Weekend hunt for a browser

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Want a 3rd party firefox based browser that is bang up-to-date (v72.02 as of now) on par with the Mozilla Firefox releases and security that has integrated HTTPS Everywhere, a working! YouTube Downloader AV/MP3 and a similar feel/look to Brave that uses current extensions from the firefox browser addons hub? ublock, uMatrix, noscript etc..

so do I and guess what?…I think my search is over 🙂

I’ve been testing this updated browser for a few weeks now and I REALLY like it!

So much so, that it could take the place of my decade+ long primary Firefox ESR!!

As one would expect, the about:config security/privacy/performance tweaks work from Firefox on this browser without much effort to further enhance security/performance et al..YMMV

It’s a game changer in my mind, in the same vain as Brave was for Chromium derived browsers. By all accounts, it seems these devs are supplying what people are asking for, up-to-date functions, privacy and security albeit still an ongoing development.

The browser is currently available for Mac OS and Windows in either 32/64bit formats only.

Weekend hunt starts now, lets see if you folk can find it 🙂

BTW: I have no association with the company/devs etc ..just sharing a great browser experience.

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Lars220, SueW

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Microfix wrote:

It’s a game changer in my mind, in the same vain as Brave was for Chromium derived browsers.

The main value (IMO) in the alternative Chromium browsers is getting rid of Google’s snooping.  Most of them share the terrible (IMO) UI of Chrome, with Vivaldi (and to a lesser degree, Opera) being exceptions.  Vivaldi would be my choice if Firefox crashed and burned, and I am watching it closely to see how it goes.

If I was okay with the feature set of Firefox’s current version, though, I would just use that and tweak it.  I use Waterfox classic to get back what Mozilla has taken away as far as the classic addon library (and I can still use the regular Firefox addon repository also, as nearly all Webextensions addons work fine too).  With Firefox, there’s no Googly spying to eradicate, since Mozilla does not have a business model that is based on targeted ads, and if you don’t like the diagnostic telemetry, you can turn it completely off and never have to worry about it again. Firefox tells you at first run that there is telemetry going on, and gives you a button to the place where you can turn it off if you wish.  I’m okay with that.  I even had some telemetry enabled when I ran Firefox proper to help them out.  Had they attempted to mandate it, I would have done all in my power to block it, but since they asked nicely, I said yes.

As for the included addons, it’s nice if you don’t want to bother installing them, but I prefer to choose my own (for example, I like uBlock Origin, but a lot of the built-ins are based on Adblock Plus, which is slower and heavier on resource use), and all of the stuff you mentioned can be done with existing addons in the Firefox library.  One way or another, I will be installing a lot of addons, since the default that any browser offers right now falls far short of what I want it to do.

It’s kind of the same thing I thought when people kept asking the Waterfox dev for a Waterfox version based on the current Firefox rather than the pre-Quantum 56.  He delivered on that with Waterfox current, but the differences between that and actual Firefox are so minor that I really don’t see the point, on Linux at least.  Mozilla has engaged in a lot of fooling around in an incredibly clumsy and bone-headed manner, like with the pushing of an unwanted addon for a movie tie-in, but they were properly chastened for that, and they weren’t being evil… just incredibly myopic.

Waterfox current also removes things like Pocket and the telemetry code, so you could not turn it on even if you wanted to, but these things are easily turned off.  On Windows, where apparently Mozilla decided that Firefox can update itself at will (taking lessons from MS?), I can see the point in using an alternative build of Firefox to avoid the automatic updates, but in Linux, there are no automatic updates that happen whether the user wants them or not.

Now if someone would take the new Firefox and graft an old-school UI onto it, a la Firefox 4 or thereabouts, that would be compelling, and if it were done well enough, it could eradicate the need for the classic addons that currently ties me to Waterfox classic.  I’d give that a try in a heartbeat if someone offered it.

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In the immortal words of Officer Toody in Car 54, Where Are You?: “Ooh! Ooh!”

This sounds really promising, considering I’ve avoided ‘modern’ Firefox by continuing to use 52.6.0esr, along with recently installed Waterfox Classic.

I’ll start hunting, but I sure hope you unveil the name of what sounds like a great find, Microfix, in case no one else has discovered it!

Ooh! Ooh!

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_54,_Where_Are_You%3F and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVk9jR0tYec

Win 7 SP1 Home Premium 64-bit; Office 2010; Group B (SaS); Former 'Tech Weenie'

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Microfix

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[Kathy Stevens]

At the suggestion of my VPN provider, I just added Startpage to FireFox as a second internet search engine. My primary search engine remains DuckDuckGo.

Startpage can be found at

https://www.startpage.com/?utm_source=SecurityTips&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4searchengines_LT

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Kathy Stevens.

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DriftyDonN

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Kathy Stevens wrote:

Startpage

Startpage has been partly own by an AD company, System 1 which uses “technology to make advertising better and safer, while respecting consumer privacy”..

https://www.ghacks.net/2019/11/18/startpage-replies-to-questions-about-ownership-change/

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Elly, DriftyDonN, Kathy Stevens

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Hi Microfix, the Firefox based  Cliqz  browser is a nice privacy orientated web browser, would this be one you would consider?  Their blog post mentions some good Firefox Add-ons that they recommend also. –

https://cliqz.com/en/desktop

https://cliqz.com/en/magazine/10-browser-add-ons-for-better-security-and-privacy

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Elly, Microfix, SueW

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Hmmm…the add-ons link is over a year old…do you know of any newer links for info re:browser and extensions?

