Why Firefox Is Dead (The Many Mistakes Of Mozilla)

Summary

The video script discusses the decline of Mozilla Firefox, once a leading open-source web browser, now with a mere 2-3% global market share. The speaker, a long-time Firefox user, attributes this fall to poor user experience, Google's dominance with Chrome, and Firefox's failure to cater to its privacy and open-source community. Despite Mozilla's claims of prioritizing privacy and security, the browser's integration with Google services, lackluster default privacy settings, and past controversial decisions have eroded trust. The speaker has since switched to Brave, a Chromium-based browser that aligns better with their values, suggesting that Firefox's relevance in promoting a free and open web is now negligible.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The speaker is a proponent of free and open-source software and expresses concern over Mozilla Firefox's decline.
• 📉 Mozilla Firefox, once a leading web browser, has seen its market share drop significantly to 2-3% globally.
• 🔧 The speaker, a former long-term Firefox user, switched to the Brave browser due to dissatisfaction with Firefox's performance and direction.
• 🚀 The rise of Google Chrome, with its extensive marketing and integration with Google services, is cited as a major factor in Firefox's decline.
• 💡 Despite the increase in popularity of open-source software, Firefox has failed to retain or attract users who value privacy and security.
• 🔒 Firefox's default settings and integrations, such as Google as the default search engine and Google Analytics, contradict its claims of being privacy-focused.
• 🤔 The speaker questions Mozilla's decisions, such as the inclusion of the Mr. Robot plugin and hints at online censorship, which conflict with the principles of free software.
• 💰 Mozilla's financial reliance on Google, which pays them for making Google Search the default, is highlighted as a conflict of interest.
• 🛑 The speaker criticizes Mozilla for not being fully committed to the free software movement, particularly in terms of privacy and openness.
• 📱 The mobile experience of Firefox is mentioned as being subpar compared to other browsers, including Brave, which offers a better user experience.
• 🔄 The speaker suggests that the loss of trust and user base for Firefox is irreversible, and it may be time to look for alternative browsers that uphold open-source values.

Q & A

What is the speaker's stance on free and open source software?

The speaker is a big proponent and fan of free and open source software, appreciating its principles and widespread use.

Why does the speaker believe Mozilla Firefox has lost its popularity?

The speaker attributes Firefox's decline to a combination of factors including poor performance, lack of privacy and security, and Google's dominance in the browser market.

What is the speaker's view on the rise of Google Chrome?

The speaker sees the rise of Google Chrome as a significant factor in Firefox's decline due to Google's extensive marketing and integration with its own services.

What is the speaker's opinion on Mozilla Firefox's privacy claims?

The speaker criticizes Firefox's privacy claims as misleading, pointing out that the browser uses Google services and analytics, which contradict its privacy-focused image.

Why did the speaker switch from Firefox to Brave browser?

The speaker switched to Brave because they found Firefox no longer met their needs for privacy and performance, and Brave better aligns with their values for free and open source software.

What is the significance of the Mr. Robot plugin incident for the speaker?

The incident of Firefox installing the Mr. Robot plugin without user consent was a turning point for the speaker, leading them to question Mozilla's commitment to user privacy and control.

What does the speaker think about Mozilla's financial relationship with Google?

The speaker views Mozilla's financial reliance on Google as problematic, as Google pays Mozilla to keep Firefox afloat, but this money does not seem to be effectively reversing Firefox's decline.

What are the speaker's thoughts on Mozilla's handling of social and political issues?

The speaker disapproves of Mozilla's involvement in social and political issues, believing that a software company should focus on its core mission rather than driving social agendas.

Why does the speaker consider Firefox largely irrelevant now?

The speaker considers Firefox irrelevant due to its small market share, continuous decline in users, and the perception that it has lost its commitment to the principles of free and open source software.

What alternative to Firefox does the speaker recommend for those seeking a privacy-focused browser?

The speaker recommends Brave as an alternative to Firefox, praising it for its focus on privacy, performance, and being a true free and open source browser.

What is the speaker's perspective on the future of Firefox and the role of free and open source software in web browsing?

