to the utilization of a user agent switcher is a ridiculous overreach, I am just as certain I have no desire to be in the hot-seat on the day we all find out.

[-] bitwolf@lemmy.one 3 points 2 months ago

Oh wow I didn't know that. I'll have to double check for the states that are relevant for me.

I imagine many people naively install a privacy extension and unknowingly have altered useragents

[-] datavoid@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 months ago

Imagine the government coming after someone, demanding they give Google their fair share

[-] suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 months ago

Yeah, because career-minded prosecutors and judges never fuck over little people for minor, technical, harmless violations of the law. 🙄

[-] poke@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago

Do the sites work if you use an extension that lies to them about what browser you are using?

[-] Zetta@mander.xyz 12 points 2 months ago

I also use Firefox on my work computer, I need to quickly authorize a login in the browser before the local "app" opens ("app" because it's just a webpage pretending to be an app) and I just recently got a notification that slack won't support Firefox anymore so please switch to chrome. The fucking animals.

[-] lohky@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago

Sounds like Salesforce acting like Salesforce.

[-] KonalaKoala@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

Probably slack is going to have to be ditched on the grounds they have decided to ditch Firefox.

[-] Flying_Hellfish@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Flashing ESPhome devices. I just had to re-flash one via serial the other day and it requires chrome AFAIK.

[-] Evkob@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 months ago

I use Librewolf on desktop and Mull on mobile. I have a few extensions on both, which could definitely contribute to issues. When I have issues (usually government sites or financial stuff, sometimes DRM-related stuff for media) it's easier to just use a Chromium-based browser with no extensions than try to troubleshoot specifically what's causing the issues. I keep Falkon (desktop) and Vanadium (mobile) installed for this purpose.

I get the feeling a lot of issues people are having in Firefox might be due to extensions or settings, which gets "fixed" by using another browser (which happens to be Chromium-based because most browsers are) and they blame the issue on Firefox itself.

[-] sunbeam60@lemmy.one -1 points 2 months ago

Firefox is getting so small it’s starting to disappear out of the testing matrix. Confluence has issues with it, you can’t always log into Vanguard on Firefox, many news website layouts have overlapping elements on Firefox, quite a few shopping websites too (H&M in Europe has a long-standing but with putting stuff in the shopping basket until they revamped their website a couple of months ago). Etc etc. I see it ALL the time.

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

There's still Vivali which is Chromium based and still supporting V2 extension (like uBlock) until June 2025. Its not a full fix, but its a stay of execution. That said, I'm a FF primary user.

[-] Mossheart@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 months ago

I see Vivaldi, I upvote.

[-] datavoid@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago

I'm already mad about having to potentially abandon my highly customized Vivaldi should ublock lite not work up to my standards

[-] Mossheart@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 months ago

Is a combo of ublock lite and Vivaldi's own blocker insufficient? They made updates to allow custom lists, I think. What about a network wide blocker like a pihole or adguard.

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

I have no idea why people are downvoting it.

[-] funkajunk@lemm.ee -4 points 2 months ago

Vivaldi isn't entirely open source, if that matters to you.

Brave would be my recommendation, I just disable the crypto stuff.

[-] Wiz@midwest.social 10 points 2 months ago

Brave's CEO is so anti-gay, he dished out 4-figure checks to fight gayness.

I'm not a fan of that, and Brave has issues with being Chromium-based, like Vivaldi.

[-] RedStrider@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

this reads like a yo mama joke

[-] theorangeninja@lemmy.today 3 points 2 months ago

Roughly 92% of the browser’s code is open source coming from Chromium, 3% is open source coming from us, which leaves only 5% for our UI closed-source code.

https://vivaldi.com/blog/technology/why-isnt-vivaldi-browser-open-source/

Only the UI part is not open source.

[-] XTL@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 months ago

Brave is a series scam company.

[-] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 months ago

Chromium isn't as problematic as Chrome.

[-] warm@kbin.earth 2 points 2 months ago

If people used other browsers, then the market share would change and this would become less and less of a problem.

[-] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

I already use Firefox full time and recommend others do as well.

[-] lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network 1 points 2 months ago

I've had that once, as well as some websites running inexplicably slow on FF.

I changed my user agent to a recent Chrome one and that solved it issue.
Moral of the story? Websites are discriminating.

[-] nutsack@lemmy.world -3 points 2 months ago

constantly, to be honest

this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2024

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