Mozilla Labs proposes eternal hell and damnation for FF users

https://blog.mozilla.org/labs/2013/07/a-user-personalization-proposal-for-firefox/

 

So far the comments are pretty adequate

 

That would be one dumb move. All that talk they gave not too long ago about user rights and privacy would just be crapped on. Any time an online company uses the words unique and tailored together, tracking is on the way. We'll have to see how this gets handled, but I don't like it much.

 

And from the comments by Justin Scott (author of that post):

If they are providing a list of generic categories (like those subscriptions in apps like Pulse) as an optional setting in Firefox, whereby my chosen sites can 'see' those categories and apply a layout that's more applicable to my interests, then I'm fine with it.

What I don't quite agree with is the idea of it being derived from browser history. That's more like trying to guess my interests based on my browsing patterns - I'd rather be upfront and choose the categories regardless of my browsing history.

On the other hand though, it's interesting to see this:

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2013/07/25/up-with-people/

 

*Han Solo voice* ~ "I have a bad feeling about this."

 

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2013/07/25/up-with-people/

that looks and smells like candy coated manure.

 

I don't see any practical benefit to users for what he's calling "personalizing" content. Just about every comment there makes it clear that users don't want any of their browser history used to "personalize" the web. He clearly doesn't want to hear that.

 

doesnt matter what we say it appears because each and every comment against this he had a answer for and in the newer post they have closed the comments and basically stated they will do what they want anyway. will have to simply move on if they do this.

 

It seems like there would be a market where people would pay for a browser that did not track or create personalization.

 

User personalization = Tracking and AdChoices integrated into Firefox

That's what it sounds like to me, basically. I can't say that I care too much for that idea. Being a voluntary feature doesn't sway me either. It doesn't sound like it should be there at all.

Has Mozilla recently hired Wladimir Palant?

 

Hahahahaha
So they can provide you with personalized content based on your browser history without tracking you . . . WAIT WHAT?

 

how much longer before all the major browsers and linux OSes move in this direction?

 

That is true,after all browser is the software that is used the most by all of us (perhaps the single most important software on all our devices) I would not mind paying for a browser like the old days if it offers me peace of mind.

In this blog https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2013/07/25/up-with-people/ the author rightly says
I quote " We also assume that nothing is really “free.” Good content has a “cost,” it doesn’t magically appear. The cost may be underwritten by ads or subscriptions, other innovative models, or it might come in the form of user interaction or engagement"

I would prefer to pay the cost with money rather than personal data.

 

As long as it's optional...

 

between firefox Options settings and Add-ons choices I can already customize the browser pretty well thank you very much... although now with all the talk about browser fingerprinting I'm concerned about keeping non-essential add-ons?

is there an add-on to hide, obsecure or somehow randomize your browser fingerprint?

 

Yes:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/user/45921meh5453183/

 

thanks. installed it. looking forward to the horrors of "user impersonalization".

 

Well ... as long as it's optional.

 

Optional usually functions as an excuse to push things through that most people do not want and to mute criticism from a potential majority. One can only hope this will be decided in a democratic and transparent way.

 

There's that, of course.

You must be an optimist.

 

...and disabled by default.

Mozilla is non-profit eh?

 

Supposedly.

 

It's just another way for large corporations and others to separate people from their $$, that's nothing new.

Mozilla's decided to help them in their predatory behavior for whatever reason. The way the situation's become, I've decided the less time spent on the internet the better.

 

Well, seems my move away from Firefox to some smaller Windows/Linux Browser Projects was the right decision in the end

First Google chrome Look and Google Chrome level of Customization and now another Chromification step in terms of Data Colllection...

Even if it is optional, seriously... Mozilla today can not be compared with the Mozilla in the Beginning years.

What for a downfall, This really makes me sad

 

I was quite disappointed when Mozilla stopped development of the Mozilla Suite. In hindsight, things like this make me glad that they did. Now called SeaMonkey, they don't seem to have nearly the amount of "feature creep" or the rapid update obsession of FireFox.

FireFox and some of the related browsers (Palemoon for one) have picking up a behavior that I dislike, specifically connecting to several locations at launch. On SeaMonkey, disabling the update checking completely ended that behavior. On the FireFox type browsers, one has to dig through about:config to find all of the causes. This proposed "enhancement" to the user experience looks like just another excuse to call home. It seems that Mozilla has picked up the same attitude that MS has, that it's their place to tell the user what they want and what constitutes "enhancement". As long as they don't adopt the same behaviors and attitude, I'll keep using SeaMonkey.

Definitely. Remember when FireFox was called Firebird? It was a compact, blistering fast little browser. Now it's just another bloated piece of software.