Tell HN: I just updated my wife's Chrome, and uBlock is no longer supported

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Chrome’s uBlock Origin Breakage (Manifest V3)

  • Chrome’s move from Manifest V2 to V3 disables classic uBlock Origin; users see it marked as unsupported.
  • Reminder: “uBlock” and “uBlock Origin” are different; Origin is the popular one.
  • A new “uBlock Origin Lite” works under MV3 but lacks full content‑blocking and dynamic filtering; some find it “good enough,” others call it a crippled compromise.

Temporary Workarounds

  • Enterprise/policy flags can re‑enable MV2 until around June 2025 (macOS defaults write … ExtensionManifestV2Availability=2, Windows registry/Chrome policies, Linux JSON under /etc/chromium/…).
  • This is widely seen as kicking the can down the road; long‑term viability depends on what Chromium keeps for enterprise use.

Browser Alternatives

  • Strong chorus: “Switch to Firefox,” where uBlock Origin still works fully and Mozilla says it will keep MV2 and blocking webRequest for the “foreseeable future.”
  • Counterpoints: Firefox is described by some as slow, buggy, or with worse battery life/devtools; others insist it’s faster on their hardware and that its devtools are better.
  • Chromium‑based options: Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, Arc, Ungoogled Chromium.
    • Brave and Opera have built‑in adblocking independent of Manifest. Brave can also enable uBlock‑compatible lists via internal settings.
    • Some distrust Brave due to past crypto/affiliate controversies; others say the crypto is fully opt‑in and ignore it.

Other Adblocking Layers

  • DNS/host‑based: Pi‑hole, NextDNS, hosts files, public DNS blocklists (HaGeZi, OISD).
  • Acknowledged limits: can’t handle same‑domain ads (e.g., YouTube) or DOM cleanup like uBO. Many recommend layering DNS + browser blocker.

Views on Google, Mozilla, and Ecosystem Health

  • Many see Google’s move as user‑hostile and driven by ad revenue, despite security/performance justifications for MV3.
  • Some argue engineering concerns (extension abuse, performance) are real but overshadowed by advertising incentives.
  • Mozilla is criticized for management, layoffs, exec pay, side projects, and reliance on Google search money; others argue it’s still far better than Chrome from a user‑respect standpoint.
  • Broader worry about “enshittification”: the web and browsers getting steadily worse as users adapt with stopgaps that eventually break.