Browsers for Kubuntu 16.04

[GregM]

It seems (from Mozilla forum chatter) that Firefox has abandoned reality and this universe in general.
I am looking for a new browser.

Suggestions for a Firefox replacement?

Greg

[GreyGeek]

Vivaldi is what I use.
(If you want to download videos then wget or something similar is necessary because there are no addons, which I've been able to find, that allows YT or similar video downloads.

[GregM]

I don't do videos except for the occasional video someone sends me

[whatthefunk]

It seems (from Mozilla forum chatter) that Firefox has abandoned reality and this universe in general.

Got to ask. What specifically caused you to have this point of view?

[Rod J]

Got to ask. What specifically caused you to have this point of view?

I didn't realise what was going on myself, so I had a look on the mozillazine forum and found this.

Apparently Firefox are going to drop the api that all the add-ons are using now and replacing it with a newer api that simply doesn't support a lot of add-ons features and perhaps never will. TabMixPlus (one of my favourites) will be affected too. The change is coming in v57 of Firefox in November this year. I don't think I'll be upgrading to that version if it kills my favourite add-ons.

One add-on developer wrote this. Not very hopeful at all.

[whatthefunk]

Interesting. Sounds like I might be browser shopping in the near future as well. Thanks for the links Rod J.

[GreyGeek]

Indeed! Me, too. I like Vivaldi but it has the same restrictions as Chromium. Off to search for a FF replacement...


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[Goeroeboeroe]

It's a disaster. The aim is to make extensions compatible with Chrome and Edge. But if Firefox finally is a complete clone of Chrome, why not use Chrome? Privacy? Most people don't care about that.
Just this morning (morning in The Netherlands...) I looked at a lot of extensions for Firefox. Most of the extensions will keep working in Firefox 57. But the most important extensions will stop working, like Tab Mix Plus. That's about the last thing Firefox had and Chrome had not: powerful extensions. Web extensions simply can't do the things xul extensions can. Another browser is relatively simple.

But how do I find such a good development environment in a browser, when the most important extensions don't work anymore?
I don't want to, but maybe I'm forced to have a look at chrome after Firefox 56.

[jglen490]

It seems (from Mozilla forum chatter) that Firefox has abandoned reality and this universe in general.
I am looking for a new browser.

Suggestions for a Firefox replacement?

Greg

Change is inevitable. I just checked my version (53.0.3). Mozilla stopped supporting NPAPI code based addons with version 52. They are incorporating WebDeveloper code into FF to keep up with where web page development and delivery is going. NPAPI had some inherent security issues, which could be written around, but NPAPI is not needed anymore.

Of course, that's not all that has happened and that is continuining - and Google is your friend. If, when 57 hits the streets, some absolutely-can't-live-without addon flops, then do what you want. Move on, live in a cave, write your own browser, or adapt. Worse things that this have happened just within Kubuntu over the past couple of years, don't sweat it. FF 57 officially comes out in November, do the research because one Mozillazine article is not going have everything you need to know, then decide. Me, I'll keep right on into FF 57. if it doesn't work, there are inded lots of other fish in the sea and will take only a few minutes of download and setup time.

[GregM]

Change is inevitable. I just checked my version (53.0.3). Mozilla stopped supporting NPAPI code based addons with version 52. They are incorporating WebDeveloper code into FF to keep up with where web page development and delivery is going. NPAPI had some inherent security issues, which could be written around, but NPAPI is not needed anymore.

Of course, that's not all that has happened and that is continuining - and Google is your friend. If, when 57 hits the streets, some absolutely-can't-live-without addon flops, then do what you want. Move on, live in a cave, write your own browser, or adapt. Worse things that this have happened just within Kubuntu over the past couple of years, don't sweat it. FF 57 officially comes out in November, do the research because one Mozillazine article is not going have everything you need to know, then decide. Me, I'll keep right on into FF 57. if it doesn't work, there are inded lots of other fish in the sea and will take only a few minutes of download and setup time.

This is why I asked for browser suggestions.

[TWPonKubuntu]

I'm subscribing to this thread because I too fall in the camp of long-time Firefox(r) user. It feels like I'm being kicked to the curb by Mozilla and company...

Since online security and privacy, as much as those are possible and not oxymoronic, is a big concern of mine. I too am looking for another browser which will not follow in the Chrome/Chromium footsteps. No, I do not and will not use Chrome/Chromium.

GreyGeek, much as I like what Vivaldi has done, they are lacking in tools which I want, like the download capability. Sure, I could use command line, but I'd really appreciate an integrated approach (one that is not Chrome centric).

I'm hoping that this will appear as a market for developers, to create a new/forked browser in the direction that Mozilla once traveled.

[TWPonKubuntu]

After reading this thread and the links it contains, I went browser searching.

This is a browser which May (might, maybe, perhaps) evolve in the direction that Firefox(r) once traveled.

https://brave.com/

I'm NOT recommending this browser (yet), but it has some (claimed) features which I like:

It respects my online privacy
It has integrated "HTTPS Everywhere"
It has integrated ad blocking
It has blocking for "tracking pixels" and "tracking cookies"
It has a Debian/Ubuntu version (also Fedora/OpenSuse)

Unfortunately, it only comes in Linux 64bit versions, so I cannot test this on my 32bit system... (insert appropriate cursing here)

[GreyGeek]

....
GreyGeek, much as I like what Vivaldi has done, they are lacking in tools which I want, like the download capability. Sure, I could use command line, but I'd really appreciate an integrated approach (one that is not Chrome centric).

...

Agreed. I use Vivaldi because it strips Googles snooping apparatus, but you are right, it has Chromium's limitations. Specifically, it won't allow, or offer addons or extensions that do, the user to download videos. That's the ONLY reason I keep FF around. Youtube-dl creates mkv video files out of mp4 downloads and converting them to mp4 is slow. It complains that the audio and video "can't be merged" into an mp4 even though it was pointed to an mp4 file. I suspect that YT will block that cli in the near future anyway.

So, I too, am on a search to find a browser which is fully featured and allows me to send an email link, including a descrption, automatically, with a simple addon.

The options in the repository aren't helpful.

[GreyGeek]

Browsers for Kubuntu 16.04

I installed Brave and realized that I had installed and tested it earlier, so I deleted it. I also had Iridium installed but since I was deleting poor browsers I deleted it as well.

After looking around some more this afternoon I found the QupZilla webpage. When I clicked on the Ubuntu download icon it said to use the repository. Sure enough, QupZilla 1.8.9 was in the repository (2.something was on the web page). I installed it.

I am MORE than pleasently surprised and pleased. Every feature I usually had to add to a browser, like sending an email by a single click, was already installed and active, except for the video download extension. I will install that later. It looks sort of like FF but nicer.

[TWPonKubuntu]

GG

I am testing Qupzilla now. It does feel much like Firefox and I see it is built using Mozilla 5.0 libraries.

I did not find many installable tools (extensions compared to Firefox), but I can live with that.

My future concern will be whether Qupzilla will be following and/or emulating the changes that Mozilla is planning for Firefox 57...

I'll keep it on my system and do more online research about Qupzilla.

Thanks for the suggestion.