The speaker is pessimistic about Firefox's future and suggests that the community should look for or develop new alternatives that uphold the values of free and open source software.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Decline of Mozilla Firefox

The speaker expresses concern over Mozilla Firefox's plummeting market share, attributing its decline to a failure to adapt to user needs and the rise of Google Chrome. Once a leading web browser, Firefox now holds a mere 2-3% of the market. The speaker reminisces about their 20-year history with Firefox but acknowledges switching to the Brave browser due to its superior performance and privacy features. The narrative highlights the impact of Google's marketing power and the struggle of smaller companies like Mozilla to compete.

05:01

🔒 Firefox's Contradictory Privacy Claims

This paragraph delves into the discrepancy between Firefox's privacy-focused marketing and its actual practices. The speaker criticizes Firefox for using Google services by default, which contradicts its privacy stance. They point out that Mozilla receives substantial financial support from Google, which influences its product decisions. The paragraph also mentions the lack of default privacy settings and the integration of the privacy-questionable Pocket service, highlighting a disconnect between Firefox's claims and its functionality.

10:02

🛑 Mozilla's Missteps and Loss of Trust

The speaker recounts Mozilla's controversial actions, such as the unsolicited installation of the Mr. Robot plugin and the company's hints at accepting internet censorship, which are antithetical to the principles of free and open-source software. They discuss Mozilla's shift towards social activism, which they believe is misplaced for a software company. The speaker emphasizes the importance of aligning a product's actions with its stated values, a criterion they feel Firefox has failed to meet.

15:03

📉 The Irrelevance of Firefox in the Modern Browser Landscape

In the final paragraph, the speaker concludes that Firefox has become largely irrelevant in the browser market. They argue that despite its open-source roots, Firefox's decline in user base and trust has been irreversible. The speaker suggests that even if Firefox were to improve, it's unlikely to regain its former user base due to the nature of consumer behavior. They express a preference for Brave as a modern alternative that better upholds the principles of privacy and open-source software, while acknowledging the difficulty of challenging dominant browsers like Google Chrome.

Keywords

💡Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)

Free and Open Source Software refers to software that can be freely used, modified, and shared (distributed) by anyone. It is a core concept in the script as the speaker discusses the importance of FOSS and how Mozilla Firefox, once a leading FOSS browser, has lost its way. The video's theme revolves around the ideals of FOSS and the disappointment with Firefox's current state in relation to these ideals.

💡Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser that was once highly popular but has seen a significant decline in market share, as mentioned in the script. It serves as a central example in the video of how a once-successful FOSS project can struggle to maintain relevance and user trust.

💡Market Share

Market share represents the percentage of the market a product, in this case, a web browser, holds in its category. The script discusses Firefox's dwindling market share as evidence of its decline in popularity and effectiveness as a competitor to other browsers like Google Chrome.

💡Google Chrome

Google Chrome is a proprietary web browser developed by Google, which has become the dominant browser in the market. The script contrasts it with Mozilla Firefox, highlighting how Chrome's rise contributed to Firefox's decline, despite Chrome not being an open source browser.

💡Privacy

Privacy is a key concern for users of web browsers, as discussed in the script. Firefox's claim to be privacy-focused is scrutinized, with the speaker pointing out discrepancies between Firefox's stated values and its actual practices, such as using Google services that may compromise user privacy.

💡Brave Browser

The Brave Browser is an open source web browser that is positioned as a privacy-focused alternative to mainstream browsers. The script praises Brave for 'getting it right' in terms of respecting user privacy and being a true FOSS browser, contrasting it with Firefox's perceived shortcomings.

💡Censorship

Censorship refers to the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security. The script criticizes Firefox for suggesting that some forms of internet censorship might be acceptable, which goes against the principles of the free and open source software movement.

💡Telemetry

Telemetry in the context of web browsers refers to the collection of usage data to improve the software. The script mentions Firefox's built-in telemetry as an example of how the browser collects user data, which raises privacy concerns and contradicts its privacy-focused claims.

💡Chromium

Chromium is an open source browser project that forms the basis of Google Chrome and other browsers like Brave. The script discusses Chromium as the engine behind many modern browsers, highlighting the performance benefits of Chromium-based browsers compared to Firefox.

