![]() |
MS-DEFCON 2:
Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it.
|
-
A few notes about the Brave browser
Home › Forums › AskWoody blog › A few notes about the Brave browser
Tagged: Brave
- This topic has 28 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 2 weeks, 5 days ago.
Viewing 17 reply threads-
AuthorPosts
-
-
November 30, 2019 at 7:02 am #2012935
woody
ManagerI just started testing the Brave browser and I’m impressed. Built-in ad blocking. Tracker blocking (AskWoody still has some Twitter trackers, which I’
[See the full post at: A few notes about the Brave browser]2 users thanked author for this post.
-
November 30, 2019 at 9:50 am #2013005
WildBill
AskWoody PlusThanks for the notice… but so far, Firefox 70.0.1 & its Enhanced Tracking Protection are working fine for me. If Brave provides a higher level of protection, I’ll consider it. I can accept Google, Maps & its snooping on my smartphone, but not on my browser or laptop. That’s just me… though the Assistant is popping up with recommendations that I don’t even ask for lately. Maybe time to turn it Off… if I Can? Not sure if it’s gestures or movement that does it… & I’m Still on Android 7.1.2 (Nougat)!
2 Machines for Now!
#1: Windows 8.1, 64-bit, back in Group A.
#2: Getting close to buying a refurbished Windows 10 64-bit, recently updated to v1909. Have broke the AC adapter cord going to the 8.1 machine, but before that, coaxed it into charging. Need to buy new adapter if wish to continue using it.
Wild Bill Rides Again...-
November 30, 2019 at 11:38 am #2013025
anonymous
GuestThis first part is off topic, so I’ll keep it brief.
If you want to turn off the assistant, check out the info on the following page by Digital Trends:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-turn-off-google-assistant/
I made it in text on purpose to avoid having a clickable link, showing there’s no funny business going on. I’ve also been to the page myself to see just what was there. On it, you’ll find the answer to your question about turning off the assistant as well as info on how to tweak its settings to reduce the amount of recommendations you don’t want.
Ok, enough of the off topic stuff! I will download but not install the Brave browser after reading @douglas9x ‘s post below. Apparently it’s a real chore to get rid of the browser’s traces if you decide you don’t like it too well.
However, I’m looking for something to use on sites that don’t render well in FF (my current default browser) to the point of being unusable. I have even resorted for some of them to trying them in the portable version of FF with the browser configured as is right out of the box and sadly for some sites it hasn’t helped. For those, I’ve had to resort to (GULP!) using Internet Explorer.
After reading more about the Brave browser, I may decide to install it after all, but will keep @douglas9x ‘s post below in mind if I decide to uninstall it.
-
December 1, 2019 at 12:46 am #2013235
Ascaris
AskWoody_MVPHowever, I’m looking for something to use on sites that don’t render well in FF (my current default browser) to the point of being unusable.
Are these sites you would be willing to cite? I’ve yet to see such a site during the Chrome era, and I wonder if my default blocking of scripts has anything to do with it. I keep hearing about things that don’t work in Firefox, and it usually ends up being some other thing, like ill-advised useragent sniffing or the like. I’d like to see it. Firefox and Chrome are both meant to be standards-compliant, so if a site works in Chrome but not Firefox, the problem is either that the site is badly coded, or Firefox is. Whichever it is should be fixed, of course.
Vivaldi is the only Chromium derivative I know of that has what I consider to be a decent (though not great) UI. Most of them keep the Chromium UI, which I find to be just awful. Vivaldi is the only one that brings back the menu bar (which finally works as it should) and the status bar, though tabs between the URL bar and the content remain elusive, as does the ability to place addon icons in the taskbar. The theme scheme (consisting of four color settings, a slider for corner rounding, and three checkboxes,) is also frustratingly limited, painfully flat, and low in contrast in some areas no matter what settings are chosen… but even so, compared to Chromium itself, Vivaldi is in a different league. No other Chromium browser maker seems to be interested in fixing the UI for those of us not interested in the Chrome minimalism.
As for the blocking built into any given browser… unless it is as effective as the standard-bearers, uBlock Origin for ads, Privacy Badger for trackers, or uMatrix/NoScript (either will work) for trackers and other scripts, it won’t make a difference to me, as I am going to be using those extensions even if they only offer a slight bit of improvement over the built in one. If Google continues to try to neuter adblocker extensions, though, the built-ins could be a good choice, as they will not be subject to the limitations Google imposes on extensions.
