Firefox is hard to love

Summary

The video script highlights a user's experience testing various web browsers, including Arc, Zen, Firefox, Vivaldi, and Safari, on a high-end MacBook M2. The user compares battery life, performance, and developer tools, noting Zen's impressive battery efficiency and Vivaldi's solid performance despite being Chrome-based. Firefox's issues with IndexDB and dev tools are emphasized, while Safari's rendering issues are also criticized. The user expresses frustration with Firefox's instability but remains hopeful for improvement, especially with Zen's potential to push development forward.

Takeaways

• 😀 Zen performed significantly better than other browsers in terms of battery life, offering up to four hours of usage on a high-end MacBook M2.
• 😀 Firefox faced issues with font rendering, standard browser features, and development tools, leading to a frustrating experience for the user during development work.
• 😀 Safari provided better battery life compared to other browsers, but it had issues with indexDB transactions, especially when using T3 chat.
• 😀 Vivaldi, despite being based on Chrome, surprisingly performed the best for battery life and stability, outperforming even Safari and Firefox in some areas.
• 😀 Zen impressed the user as a stable and promising browser, despite its relatively new release, showing strong potential for future improvements.
• 😀 Firefox's developer tools were found to be less effective than expected, making it harder for the user to complete development tasks effectively.
• 😀 The speaker noted that Safari often failed to comply with browser standards, which caused frustration, especially when working with certain web technologies.
• 😀 While the speaker is mostly satisfied with Zen's performance, they hope it can influence improvements in Firefox and other open-source projects.
• 😀 The speaker highlighted that Firefox has not been able to fix long-standing issues, such as problems with indexDB and certain web standards, even after 14 years.
• 😀 The speaker's final recommendation is to avoid Firefox for development work, given its frequent stability issues and lack of progress on key problems.

Q & A

What are the main browsers discussed in the script?

The main browsers discussed in the script are Arc, Zen, Firefox, Safari, and Vivaldi.

How did the reviewer find the battery performance across different browsers?

The reviewer found that Vivaldi provided the best battery performance, getting about 10 hours of battery life, similar to the MacBook’s original battery performance. Safari was slightly better than Arc but not by much, while Firefox and Zen were comparable in battery usage.

Why did the reviewer think Arc is in a 'terrible' state?

The reviewer criticized Arc for being in a 'terrible' state, although specific reasons weren't mentioned in detail. The overall performance and usability of Arc were considered subpar.

What problems did the reviewer encounter while using Safari?

Safari had issues with indexDB when using T3 chat, leading to errors and problems. The reviewer also suggested that some of Safari's issues might stem from these complex web standards, making it unreliable in specific use cases.

How did Firefox perform during the reviewer's usage?

Firefox performed adequately for general use but had issues when it came to developer tools, font rendering, and handling standard browser behaviors. The reviewer found that Firefox was less stable compared to other browsers like Vivaldi, especially when used for development work.

What was the reviewer's opinion on Zen, the new browser?

The reviewer was impressed by Zen, particularly in terms of battery performance and overall experience. They were excited about Zen's potential to improve, especially in comparison to Firefox, and hoped it would encourage improvements in the browser ecosystem.

What challenges did the reviewer face with Firefox's developer tools?

The reviewer experienced problems with Firefox's developer tools, which were described as significantly worse than expected. They noted issues with things like font rendering and general browser behavior, leading them to use Vivaldi for dev tools while using Firefox for other tasks.

What issue did the reviewer face with Firefox's handling of indexDB?

The reviewer noted that Firefox is more strict when using indexDB transactions compared to other browsers. While Firefox handled T3 chats without issues, other use cases of indexDB led to problems, which seemed to affect Firefox's reliability.

Why did the reviewer express frustration with Safari?

The reviewer was frustrated with Safari because it had significant issues with web standards and error handling, particularly in relation to indexDB. They were especially critical of its inability to properly render certain features and handle modern web app requirements.

What did the reviewer hope for regarding the future of Zen and Firefox?

The reviewer hoped that Zen could drive Firefox to improve its performance and address long-standing issues. They also suggested that more attention, perhaps from influential developers or YouTubers, could help push Firefox to better support modern web standards.