Ask HN: What would you do if you had coded a better web browser than Firefox?
4 comments
Modern web browsers need modal overlay blockers. When advertisers started using pop-up windows, web browser quickly responded with pop-up window blockers. Advertisers switched to modal windows, which are even worse because you con't just switch back to the original window, and by that point Google dominated the web browser, and subsidized Firefox, its main competitor, so there was no incentive to do anything that could hurt advertisers.
I just want a warning that there's an overlay, with a button to show it anyway and another to automatically open each layer in separate tabs or windows, so I can turn them back into pop-up windows and deal with them accordingly.
Also, I love the "Nordstjernen Now!" badge. Is there going to be an animated GIF version?
I just want a warning that there's an overlay, with a button to show it anyway and another to automatically open each layer in separate tabs or windows, so I can turn them back into pop-up windows and deal with them accordingly.
Also, I love the "Nordstjernen Now!" badge. Is there going to be an animated GIF version?
Will try to actually test it out when I get home.
I would say that "Vibe-coded" is not a selling point. I mean, AI is just slightly more popular than crypto was the peak, I think now any politician could win any election in the US if they were on a certain side of this issue
https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-ce...
like it might be the first issue that transcends political polarization in a long time. So I'd just say I "coded it" if I wanted people to look at it.
I would say that "Vibe-coded" is not a selling point. I mean, AI is just slightly more popular than crypto was the peak, I think now any politician could win any election in the US if they were on a certain side of this issue
https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-ce...
like it might be the first issue that transcends political polarization in a long time. So I'd just say I "coded it" if I wanted people to look at it.
A browser isn't just a bunch of code that runs on your local machine. Security, maintainability, etc. depend on a development organization behind it, and these needs will only increase as the usage scales. You really need an ecosystem, not just an app.
And speaking of ecosystems, will your browser use plug-ins? Will it be compatible with other plug-in standards? If not, that's a whole different hill to climb, convincing the wider community to develop for your platform.
In other words, it takes a whole lot more than coding to launch an app, especially an app as complex and as central a part of a user's life as a browser.
And speaking of ecosystems, will your browser use plug-ins? Will it be compatible with other plug-in standards? If not, that's a whole different hill to climb, convincing the wider community to develop for your platform.
In other words, it takes a whole lot more than coding to launch an app, especially an app as complex and as central a part of a user's life as a browser.
Cut off my hands so that however much I was tempted, coerced or transgressed, I would not be able to fuck it up. IE, I would make sure it stayed that way.
For me, FF remains my first choice. I have to use Chrome-based browsers though, for reliable video and other tasks. Whenever the subject arises, though, I always immediately remember the removal of about:config in the Android version. This of course can be mediated by installing Nightly, but FF is making a big statement by removing that control option from the public. And they have pretty much said, we did it because you are incompetent, and too stupid to have the tool and wield it responsibly, so you can't have it. For anyone who takes the time to parse through the endless options there in about:config, many are borderline malice. Dom Battery, auto-play, and many more are just flagrantly anti-user and completely unnecessary. That is all said without waxing idealistic and wailing that a browser should fundamentally be a browser -- and yet, it's bigger than an entire OS. And they have now imposed AI, but at least it is off by default, which is a good sign, for me. I suppose to not implement AI, would essentially kick them out of the game. Understandable. Just keep the boundaries.
For me, FF remains my first choice. I have to use Chrome-based browsers though, for reliable video and other tasks. Whenever the subject arises, though, I always immediately remember the removal of about:config in the Android version. This of course can be mediated by installing Nightly, but FF is making a big statement by removing that control option from the public. And they have pretty much said, we did it because you are incompetent, and too stupid to have the tool and wield it responsibly, so you can't have it. For anyone who takes the time to parse through the endless options there in about:config, many are borderline malice. Dom Battery, auto-play, and many more are just flagrantly anti-user and completely unnecessary. That is all said without waxing idealistic and wailing that a browser should fundamentally be a browser -- and yet, it's bigger than an entire OS. And they have now imposed AI, but at least it is off by default, which is a good sign, for me. I suppose to not implement AI, would essentially kick them out of the game. Understandable. Just keep the boundaries.
https://github.com/nordstjernen-web/nordstjernen