💡Mr. Robot Plugin

The Mr. Robot plugin was an unsolicited addition to Firefox in 2017, which the script uses as an example of Firefox's disregard for user consent and privacy. It serves as a specific instance that contributed to the speaker's decision to stop using Firefox.

💡Social Activism

Social activism in the script refers to Mozilla's involvement in various social projects, which the speaker finds misaligned with Mozilla's role as a software company. The donations to Mozilla, instead of supporting Firefox development, go towards these social causes, which the speaker questions in the context of FOSS principles.

Highlights

The speaker is a proponent of free and open source software and discusses the decline of Mozilla Firefox.

Firefox once had a significant market share but has dropped to 2-3% worldwide.

The speaker used Firefox for 20 years but switched to Brave due to Firefox's decline in performance and philosophy.

Firefox's peak was around 2009 with about a third of the browser market share.

The rise of Google Chrome and its marketing contributed to Firefox's decline.

Firefox's default search engine is Google, which is contradictory to its privacy-focused claims.

Mozilla receives money from Google to use Google Search as the default, which keeps Mozilla afloat.

Firefox's privacy settings are not optimal out of the box, requiring user adjustments for better privacy.

Firefox's integration of Pocket raises privacy concerns due to data collection.

Firefox's built-in Telemetry collects data on users, which is opt-out rather than opt-in.

Mozilla's political stance on internet censorship contradicts the principles of the free software movement.

Mozilla's donations do not support Firefox development but rather social projects, which is seen as odd for a software company.

Firefox's performance is objectively inferior to Chromium-based browsers like Brave.

Brave browser, a Chromium-based open-source browser, is seen as a better alternative to Firefox.

Firefox's mobile version is not well-received, unlike Brave, which performs well on mobile devices.

The speaker considers Firefox a dead project due to its irrelevance and baggage from the past.

The speaker suggests that supporting Firefox at this point is not effective in promoting a free and open web.

