A short while ago, I had a minor issue with my computer. I called our IT service provider, who quickly came to my assistance. He wanted to download something and went out looking for Chrome when he saw the Firefox logo on my taskbar. “Oh, you are still using that?”. As if I still had Netscape or Internet Explorer - or something.

His reaction is emblematic. Together with the sharp increase of the use of Chrome (and other Chromium-based browsers with it), the use of Firefox has known a steady decline since its top around 2010 (see statcount chart here).

I must confess, I am not loyal either. Since first using Firefox, I have used other browsers including Chrome, Opera (before and after it went Chromium), Edge, Brave, Vivaldi etc. On mac I even used Safari for a short while. Yet I always find myself returning to Firefox - it is my safe haven. I know it, it knows me, and it’s just the icon I click when I want to browse the web - since 2008 or so.

But right now, there’s better reasons than ever to use Firefox for browsing, and not just because of some kind of nostalgia or the upcoming changes to Google Chrome that will limit adblocking and reduce privacy (although Google is of course pitching it otherwise).

I’ve listed my personal reasons for sticking with Firefox below.

It is one of the safest browsers out there #

Firefox has borrowed Tor letterboxing techniques to block browser fireprinting, and there’s an endless heap of possibilities to enhance privacy.

Its strict mode blocks social media trackers, cross-site cookies, tracking content, cryptominers and fingerprinters (This sometimes ‘breaks’ websites, but nothing that can’t be solved). Right-click on a link gives you the option to copy a link without site tracking.

Firefox monitors for data breaches and alerts you if your login information is at risk, giving you a chance to change your password before trouble hits. Firefox has an integrated ‘mask my mailadress’ tool that generates random mail addresses linked to your actual mail address, making data leaks less problematic. It uses Google Safe Browsing data base to protect you from recognized malicious websites. Etc.

Do note, it is not Tor browser. For some purposes, where your life depends on it, you just need Tor. But for day-to-day browsing, Firefox hits a better balance with speed, especially when combined with a VPN (which Mozilla also happens to offer).¹

Privacy is at its core #

It’s not just what it actually does, it is also the philosophy of the Mozilla, the company/non-profit above Firefox. Privacy is at the core of what it does, and part of its mission to have an open internet (see below).

The company behind it doesn’t live off your data or ads (although it is happy to take Google’s money to make it its default search engine - mind you. It’s easy to switch to duckduckgo though.). This means that it has no interest in blocking adblockers (like Google will do as from 2024).

This is not unique (looking at you, Brave browser), but it gives this warm fuzzy feeling.

It is open source #

This means that anyone can download and review the code, and even contribute or launch their own project based on it. The most important example of other browsers using Firefox code is Tor browser.

Although Chromium (the underlying codebase of Chrome, Edge and many other browsers) is open source - the browsers based on it not necessarily are. They often have added proprietary layers that are supposed to bring added value. Safari is strictly speaking not open source either (although Webkit is, and the Safari layer on top of webkit is rather thin).

You might ask, is that a bad thing? Maybe not, but this series of articles and this and this article, make a fair argument that it might be.

It has a pivotal role in the browser part of open internet #

It’s not just about privacy or open source, it’s also about the idea of the open internet, which is closely linked to net neutrality and all content and traffic being treated equally and being equally accessible.

From its inception, the open internet idea was at the core of the Mozilla mission (back in 2004, together with Google against Microsoft, but the tech geopolitics have gotten a bit more complex since). I won’t go deeper into why an open internet it important, as others have done this for me. However, it is threatened, and this can also be seen in browser world.²

Some background here: Browsers are ran on browser engines. This is the piece of software that translates the code of a web page into the actual visual you see, and hence is determining for how you (literally) see and percive the web.

There used to be several engines out there (and there still are). However, over the years only three main, active, engines have remained³:

• Webkit: The Apple engine, used by Safari and all iOS browsers (although in the EU this will no longer be the case, obviously with some caveats)
• Blink: The so-called “Chrome-engine”, used in all browsers based on the chromium source code developed by Google (including Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Samsung Internet and Opera); and
• Gecko: the Firefox engine.

When developing web applications, developers use standards (W3C standards) aimed at having their websites/applications rendered well by all major engines. Firefox is adamant on this and also actively leads the effort in keeping things this way.

However, if other engines get smaller, the main remaining ones (and the companies behind them, Google and Apple) can start pushing on proprietary standards, locking in users and in fact controlling how information is accessed. With especially the Blink engine becoming dominant, Google is basically starting to call the shots on how web apps are developed, possibly launching a circle of making it increasingly difficult for other engines to start to compete.

Although this might not materialise in full (with eg. mobile browsing via Apple Webkit still being prevalent, and with Microsoft for Edge now also contributing to the Chromium project and aggressively trying to eat into Chrome market share)⁴, the concern in my humble opinion is legit as browser reviews have already started noticing how ‘Firefox occassionally runs into compatibility problems with some websites since many websites are formatted in favor of Chrome’.

And the easiest (some say only) way to counter this (and to keep Blink/Webkit development on its feet and in check), is by using the last desktop alternative standing - Firefox (and its Gecko engine).

It is simply a good browser #

You don’t just switch to Firefox to support a software museum that keeps you private and gives a warm fuzzy feeling. You also switch because it is darned good browser.⁵

• It is on equal footing with chromium based browsers on speed and RAM usage, see also techradar review, which even considers it to be faster than Chrome.

• It has lots of nice ’extras’ such as a pdf editor that lets you edit pdfs (If you’re listening, I am still missing the possibility to extract pages from pdf files and merge pdfs, Mozilla.), autoplay blocking, screenshot tool.

• It is on par with other browsers in terms of sync options, themes, add-ons etc (Chromium/Chrome seems to have more of them, but the essentials are there).

So, let’s give it a shot? #

So I’m back at Firefox as my main browser. I might use Chrome for some stuff that doesn’t render properly in Firefox (which is not Firefox’ fault, but the developers’!⁵), but I’m sticking with Firefox for the foreseeable future.

And maybe, just maybe, you could give it a shot too? With the so-called ‘Manifest V3’ changes to Chrome coming up (which seemed to be aimed at selling more ads and arguably harm privacy efforts, now is a very good time.

Disclaimer: It seems like this blog is a bit of Google bashing. It is not. I love Google and their services, and I am very fond of in particular google docs and Android. But eggs, basket, etc.