Just the Browser

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Nostalgia, UX “Golden Age,” and Today’s Web

  • Many reminisce about early web and desktop eras when tabs, standard controls, and patterns like pull-to-refresh felt genuinely new and transformative.
  • Several argue that, for classic mouse/keyboard/touch interactions, we’re near a local maximum: most core patterns (tabs, back/close buttons, scrollbars) are “solved,” and constant redesign mostly degrades usability.
  • Others counter that real innovation will reappear with new modalities (AR/VR, self‑driving cars, agentic UIs), not by re‑inventing basic controls.

Standardization vs. Experimentation

  • A strong camp wants fewer “creative” UIs and more consistency: like cars and light switches, they prefer predictable controls over novelty.
  • Opponents warn about being stuck in ruts (e.g., QWERTY), but many reply that “good enough” standards with optional alternatives are fine.
  • Pull‑to‑refresh is used as an example: initially criticized for poor discoverability, it became a de facto standard because it solved a real problem early.

Browser UX, Web Fatigue, and Feature Creep

  • Multiple comments describe “front‑end exhaustion”: sites that block opening new tabs, constant popups, infinite modals, and vanishingly thin scrollbars.
  • Many want innovation in browser-level workflows (better history/tab management, non‑linear browsing, research/shopping flows) but less experimentation in site‑specific UI.
  • Some note that past extensibility (Firefox XUL, Chrome Apps) once allowed radical browser UI experiments but was removed as the web stack grew more complex and vendor‑controlled.

AI in Browsers and the Role of ‘Just the Browser’

  • Just the Browser is seen as an “anti‑bloat/anti‑AI” layer that applies enterprise policies to disable telemetry, sponsored content, and generative‑AI features in major browsers.
  • Some think its Firefox config is fairly minimal (disable studies, telemetry, sponsored items, generative AI, Perplexity search) and easy to replicate manually; others appreciate the documentation and one‑shot setup.
  • Debate centers on which “AI” is acceptable: many are fine with local translation, autocomplete, or tiny task‑specific models, but reject intrusive generative features, auto‑grouping, or hidden multi‑GB downloads (as reported in Chrome).
  • Several emphasize that preferring a simple browser isn’t “anti‑AI ideology,” just pushback against unfocused integration and resource use.

Security and Installation Concerns

  • Multiple commenters object to the recommended curl | sudo / PowerShell one‑liner pattern, calling it dangerous to normalize for non‑technical users.
  • Suggestions include: guides with screenshots, explicit hashes, code‑signed scripts, or per‑user policy locations instead of system‑wide installs.
  • Others note that the project also provides manual instructions and that any software installation inherently involves trust.

Telemetry, Privacy, and Alternatives

  • Some argue disabling telemetry harms Firefox’s ability to improve; others say a decade of analytics has correlated with worse UX and enshittification.
  • Telemetry is described as often serving business KPIs and A/B‑test–driven removal of power features rather than user needs.
  • People mention alternative browsers (Vivaldi, Brave, Librewolf, Waterfox, Helium, ungoogled‑Chromium, Safari) as ways to escape AI and bloat, with mixed views on their trade‑offs and “no‑AI” promises.