Transcripts

I'm a big proponent of free and open

source software and as a big fan of free

and open source software today I wanted

to talk about one of the most popular

pieces of free and open source software

on the planet that has done a very good

job of destroying itself and that

program is Mozilla Firefox when we talk

about free and open source software when

you talk about the most popular programs

that are free and open source software

obviously you got to talk about the g/

Linux operating system Linux is the

operating system running on hundreds of

millions of servers around the world

you've got to talk about programs like

VC which is a crossplatform multimedia

player that's probably got hundreds of

millions of users around the world

possibly billions of users I don't know

how many people have used VLC

historically over the years but it's a

large number the same thing with uh open

Office SL lib office before it was for

you're talking about probably hundreds

of millions if not billions of downloads

of that particular Suite uh that office

site which is free and open source

software and of course mozzilla Firefox

was once one of the most popular web

browsers on the planet and now as of

today it has something like 2 to 3%

market share as far as browser market

share worldwide now what inspired me to

make today's video was earlier today I I

I don't use Firefox as my main browser

anymore I actually use the brave browser

but I do have Mozilla Firefox installed

on my computer I forgot it was there and

I launched it earlier accidentally and

and I realized you know what it had been

probably 2 years since the last time I

actually launched Firefox and did

anything in Firefox as my browser you

know I actually uh spent any real time

in it because these days I am using

Brave which is a chromium based web

browser and you know I really like Brave

and it does everything that I need a

browser to do and it kind of makes me

sad because I used Firefox probably for

20 years I was a Firefox user when it

was initially created right Firefox I

think came out around 2002 or something

and you know I used it until just a

couple of years ago you know I I had to

get off of Firefox because it just

wasn't working for me anymore I I wanted

to explore something else I could see

the writing on the wall with Firefox as

a browser it it wasn't it wasn't a good

experience for me anymore and it's not a

good experience for a lot of people

because you can see a a lot of people

have given up on Mozilla Firefox in the

early years you know it came out in 2002

and I would say it reached its peak I

think around 2009 or so where it had

like a third of the market share the

browser market share and that was when

it was competing especially with

Microsoft's Internet Explorer at that

time but after 2009 its market share has

done nothing but drop and part of that

is due to the rise of Google Chrome

because Google Chrome came out and of

course Google

has such a a large marketing campaign it

has so much money obviously anytime you

go to Google services like Google search

YouTube I don't know probably things

like Google Docs Gmail whatever it

happens to be you know they they promote

their own products such as using Google

Chrome as the browser right so obviously

a company like Mozilla a smaller company

like Mozilla can't compete with a large

trillion dollar company like Google as

far as advertising so obviously Google

Chrome became very popular it became the

deao standard as far as the web browser

most people used very quickly but I

don't think the rise of Google Chrome

necessarily is the reason for firefox's

demise because there's still so many

people there's a not an insignificant

amount of people out there that would

use Firefox strictly for philosophical

reasons maybe you like free and open

source software the ideology behind the

free software movement the open source

movement or some people would use it out

of privacy reasons security reasons some

people would use it just out of spite

because they don't like Google the

company you know there are many people

that would gravitate to mozzilla Firefox

still you know but the problem is

Firefox just has it hasn't done a good

job to cater to the crowd that wants an

alternative to Google Chrome I think

what is especially damning is the fact

that open- Source software in the last

10 years especially has exploded in

popularity and you have these companies

that traditionally were very anti-open

Source like Microsoft and Google and

meta yeah to various degrees but you

know all of these very large trillion

doll companies now are on board with

open- Source software so as open source

software has gained in popularity a lot

of pieces of Open Source software for

example the Linux operating system is

also exploding in popularity like we're

seeing major gains on Linux on the

desktop even right we're seeing major

adoption but Firefox is not seeing any

adoption in fact it is losing tens of

millions of users like every year why is

that I think the biggest reason is that

Mozilla just doesn't cater to that crowd

that would use their product and we're

talking about the people that you know

love free and open source software as

far as the ideology behind it we're also

talking about people that are really

serious about privacy and security

because when you first install Firefox

if you go to the download page page for

Firefox if you go to the homepage for

Milla Firefox you immediately you know

they State up front that they're all

about your privacy all about your

security and it ends up being total and

complete BS when you actually look at

the product that they're giving you

because what is the default search

engine in Firefox well it's Google

search right and Google search do you

think Google search is privacy

respecting obviously not all of the

Mozilla website and Firefox website and

everything it's full of Google analytics

it uses the Google double click service

so that they can track data so that they

can see how well mozilla's marketing

campaigns are doing Firefox sends

geolocation information to Google

Firefox uses Google's safe browsing

service that's that thing that you know

tells you if you're potentially viewing

a malicious website or downloading

something that could be malicious you

