What We're Working on in Firefox

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall sentiment & history

  • Many are glad Firefox is still around, recalling Phoenix/early Firefox releases and how they displaced IE.
  • Current browser (v126 era) is generally viewed as fast and capable, but people are worried about its shrinking market share and Mozilla’s strategic direction.
  • Several say they use Firefox primarily because it’s not Chromium and see it as vital to prevent a Chrome monoculture.

UI, menus, and “simplification”

  • Strong split on “streamlined menus” and simplified UI:
    • Critics fear further “Gnome‑ification,” loss of options, and harder discoverability; they want expert modes and deep customization.
    • Others welcome decluttering and argue that minimal, focused interfaces are more usable and aesthetically better.
  • Long‑time users lament erosion of customization (status bar, compact mode, XUL, classic menus), and reliance on userChrome.css or third‑party themes to restore old behavior.

Tabs, containers, profiles

  • Native tab grouping, vertical tabs, and better sidebar/profile management are widely welcomed; many have relied on Sidebery/Tree Style Tabs and want first‑class, synced implementations.
  • Container tabs are praised as more useful than traditional profiles, especially for multiple accounts and AWS sessions; some want native URL‑to‑container rules and smoother behavior.

Extensions, about:config, PWA

  • Anger persists over past extension breakages (XUL → WebExtensions) and the limited extension set/about:config removal on mobile; some accept sandboxing as a security win, others see it as needless crippling.
  • Many want proper PWA support back; lack of installable web apps is a deal‑breaker for some.
  • Desire for finer‑grained extension permissions similar to Chrome is mentioned.

Performance, power, and compatibility

  • Mixed reports: Firefox is snappy and efficient for some (esp. on Linux); Mac users report worse battery life and heat than Chrome/Safari during video or calls.
  • Calls for better hardware‑accelerated video, WebRTC offload, and completion of WebCodecs.
  • Debate over Firefox not implementing some draft APIs (WebUSB, WebBluetooth): some see it as privacy‑protective, others as a competitiveness gap.

Privacy, business model, and strategy

  • Firefox’s privacy stance and on‑device features (translation, PDF AI alt text) are appreciated, but ads/promos on the start page and Google’s dominant funding raise trust concerns.
  • Several argue Mozilla abandoned power users to chase mainstream Chrome‑like UX, alienating its evangelists without winning mass users.