About Google Chrome's "This extension may soon no longer be supported" (2024)

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Chrome disabling uBlock Origin and Manifest V2 status

  • Some users report uBlock Origin and other MV2 extensions being force-disabled or (seemingly) removed after Chrome updates; others can still re‑enable them via Developer Mode or enterprise policy.
  • There’s mention of the ExtensionManifestV2Availability policy extending MV2 support until June 2025, but this is seen as temporary “borrowed time.”
  • Confusion exists over whether extensions are truly removed vs. just disabled and hidden from the toolbar.

Migration to alternative browsers

  • Many commenters say this is the final push to leave Chrome, mostly toward:
    • Firefox (and forks like LibreWolf, Floorp, Waterfox),
    • WebKit-based Orion (especially on macOS/iOS),
    • Brave, Vivaldi, ungoogled Chromium, and niche options like Zen Browser, Floorp on desktop.
  • Orion is praised for battery life and full extension support but criticized for being Apple‑only and resources-limited; Linux support is hinted for 2025.
  • Some still rely on Chrome for performance on older hardware (e.g., smoother YouTube playback), though one report says Firefox has since improved enough to switch.

uBlock Origin Lite and MV3 limitations

  • uBO Lite works “okay” for many sites and blocks YouTube ads, but lacks:
    • custom rules,
    • CNAME uncloaking,
    • fine‑grained cosmetic filtering for “distractions.”
  • Concern that as more tracking moves to techniques like CNAME cloaking and server-side tricks, MV3-based blockers will fall further behind.
  • Discussion that Chromium forks promising long‑term MV2 support may struggle as Chromium’s core networking code evolves; Brave leans on its built‑in adblocker instead.

Ad blocking, usability, and ethics

  • Strong sentiment that the modern web and YouTube are unusable without aggressive ad/distraction blocking; some also strip UI clutter (suggested videos, sidebars, etc.).
  • Others use DNS-level blocking (Pi-hole, NextDNS) or iOS content blockers (1Blocker, Wipr, VPN-based tools), with trade-offs vs. browser-level blocking.
  • One view: the more visible and widespread blocking becomes, the greater the incentive for publishers and platforms to escalate anti‑adblock tactics.

Firefox and ecosystem health

  • Firefox is widely endorsed as the main escape hatch: full uBO, Android support, and better alignment with user interests than Google.
  • Skepticism remains about Mozilla’s leadership, telemetry, and spending priorities; forks are liked but acknowledged as dependent on Mozilla’s engine and funding.
  • Market share is low but still tens of millions of users; some fear a future where major sites or corporate policies sideline Firefox, reinforcing Chromium dominance.