know there's a lot of Google tied into

Firefox like it's like everything that's

running in the background that you don't

know about it it's like all Google

services all the time and that's really

weird for a browser that claims to be

privacy focused and security focused now

to be fair I understand why Mozilla has

all of these Google products and Google

services tied into their web browser

Google pays them money Google pays them

money to use the Google search engine by

default right Google gives Mozilla I

think $500 million every year and

essentially Google is is the only thing

keeping Mozilla afloat and the reason

Google is doing this is not because they

like Mozilla or they like

Firefox what Google is doing is Google

really doesn't have any serious

competitor as far as web browsers and

they don't ever want to be in a

situation where they're considered a

monopoly so they're trying to keep

Firefox alive but even all of that money

that Google is giving Firefox it's not

working because again Firefox you know

its popularity in the last 15 years has

went from about 33% down to like 2%

right it's just been a steady decline to

where you know more than 90% of the

people that used to use your browser

don't use your browser anymore another

big concern for those that are focused

on privacy is the fact that Firefox its

default privacy settings aren't great

right it's it's not really uh privacy

focused out of the box you got to go in

and play with some settings to get you

know serious about your privacy and your

security also uh the pocket integration

there is a Sur is called pocket that

displays like news services and you can

save news feeds or whatever I I don't

really understand the whole thing about

pocket but I do know this pocket has

some serious privacy things going on

with it as far as its privacy policy it

collects data on users and that's

concerning again why is that integrated

into a web browser that all over their

site they say hey we're focused on

privacy we're focused on security and

but it's all lip service you know

there's a difference between what the

website says and then what the product

is actually delivering one of the

problems with pocket is that it uses

cookies you know again it's it's data

mining you right it's it's tracking you

the other thing is Firefox itself has

some built-in Telemetry right Mozilla

itself is collecting a little bit of

data on you and then the Telemetry is

opt out like if you want to get out of

sending this information to Mozilla you

have to go and opt out of that instead

of opt in which I think again it's kind

of weird if you're privacy focused and

security focused you know like you claim

it's just everything just seems off with

Mozilla these days one of the craziest

things happened in 2017 this was when I

was still a Firefox user again I used

Firefox for like 20 years and I was a

big Firefox fan a big Firefox proponent

but in 2017 I remembered when they just

for whatever reason decided to install a

plugin like the Mr Robot plugin and some

TV show or something I don't know what

Mr Robot is but anyway they just decided

they were going to install a plugin in

your browser a plugin you didn't ask for

you know obviously the people that use

this browser many of them are big-time

proponents of free software open source

software and they're really concerned

about privacy and then you install a

third-party plugin in my browser no now

what really made me jump ship from

Firefox over to Brave was it the I saw

the writing on the wall I knew that

Firefox was really doomed when they

started hinting that it's okay to have

some forms of censorship on the internet

which is really really weird again it's

a a free and open source web browser

you're supposed to be all in on free

software the free software movement you

should be against any form of censorship

on the internet the internet above

anything else the internet has to remain

free and when you tell people that you

know some forms of censorship are okay

we we got to go out there and you know

stop anybody that's spreads

disinformation and fake news and you

know whatever and that was just it's

like no no like literally nobody that

takes free and open source software

seriously would ever support any form of

censorship I don't I don't care you know

what political ideology that you

subscribe to censorship is never okay if

you take the free software movement

seriously and the open source software

movement seriously and this is one of

the things I've complained about many

times on camera is that some of these

very large free and open source software

projects and Foundations sometimes they

all of a sudden for whatever reason

become overly political and by overly

political I mean they're taking

political stances that have absolutely

nothing to do with promoting free and

open source software obviously there's a

political component to free open source

software but for example you know why

are the donations that you make to

Mozilla because Mozilla has a donations

page you know you can donate to help

support Firefox but none of this money

goes to software development and they

tell you upfront your donations to

Mozilla is not going to help support

development of Firefox in any way it's

for various social projects you know

social activist foundations projects

things that they're working on to

improve life around the world or

whatever which hey you know maybe that's

a a no mobile goal but why am I going to

Mozilla to donate money for various

activist kinds of like if I really

wanted to donate money to I don't know I

don't maybe a women's rights

organization or to help feed starving

children in Africa what whatever social

thing I want to do why do I want to do

that through Mozilla a software company

it's just very odd it's very odd that so

many especially the free open source

software projects get into these things

it's like you're not the right person to

be driving those social agendas anyway

you're a software company and the

biggest problem with Mozilla alienating

all of the people that would use their

browser so we're talking about again the

people that are really enthusiastic

about free software open source software

privacy security the problem with them

alienating that crowd is that Firefox

objectively is not a good browser if