Thanks,

DriftyDonN

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With Cliqz you can also use current mozilla firefox extensions and add ons from:
https://addons.mozilla.org

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Yes @Lars220, you are correct 😉

For those who wish to take this browser for a spin, I’ve noted a few things that I’ve classed as need done for the privacy/security conscious folk out there.

Firstly, downoads are available over at:

https://cliqz.com/en/download
(at the foot of the page)

So once you’ve downloaded the relevant cliqz exectable installer for your system,
I suggest an offline installation, as we never know what goes on in the background
during installation..good practise for anything these days, unfortunately.

Stage 1 – Quick setup

Once the browser is installed, open up cliqz and you’ll be presented with the default homepage. Within this homepage, there is a gear-sign on the top right of the viewable area,
click on this and switch on/off your own preferences.

Stage 2 – To disable default Hidden Extensions

Edit: Stage 2 Removed due to the accessibiltymarshall.dll breaks functionality of the panel interface. (must have bypassed it somehow initially) appologies for the inconvenence.

Stage 3 – Switch on the settings (easily accessible controls/switches is a nice interface touch similar to the chromium based brave browser)
In the browser menu top area there is a light blue Q,

click on it to reveal security switches and switch on/off what you wish (I have them all on)
underneath those switches are two further catagories:

Search Options SEE NOTE*
MyOffrz Options

Click on the ‘MyOffrz Options’ and decide whether you wish to partake
in the offers supplied by cliqz. enabled/ disabled.

Before going online, you may wish to visit about:preferences and change the browser settings to your needs. Also, it’s a good time to add your own collected tweaks to the about:config interface for privacy/security as some are still open by default.
At this point the browser is ready for online use.

Stage 4 – Connecting Online

NOTE* 1st thing to do once online, click the blue Q again and navigate to
‘Search Options’ and pick your search engine.(due to the nature of the beast, this can only be done online)

Further to this anyone can add their own current preferred Extensions via the mozilla addons page.

There we have it, give it a try if your brave enough/ have the time, and enjoy the experience.

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Cybertooth, Elly, Norio, Lars220, SueW

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I tried Cliqz for a day or two based on your recommendation, and almost immediately noticed an issue on my computer.  I’m running an older Acer that supports a maximum of 4GB RAM, which is maxed out.  Running Windows 10 Pro ver 1909.  Newer hardware may not be as seriously affected, but with my limited RAM, a noticeable memory leak can be debilitating  rather quickly.  With a few other programs already running, when I initially open Cliqz the memory usage is around 65% and the computer functions normally.  It climbs fairly soon to over 95% and the computer becomes very sluggish almost to the point of freezing up.  I close Cliqz then reopen, and the memory usage drops back to the 65% range, then quickly climbs again.  To be fair, Waterfox also leaks memory, but at a considerably slower rate.

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First, thanks for opening my eyes to this very interesting browser. I’ve been a Firefox user for some time, and while I do consider Mozilla a worthy, reputable outfit I’m not of a mind that considers them unique in that aspect.

But what’s got me confused, perhaps due to my own naïveté, is how to perform an offline installation. Would someone be so kind as to point me in a direction where there may be some kind of walk-through or explanation?

The duration of a minute depends on which side of the bathroom door you're on.

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An offline install usually means downloading a file (or group of files such as in a zip format) then being able to fully install without being connected to the internet.

Two things about offline installs:
1) if you have the file, you can re-install anytime
2) an “online install” may a big download in the background. Positive and negative to this. Positive, you get the latest version. Negative, it ties up the bandwidth if you have slow internet.

In this case, @Microfix is worried about what information might be send during the background download communication process. It all may be very innocent, but until someone grabs all bits in the upload and download and examines them we don’t know; Microfix is being very cautious, safe rather than sorry.

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SueW, chaloots, Microfix

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Sorry, a bit late to this. Thanks @KP, yes my concern was what data is being transferred/ if any, during the installation whilst connected to the internet. Cautionary step.

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Elly

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Does it utilize the old style Moz extensions ?

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Sad news for fans of web browser choices and alternatives, recently the developers of the Firefox based Cliqz browser have declared that the Cliqz story is over. For those of us that like to experiment with different browsers, this is the loss of one decent Firefox based option.

Cliqz Team Blog – April 30, 2020

“Dear Cliqz friends, Yesterday we’ve announced with a heavy heart the Cliqz story is over. It is a terrible decision, but it is the only one possible. There is no future for Cliqz as it is today. – – –

Thank you for believing in something that was unlikely from the beginning, but worth believing in.
The Cliqz story as we know it is over, but it was worth the ride.
Farewell, Your Cliqz Team”

https://cliqz.com/en/magazine/farewell-from-cliqz

TC – Tech Crunch has some more information:

Cliqz pulls the plug on a European anti-tracking alternative to Google search
by Natasha Lomas – May 1, 2020

“It’s been a long road for Cliqz, which was founded back in 2008 — initially focused on German-speaking markets. The browser was a fork of Mozilla’s Firefox, and Cliqz went on to take investment from Mozilla, in 2016, when it was eyeing expanding to more markets. – – –

While the Cliqz browser and search is being shuttered, the company is not closing down entirely — and a spokesman confirmed Ghostery will continue.”

https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/01/cliqz-pulls-the-plug-on-a-european-anti-tracking-alternative-to-google-search/

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Microfix, SueW

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