Why Firefox Is Dead (The Many Mistakes Of Mozilla)
Summary
TLDRThe 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
- π The speaker is a proponent of free and open-source software and expresses concern over Mozilla Firefox's decline.
- π Mozilla Firefox, once a leading web browser, has seen its market share drop significantly to 2-3% globally.
- π§ The speaker, a former long-term Firefox user, switched to the Brave browser due to dissatisfaction with Firefox's performance and direction.
- π The rise of Google Chrome, with its extensive marketing and integration with Google services, is cited as a major factor in Firefox's decline.
- π‘ Despite the increase in popularity of open-source software, Firefox has failed to retain or attract users who value privacy and security.
- π Firefox's default settings and integrations, such as Google as the default search engine and Google Analytics, contradict its claims of being privacy-focused.
- π€ 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.
- π° Mozilla's financial reliance on Google, which pays them for making Google Search the default, is highlighted as a conflict of interest.
- π The speaker criticizes Mozilla for not being fully committed to the free software movement, particularly in terms of privacy and openness.
- π± The mobile experience of Firefox is mentioned as being subpar compared to other browsers, including Brave, which offers a better user experience.
- π 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
π 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.
π 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.
π 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.
π 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
π‘Mozilla Firefox
π‘Market Share
π‘Google Chrome
π‘Privacy
π‘Brave Browser
π‘Censorship
π‘Telemetry
π‘Chromium
π‘Mr. Robot Plugin
π‘Social Activism
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
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