Since @loshmi and @jwz 's post about the #enshittification of #FireFox yesterday, I've been test-driving #webbrowsers suggested by people in response to my request for suggestions of browser alternatives. I thought I'd give a quick review in case anyone else is interested.

Suggestions:

@JayLittle Zen Browser

Downloaded AppImage of Zen. Feels very similar to FF, as it is based on it, but has a Vertical Tabs interface, which I don't like. I ran with it all morning, but it feels too alien to me. Import option only showed Chrome, not FF, but FF Sync is supported, and worked, so I have all my FF passwords, bookmarks and history. Gmail, ebay, Youtube all work.

@aspragg #Epiphany

Installed Epiphany from stock Debian repo. Very minimalist feel (which I kind of like). Says it supports FF Sync, but I couldn't get it to work - just displays a dialog saying "something went wrong". Gmail, ebay, Youtube all work, albeit with manually entered credentials.

@eliteamdgamer #Floorp #servo and #ladybird

Floorp makes you agree to a privacy agreement which is in Japanese, and I couldn't find an English version, so I have not tried. Servo looks interesting, but I don't get the impression it's "production ready" yet. Ladybird, as far as I know is developed by some rather bigoted techbros, so also not tried. Sorry eliteamdgamer, but thanks for the suggestions.

@IzzyOnDroid #LibreWolf

Installed LibreWolf from external repository (followed easy instructions to add to my apt/sources) so it will get updated with my normal system updates. Again, import option only showed Chrome, not FF, but FF Sync is supported (after tweaks in about:config to enable it), and it worked, so I have all my FF passwords, bookmarks and history. Gmail, ebay, Youtube all work.

So, in summary, I now have three extra browsers installed, and am feeling more positive about not having to resort to Chromium any more. I'm favouring LibreWolf at the moment, as it feels a lot more homely. Will continue flitting between all of these for a week or so, as I need to use other websites I haven't yet tested. I'll be surprised if anything flat out fails to work, but time will tell.

Einkbro is a seriously good tablet browser

I just need to mention it again.

This is an Android browser aimed at E-Ink devices (though it works for any Android device). It's optimised foir E-Ink's strengths and weaknesses.

That actually makes it a really good browser for reading content online, which ... it turns out a whole hell of a lot of present-generation mobile browsers kind of suck at.

The developer's also highly responsive and I've seen a few of my own issues and requests addressed, which is a breath of fresh air. Oh, and it's FOSS.

github.com/plateaukao/browser

#Einkbro #FDroid #Android #WebBrowsers #Eink

GitHub - plateaukao/browser: An Android web browser based on webview, which is specialized for E-Ink device.

An Android web browser based on webview, which is specialized for E-Ink device. - GitHub - plateaukao/browser: An Android web browser based on webview, which is specialized for E-Ink device.

^GitHub