Waterfox was bought by an ad company.
Edit: According to this page it's no longer the case, though I still am not completely comfortable with it.
this post was submitted on 27 May 2024
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Privacy
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They were, but as I understand they are once again independent. I'd still rather stick with Librewolf, but I'm glad there are options.
They became independent again last year!
Yeah I found that out as I was looking for sources, but you guys are quick to comment, aha!
Hehe all good 😇
I hate to break it to you but Mozilla, Google and Microsoft are all Advertising companies.
All big tech is. They got big for a reason. Though I find Mozilla much less of a thread than other corps like Google, Meta, Microsoft. Meta I find easy to block as none of their services are actually useful. Google is a tad bit harder, and Microshit creeps in on every spot and I don't like it.
I think that is fair. However, you shouldn't trust Mozilla more than any other company
Any big company can't be trusted. They got big with a reason :)
Using niche browser forks is often not a good idea. These are extremely fast moving projects that need to constantly be updated to stay secure.
This is especially true for Firefox forks, as Firefox allows you to customize it to the point that it is almost the same as many of these forks.
There are exceptions to this - for example, LibreWolf has a fairly good track record and Mullvad Browser needs to fork Firefox to (try) ensure all users have the same fingerprint.
Definitely a very valid point!
I feel like this argument is the same argument people use to tell you never to leave the Microsoft ecosystem
You must use Edge, Office, Defender and Azure
No it's a security and fingerprinting tradeoff.
The more your browser acts to hide your behaviors and limit tracking, the more unique your fingerprint is. The most private browser setup is one which appears to be identical to all the other traffic in a non unique way, or noise. This definitionally lacks information for tracking.
Also security flaws and tracking exploits need to be constantly patched.
This is a fundamental tradeoff for privacy. Using more obscure browsers can (not always) then expose you to behavioral fingerprinting because they look different and react to web pages differently.
Most privacy oriented browsers use popular user agents
It's not just the user agent that fingerprints a user.
Hence a good most of the exact comment you responded to.
I much prefer Librewolf. They are a little more transparent about it is, an independent, open source repackaging of Firefox with Arkenfox(ish) patches applied to it, rather than an entity which signs up for deals with other businesses.
I have found that Waterfox is more user friendly. Additionally the devs are open to community feedback and are constantly trying to better server the community.
I use Librewolf but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone
Waterfox has had some bad press. I don't remember details but here's something to read :
- https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/04/waterfox-browser-cuts-ties-with-system-1-to-celebrate-independence/ (2023)
- https://www.waterfox.net/blog/waterfox-has-joined-system1/ (2020)
I prefer to stick to the no nonsense LibreWolf and when some things don't work fall back to Firefox :
I don't view the ghacks.net article as badpress myself after reading it. Also the System1 deal, which is no longer a thing, is the same company who bought Startpage, which is still recommended over at privacyguides.org
Startpage, which is still recommended over at privacyguides.org
For now. There is an open pull request to remove it due to Startpage fingerprinting users (I didn't delve into it to see if it's true, but that was the reason given). And just because it's been suggested doesn't mean it will be removed, so time will till.
https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/pull/2577
Waterfox is a neat project, but is often slow to implement security patches from Firefox upstream.
Why would I choose this over LibreWolf?
You probably shouldnt tbh. I don't think Waterfox is any better, it's just less strict in terms of the defaults. Think Waterfox caters best to those who want the Firefox feel but without the telemetry.
How about Librewolf ?
not excluding Librewolf, just sharing options.
Waterfox is for me the go-to browser for most people, better than default Firefox but not as good as librewolf, good balance of privacy and convenience
I've mentioned it a few times, but I don't like coming off as some sort of salesman lol. But waterfox is my go to. They, imo, seem to feel like the last browser left making logical choices out of box.
Any of you guys tried Floorp? I've been using it for a few months now as my daily driver and while it might not be as intentionally lean as Waterfox, I find its customisability more than makes up for it.
Just fyi parts of floorp are proprietary
Honestly, I have just never heard of it. Thanks for sharing!
Been using it since it was the 64bit version of FF, no complaints. I think it's neat that now it has tree style tabs integrated into it. Of course you can just install the add on, but I think they're adding more functionality somewhere down the line. It's not a big deal, but I think it's neat.
Waterfox? Librewolf? Why not both?
I would like to try it, but isn't it behind on updates a lot? Current Firefox is on 126 IIRC.
I've been using Waterfox as my Firefox backup because for some reason my Firefox always crashes within 15 minutes of use, and it's always when I'm doing impirtant shit like banking or paying a bill. Which is what I typically use the 'legit' browsers for, and why I just use LibreWolf for daily browsing/fuckery. Using Waterfox feels like it calls less attention when on a government website as opposed to Librewolf.
Didn't know it was bought by an ad company once upon a time, but this is also why I spread out my browsing. I also use Ghostery, and I have Brave (for checking how things show up in a Chromium environment when programming) but I don't like Brave and rarely use it... Point is, gotta have multiple browsers either way.
I like Waterfox, I used it for a long time as my main until I became more serious about privacy.
I suggest Waterfox to normal people who need a browser that "Just Werks" and that doesnt have bloat/telemetry, because i can NOT bring myself to tell them to download vanilla Firefox with all the bloat and telemetry and crap shoved into it.
but at the same time I'm not going to suggest LibreWolf because many things break on it.
Firefox is 64-bit now, so there is no point in Waterfox.
You clearly have not used Waterfox recently
Waterfox started out as a 64-bit fork, but then transitioned to being Firefox with a few different default settings for better privacy. Then Waterfox got sold to an ad company. Then last year, the solo dev bought it back. It's a bit of a weird history.
Like, ultimately I agree that there's not much of a point to it. It's better to configure Firefox. But it is not anymore just about the 64-bit build.
LibreWolf > Waterfox
It's about having options, not excluding any other projects at all. Yes Librewolf is great, but for some, like myself, its too strict.
I remember waterfox not being compatible with a few extensions I installed. Do you know if it can just be pointed at a backup of a firefox profile?