Several of the makers of Chromium-based browsers have said that they will revert the Google limits on extensions that limit the functionality of adblockers, but if the developers of those extensions cater to Chrome, it won’t matter that some browsers can still run the full-power adblockers, because there won’t be any. In that case, a built-in adblocker becomes a “killer” feature, as they say.
Group "L" (KDE Neon Linux 5.20.5 User Edition)
-
-
-
November 30, 2019 at 10:02 am #2012994
anonymous
Guest…AskWoody still has some Twitter trackers, which I’m running down right now…
According to my copy of Firefox 70.0.1, those are: platform.twitter.com, syndication.twitter.com, cdn.syndication.twimg.com, abs.twimg.com, and pbs.twimg.com.
Platform.twitter.com, syndication.twitter.com and cdn.syndication.twimg.com also leave behind Cross-Site tracking cookies according to Firefox 70.0.1.
All of the above have been noticed on the main AskWoody.com home page, they aren’t listed for this page by my copy of Firefox.
I used Firefox’s privacy report feature to obtain the above information.
1 user thanked author for this post.
-
November 30, 2019 at 11:04 am #2013019
anonymous
GuestAnonymous poster from #2012994, just above, here. When I said
they aren’t listed for this page by my copy of Firefox.
I meant that those trackers were only found on the main AskWoody.com page, the “home” page for this entire site, they weren’t found on the page this thread is on. I hope that clears up any misunderstandings anyone might have after reading that post, thereby reducing the amount of head scratching going on. 🙂
-
-
November 30, 2019 at 11:10 am #2013022
douglas9x
AskWoody Lounger-
November 30, 2019 at 11:19 am #2013024
mn–
AskWoody LoungerWhen you uninstall Brave you will be faced with a real task removing all traces…
Well, that one’s a bit easier on Linux.
“sudo apt-get purge brave-browser brave-keyring ; sudo rm -rf /home/*/.config/BraveSoftware /home/*/.cache/BraveSoftware “
-
December 1, 2019 at 12:11 am #2013227
-
-
December 4, 2019 at 4:36 pm #2014774
Microfix
AskWoody MVPDidn’t like the initial automatic connections to servers for the default screen statistics. At the time of testing june/july 2019 there was brave’s own advertising which just reminded me of avasts tactics.
What I did like was the speed/ responsiveness of the browser, far quicker than Chrome/firefox but just couldn’t bring myself to trust the browser for mission critical/private stuff..never say never, it was too early for that particular browser switch/companion for me on windows.
@douglas9x I encountered the very same with regards to uninstalling brave earlier this year, the remnants were strewn everywhere: prog files, prog data, user profile xxx, user profile default and the registry..needed major manual surgery.
No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created IT- AE
-
-
November 30, 2019 at 12:27 pm #2013036
anonymous
Guest-
November 30, 2019 at 2:56 pm #2013099
-
-
November 30, 2019 at 1:44 pm #2013067
TheWatch
AskWoody LoungerWoody (and all),
Thanks for calling attention to “other” players in the browser world!
I tried Brave a few months ago, but there was no way to simply turn off the phoning home for updates (and whatever else). My non-Windows firewall alerted me to the very frequent outbound stuff. Searching Internet revealed they had no intention of changing that so I uninstalled.
Yeah, updates are good for security, but I want “on-demand” check for updates.
Chromium based Iridium Browser seemed cool, but it has NO update mechanism, so one has to manually download and install every update. The other extreme…
Currently trying and liking (primary) Waterfox (still uses most old Firefox add-ons, yet gets updates). Also, (secondary) Vivaldi with auto-updates turned off (I check fairly regularly myself), though mixed reviews on Vivaldi’s privacy.
-
November 30, 2019 at 1:58 pm #2013069
Cybertooth
AskWoody PlusI’ve been flirting with the Brave browser since the early versions.
In the early releases, the open tabs were shown right above the Web page contents, whereas in the current version the tabs are shown at the top of the screen above the URL line, which strikes me as illogical.
On the other hand, in the current version, when you print a Web page to PDF, the hyperlinks on the page are preserved in the output file, which is a big plus for my work.
I like it that Brave offers a way to donate to the sites that we visit, but in my view they need to simplify the method, it’s a convoluted process that will deter everyone except uber-geeks. (And it didn’t seem to work in Windows 7 or Linux, IIRC.) I suspect the idea won’t really take off until they can link your payments to something that “normal people” will grasp immediately, like a credit card number.
