it should be the new logo

I like Librewolf on my PC. It shuts down a bunch of stuff right off he bat.

I'm looking for some recommendations for android devices.

I unironically use https://servo.org/ from time to time for light surfing like researching something on wikipedia.

It breaks on most modern websites especially SPAs of course its like super alpha but its heading in the right direction its great to have a alternative showing up in times like this.

Still have Firefox with all AI disabled for heavy usage and stuff like banking.

There are a few browsers/browser engines in the works, but right now you could try a Firefox fork

Servo and Ladybird are in the works. They're both new browsers built from scratch, but they're both largely still in alpha

Waterfox.

Uh, in lieu of a mascot that I do not think they officially have:

(Author unknown, someone on Pinterest somewhere?)

Beyond a functionality/usability focus, check out that built in Oblivious DNS, DoH solution.

Firefox forks seem decent. Besides the aforementioned Waterfox, Fennec so far seems good too, people seem to like LibreWolf, and likely I'm forgetting some other fork.

The new CEO has said he wants to turn Firefox into a "modern day AI browser"

"Clue me in" is the idiom. Que Cue is closer than queue, if you were an actor and needed a hint on where to go next.

Firefox is the biggest non-chromium browser competitor, and was an advocate of privacy and not selling user data

But they recently did a 180, started selling user data, and are now shoving FF full of AI bloatware nobody wants

So the userbase is feeling very betrayed

it's "clue" me in on. But "cue" does make sense, from an "eggcorn" perspective. It's not the phrase, but it makes sense.

LibreWolf or WaterFox

Either servo (funded by donations and Linux foundation Europe), or ladybird (funded by donations and some tech company sponsorships).

If you stay with Firefox forks use LibreWolf, if you stay with Chrome forks go Vivaldi do not use Brave, Sucks that Safari folded so many years ago for at least Windows it was a way to use Konqueror.

Right. Nowadays we only have ff and chromium forks, some really tiny browsers that only render HTML/XHTML 4, and two huge unoptimized & unfinished pieces of software that render ok for some sites and really really wrong on others.

The backlash is over the CEO's comments of "evolving into an AI browser" instead of the current implementation

Isn't this already covered with extensions, though?

I like your take. An optimistic me would be fully onboard with it. But this isn't a single change in a vacuum. I think the reason people aren hating is because they're seeing it as yet another symptom of enshitification, and I don't disagree.

There are rare examples of outstanding companies like Steam that talk the talk and walk the walk. But with Firefox, they're headed the wrong direction. They cut 30% of their staff this time last year, cut their internet freedom advacacy group, and I think that was the point where they started a hard shift away from who they were. They're harvesting and selling user data now (removed the old "Nope. Never have, never will" [sell user data] from their FAQ), they've got a CEO that's taking an absolute fortune off the top of a struggling company, and they're steadily removing long time features like pocket integration and compact mode.

The last straw will be if Google ever pulls their deal as Firefox's default search engine... Mozilla will very likely pivot hard to nasty, modern money making practices to keep themselves alive if they lose 80% of their revenue all at once like that.

No no, you are not the clown and absolutely right. This fad will end soon as all the others.

So while I generally agree with everything you have to say here, there are only two things I want to add.

Firstly, and potentially my more salient point, a lot of end users doing something is nearly never a reason to do something, if that thing itself is bad.

Bringing to my second point, AI is being done in the worst, and nearly most unethical, way. Participating in that front is only encouraging this behavior amongst heinous tech leaders to continue this farcical push to oblivion.

And while this isn't a point of contention worth discussing, since it's entirely my already decided opinion that I have no interest in reconsidering, but AI injection is a step further into enshittification of the last true competitor to google. It erodes mindshare and trust among the loyal and evangelizers. I know personally I'm now a little conflicted on recommending FF. On the one hand, it's still the best recommendation, but we've also watched this type of decline many times before and it generally spells the end when a product goes the direction of trendy fads and enshittifying for short term gains at the expense of long term gains and user trust.

Yes, yes you are the last panel

I don't think so. These AI stunts are all coming from a small group of Silicon Valley investors. They only want to focus on software that's widely used, so web browsers are a natural target. Mail clients aren't that popular anymore, so I doubt they'll advocate for fucking them up.

No and neither should you be worried about FX. Lemmy is absolutely amazing at spreading FUD regarding anything Mozilla does. So far they have added AI very cautiously and respecting our privacy.