you're comparing it to chromium based

browsers it's just not Chrome is a

better browser I mean let's just be

honest I know Chrome Google Chrome

itself is proprietary garbage right it's

not fre open source software but as far

as performance Google Chrome is a better

browser than Firefox now thankfully the

chromium engine is open source and we do

have many open- Source chromium based

browsers such as Brave which is a

fantastic browser if you if you're

looking for a really good piece of free

and open source software as far as a web

browser that just works and it's kind of

minimal by Design and really just

focuses on being a web browser a really

good web browser and it has a really

great search engine a privacy respecting

search engine the brave search engine

that they created again Brave kind of

gets it right Brave really focuses on

free and open source software and

privacy like that's they're all in on it

and because they know that's the crowd

that they're trying to capture you know

that's that's that demographic they want

because they understand Firefox lost

that demographic and that's where a lot

of the Firefox users are gravitating to

is they're gravitating to Brave and

matter of fact the CEO of Brave was a

former CEO of Firefox he had a lot to do

with the creation of Firefox the early

days of Firefox so it makes sense why

Brave is kind of really the modern day

continuation of what what was great

about Firefox in the past that's what

Brave is doing in the present now for me

personally I don't necessarily care that

Google Chrome performs better is

objectively a better browser as far as

performance than Firefox I've said this

many times because I'm such a big fan of

free and open source software I will

gladly use something that I know is an

inferior product to a proprietary

alternative as long as it's reasonably

close and as long as it respects me as a

user but in the case of Firefox Firefox

has kind of kind of lost that trust also

in a world where things are increasingly

on mobile you know Firefox on mobile

devices is not good right your your

Android roid device you know I've got an

Android phone Firefox on the phone was

never a good browser right but Brave on

the phone is actually quite fantastic

and for those of you that don't mind

using proprietary software obviously

Google Chrome Works on all devices it

syncs well between all devices which is

something Firefox isn't necessarily

great at so I'm willing to use Firefox

even though objectively it's not

necessarily a great browser but you know

it it better be all in on free and open

source software I mean that that's the

thing it has to be all in on free

software movement the open source

movement it has to be truly privacy

respecting you know you can't just talk

about it on your website you've got to

actually do the thing right and you

can't talk about censoring people you

can't you can't ever come out with

anything that just immediately you know

like 90% of the people in the free and

open source software Community are just

going to be staunchly against because

that is really in the end what killed

Firefox and it's not coming back at this

point Point again you used to have 32

33% market share browser market share

and you've taken it all the way down to

2% those people are never coming back

and this is kind of human nature when

people get angry at a product because of

you know it did something that they

didn't like or it just doesn't work as

well as it used to when people you know

that used to use a product leave it for

something else they find a better

alternative they don't come back and

that's just seriously it you know a

brand new open source browser starting

today would have a better shot than

Firefox because it doesn't come with all

of that baggage from the past that

Firefox does because there are a lot of

people when they get angry at something

you know a piece of software you know

this didn't respect my privacy in the

past I didn't like the Mr Robot plug-in

whatever what whatever drove you away

whatever made you leave you're never

going to forget it some of you will

never forget it you're never going to go

back and I just at this point I consider

Firefox a dead project you know it's not

coming back and I'm kind of you know

it's out of mind and a common question

that I get from a lot of you guys

especially you guys that are fans of

Firefox that still use Firefox promote

Firefox I get this question all the time

hey D you got to switch back to Firefox

you've got to use Firefox you've got to

promote Firefox on your channel keep

talking about Firefox because it's

important if we want a truly free and

open web you know a web that Google

doesn't control we have to support

Firefox and I get that but guess what at

this this

point that that argument doesn't make

any sense because Firefox again it's a

2% market share it doesn't matter

anymore literally if Firefox doubled its

user base tomorrow it' still only have a

4% market share so at this point you

like we we lost that battle like if we

wanted to fight that battle Firefox is

not the one that's going to win that

battle for us at this point we need to

Hitch our wagon to a different horse

like if we want something that's not

chromium based but is still a free and

open Source browser I know there's

nothing else out there right now other

than Firefox but who knows maybe one day

somebody with some Deep Pockets that

really loves free and open source

software but thinks they can compete

with Google who knows maybe we'll

probably get some Alternatives in the

near future but for right now I

understand yeah Mozilla is it but but

again that's that's not a real

alternative because at this point we can

consider Mozilla almost irrelevant and I

know I'm going to get some comments hey

DT you're just a a Firefox hater even

though obviously I used Firefox for 20

years I'm still going to get those

comments no I'm just a a realist and

I've always told you guys this you can't

live in imagination you can't dream of

this utopian view of the world right I I

I'd love for Mozilla to have 100% market

share free and open source web and all

of that but honestly I'm a realist I I

see what's going on and I can accept it

and at this point Firefox is largely

irrelevant and I've moved on anyway just

my my thoughts on the matter peace guys