-
November 30, 2019 at 2:43 pm #2013090
Ascaris
AskWoody_MVPThe tabs on top of the URL bar thing bugs me too, and it’s spread like a virus throughout the browser market, with all of the major current browsers (that are available for Windows or Linux desktops) having that layout.
Mozilla, of course, copied that format (and the default removal of the File, Edit, View… menu bar) from Chrome years ago with the Australis interface, and they doubled down on that in Firefox Quantum by removing the Firefox button (in the upper left of the title bar by default, if I remember) and putting its contents in the hamburger button on the far right side of the URL bar, just like Chrome, and with the exact same menu as Chrome too.
Brave got the tabs on top of the URL bar when they adopted Chromium as their base. It supposedly had a lot more customizability available when they used the Muon engine (Muon also being the name of the KDE Package manager… different thing!), but now it’s like so many of the Chromium descendants… very little customization. Many Brave users are requesting the old options back, but so far, the answer has been no.
Vivaldi is the most customizable of the Chromium descendants, and while it offers the tabs on the bottom and on the left, it still does not allow them to be right above the web content. At least Firefox allows them to be moved with a custom .css stylesheet, which is the sole reason Firefox is even installed on my PC at all anymore. Without that, if Waterfox went away, I’d go to Vivaldi, not Firefox.
How much longer Firefox will have this feature (the ability to use userChrome.css and userContent.css) is a big question mark, but my prediction is that it will be removed at some point soon (within the next year would be my guess). Chrome doesn’t have that feature, so it’s probably going to be axed at some point in Mozilla’s never-ending quest to be Chrome.
Group "L" (KDE Neon Linux 5.20.5 User Edition)
2 users thanked author for this post.
-
-
November 30, 2019 at 3:15 pm #2013103
-
November 30, 2019 at 7:28 pm #2013150
Nathan Parker
AskWoody_MVP -
December 1, 2019 at 6:47 am #2013301
MrJimPhelps
AskWoody_MVP -
December 1, 2019 at 8:44 am #2013321
-
December 1, 2019 at 9:42 am #2013340
anonymous
GuestI’m not displeased with the Comodo Dragon (sic) browser from security firm, you guessed, Comodo.
It’s another Chrome/chromium derivative, with Google tracking removed and a handful of custom extensions built-in. Il also accepts standard Chrome extensions from the Google store (which is not the case of other browsers built on chromium base; as for Brave, I don’t know one way or another).And for those who prefer Mozilla-based, Comodo also offers their in-house variant dubbed Ice Dragon (that I have not tried).
Both downloads available (free) from the website, comodo.com. I am NOT affiliated with Comodo, just a user.
Added notice : The Dragon’s version updates follow Chrome’s own, after some delay, except for important security updates which are included sooner – this IMO is an advantage.
Also, after installing the Dragon, and after updating it, it /will/ pop up (once) an offer to install some Comodo security suite – which you are free to decline. Perso I decline it: not recommending pro or against. -
December 1, 2019 at 12:02 pm #2013365
Purg2
AskWoody LoungerFor what it’s worth, when I did a test for Brave a while back, I didn’t install it. I used the portable version. Perhaps others will find that method useful.
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/brave-browser/#post-1959140
Win 8.1 (home & pro) Group B, Linux Dabbler
2 users thanked author for this post.
-
December 2, 2019 at 11:01 am #2013710
techweenie
AskWoody Lounger-
December 2, 2019 at 11:06 am #2013713
jabeattyauditor
AskWoody LoungerFrom a business standpoint, the only browser I’ll consider is Chrome because it has group policies. I block all plugins that aren’t approved and force it to be default. No more popups and hijacked settings. Show me another browser that can do that.
The new Chromium-based Edge browser (beta for now, to be released in January) is configurable via group policy: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-policies
IE mode (built-in) is also controllable via the same interface.
-
December 3, 2019 at 12:22 am #2013974
mn–
AskWoody LoungerFirefox does have group policy support nowadays too. https://www.ghacks.net/2018/03/10/firefox-60-ships-with-windows-group-policy-support/
I’d think that with those features you’d probably want the ESR branch and some listed on https://github.com/mozilla/policy-templates/blob/master/README.md are only going to be in the next ESR release (68.2 is current, some of those are marked as supported in 68.3), so depends on what specifically you need it to do.
-
-
December 2, 2019 at 12:37 pm #2013764
LoneWolf
AskWoody PlusBrave Browser has already replaced Chrome (and Vivaldi) as my Chromium-engined browser of choice. I don’t use all of Vivaldi’s features; I don’t like Google’s possible hooks into their browser for their own purposes. Brave has a similar interface to Chrome but much better privacy protections.
There are a few situations where I need to disable Shields (2-factor auth through Azure<->Duo being my best-known one) but I think it’s one of the most mature options in a world of browsers. And while I like Firefox (and use it), Brave feels snappier.
We are SysAdmins.
We walk in the wiring closets no others will enter.
We stand on the bridge, and no malware may pass.
We engage in tech support, we do not retreat.
We live for the LAN.
We die for the LAN. -
December 4, 2019 at 3:37 pm #2014760
cptomes
AskWoody PlusI’ve disliked Chrome for years. Only had it installed as a test/failover browser in case Firefox isn’t happy.
Then when Firefox we totally belly up on my 10.12 mbp, I uninstalled all traces of it and switched to Brave. Super fast! Very happy with it so far.
Hey look! Another Feature Update!
You mean I shouldn't click Check for Updates?
Why does it keep saying "Something Happened"?
-
December 8, 2019 at 9:11 am #2016474
carpintero
AskWoody Lounger-
January 2, 2021 at 7:22 am #2324800
Ascaris
AskWoody_MVPsites that don’t render well in FF
Very frequent. Waterfox serves well for those cases.
Very frequent? I don’t recall this ever happening, let alone frequently. Can you provide an example of a site? (Heh… after rereading some of the thread after I wrote that, I see I made this same comment a year ago in the thread. I’d still like to see such a site!)
If Firefox doesn’t render a site properly, I don’t know why Waterfox would do any better. It’s the same rendering engine, though a bit older. I have had sites that refused to work correctly with Waterfox Classic (though it was not a rendering issue… it was worse).
I’d like to like Brave, but the built-in adblocker (still not as good as uBlock Origin, so I’d end up using uBO anyway), social media blocker, and better privacy don’t negate that awful Chrome UI. Older versions of Brave had a better/more customizable UI, as I’ve read, but when they moved to Chromium, they had to put those features on hold… and all this time later, they still remain on hold.
Group "L" (KDE Neon Linux 5.20.5 User Edition)
-
January 2, 2021 at 10:20 am #2324817
DriftyDonN
AskWoody Plus
-
-
-
January 1, 2021 at 11:51 pm #2324722
leis
AskWoody LoungerI uninstalled Brave and have yet to completely remove it’s traces or files. For instance, if doing a search for it Brave App shows up instantly, and it has the common line under the App (word) for it under the Brave Heading and if clicking on it it just fades to grey color and nothing opens there’s no right click and i found one more Brave file that i deleted in the registry and checked a few times to find Brave and it shows nothing left in Browser by B-r-a-v-e.
Any suggestions on what the left over icon looking ‘app’ is?
-
-
AuthorPosts
Viewing 17 reply threads -
Welcome to our unique respite from the madness.
It's easy to post questions about Windows 10, Win8.1, Win7, Surface, Office, or browse through our Forums. Post anonymously or register for greater privileges. Keep it civil, please: Decorous Lounge rules strictly enforced. Questions? Contact Customer Support.

Plus Membership
Donations from Plus members keep this site going. You can identify the people who support AskWoody by the Plus badge on their avatars.
AskWoody Plus members not only get access to all of the contents of this site -- including Susan Bradley's frequently updated Patch Watch listing -- they also receive weekly AskWoody Plus Newsletters (formerly Windows Secrets Newsletter) and AskWoody Plus Alerts, emails when there are important breaking developments. Click here for details and to sign up.
Search The Lounge
Recent Replies
Cee Arr on Giving you the choice
Just nowOscarCP on Aren't these the greatest performances of classical music?
7 minutes agoMele20 on Giving you the choice
16 minutes agogeekdom on Using Windows 10 Backup Option
18 minutes agogeekdom on Using Windows 10 Backup Option
41 minutes agoOscarCP on Giving you the choice
50 minutes agoAlex5723 on Giving you the choice
1 hour, 16 minutes agosatrow on Giving you the choice
2 hours, 10 minutes agoFred on Aren't these the greatest performances of classical music?
2 hours, 11 minutes agoAlex5723 on This should be the best patching experience
2 hours, 27 minutes agoMoonshine on Using Windows 10 Backup Option
2 hours, 30 minutes agoOscarCP on Aren't these the greatest performances of classical music?
2 hours, 30 minutes agoOscarCP on Giving you the choice
3 hours, 1 minute agoMikeyD215 on How to use wushowhide
3 hours, 17 minutes agoOscarCP on Aren't these the greatest performances of classical music?
3 hours, 19 minutes agoPaul T on Giving you the choice
3 hours, 25 minutes agoanonymous on So I opened up an HP and where’s the hard drive?
3 hours, 31 minutes agoOscarCP on Giving you the choice
3 hours, 38 minutes agoAlex5723 on macOS Big Sur 11.1 released
4 hours, 28 minutes agoFred on Aren't these the greatest performances of classical music?
4 hours, 56 minutes agoPaul T on So I opened up an HP and where’s the hard drive?
5 hours, 2 minutes agoAlex5723 on Beeper combines 15 chatting apps
5 hours, 4 minutes agoPaul T on Attention partners Microsoft really is coming for your clients this time
5 hours, 11 minutes agoPaul T on Using Windows 10 Backup Option
5 hours, 31 minutes agoMikeyD215 on Using Windows 10 Backup Option
5 hours, 39 minutes agoSusan Bradley on Giving you the choice
5 hours, 46 minutes agoOscarCP on Giving you the choice
6 hours, 3 minutes agoOscarCP on What Linux is and why it has persisted
6 hours, 26 minutes agoCybertooth on Giving you the choice
6 hours, 26 minutes agoSusan Bradley on Giving you the choice
7 hours, 2 minutes ago
Recent Topics
-
Does the HP Spectre Notebook (2016 model) have a removable wireless LAN Card? (Awaiting moderation)
2 hours, 56 minutes ago
-
macOS Catalina running on iPad Pro 2020
2 hours, 59 minutes ago
-
How to check if someone else accessed your Google account
4 hours, 22 minutes ago
-
This should be the best patching experience
2 hours, 27 minutes ago
-
Windows 10 Insider build 19042.782 (20H2) released to Beta & Release Preview
9 hours, 33 minutes ago
-
Browser Settings Block Linux Mint Downloads
9 hours, 42 minutes ago
-
Windows 10 Insider Preview build 20296 released to DEV Channel
17 hours, 13 minutes ago
-
Google Analytics Notice
17 hours, 48 minutes ago
-
Beeper combines 15 chatting apps
5 hours, 4 minutes ago
-
File Explorer cannot see external 2Tb drive in full
20 hours, 53 minutes ago
-
Office 2010 updates.
1 day, 1 hour ago
-
What is ‘Meet Now’
21 hours, 7 minutes ago
-
Linux is now completely usable on the Mac mini M1
1 day, 16 hours ago
-
User Feed Synchronization – Disable/Delete Task?
17 hours, 51 minutes ago
-
AV Alert from JetAudio Plus
1 day, 18 hours ago
-
System Restore Stopped Working
17 hours, 6 minutes ago
-
Malwarebytes was targeted by SolarWinds hackers too
2 days, 5 hours ago
-
So I opened up an HP and where’s the hard drive?
5 hours, 2 minutes ago
-
Which version of MS Office should we buy and where can we get it?
1 day, 8 hours ago
-
Fiber optic not available; options please
1 day, 13 hours ago
-
Best W10-Pro updater program ?
2 days, 4 hours ago
-
Accessing Old Laptop HD
14 hours ago
-
DNSpooq lets attackers poison DNS cache – A Patch
2 days, 17 hours ago
-
Nitro data breach – what does it mean to me?
2 days, 5 hours ago
-
Check Point : “FreakOut” malware exploits new Linux vulnerabilities
2 days, 18 hours ago
-
How to STOP Outlook Hotmail config forcing signin to Office 2019
1 day, 10 hours ago
-
Permission on public desktop gets reset
2 days, 19 hours ago
-
Surface Pro 4 & Win v2004 update fail
2 days, 18 hours ago
-
Extra USB Sound driver?
2 days, 4 hours ago
-
PNY Flash Drive Problem
1 day, 15 hours ago
Search for Topics
Recent blog posts
- This should be the best patching experience
- So I opened up an HP and where’s the hard drive?
- What Linux is and why it has persisted
- Find the cable modem that’s just right for your ISP
- Four GB of RAM vanishes … but then reappears
- Wow! Even more Office updates!
- Giving you the choice
- Tasks for the weekend – January 16, 2021
Key Links
Copyright © 2004 – 2021 AskWoody Tech LLC. All rights reserved.