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1.org now the default search engine in WaterFox. (piefed.ca)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/linux@programming.dev
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I just updated (I use arch btw) and had to reboot WaterFox. The default search engine got changed to 1.org and StartPage no longer shows up as a default option even. Has this happened to anybody else?

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[–] 15 points 5 months ago (8 children)

Someone please justify to me why I should use Waterfox over Librewolf?

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  • [–] [S] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    When I was choosing bet them, I heard that librewolf might be too locked down and some websites might not work right without some work. I was just looking for a drop in replacement for Firefox soninchose Waterfox.

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago

    I heard that librewolf might be too locked down and some websites might not work right without some work.

    Not my experience at all. With one exception: every now and then I have to manually enable WebGL context/canvas.

    Quite the opposite; I have it locked down even further with restrictive uBlock Origin settings.

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Does Librewolf have an android version? Last time I looked it didn't but that was months ago.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    The TLDR is that, among the Firefox forks, Waterfox is pretty bland, which can be both good or bad depending on how you look at it. It's not as private as LibreWolf or Mullvad Browser, it doesn't have a unique aesthetic like Zen Browser, and it is not as customisable as Floorp. But all of those addition bits can come with some tradeoffs.

    In my opinion, Firefox is suitable for most people, LibreWolf for additional privacy, Zen if you like the look, and Floorp for extra customisability OOTB. Waterfox is really only if you don't need those additional bits, you dislike Mozilla, and you don't want a Chromium browser.

    Note that Waterfox was purchased by System1, an advertising company at one point, then ties were cut off recently. The fact that they could be acquired by an unfriendly corporation could be a concern for you, and might push you towards more community-oriented options like LibreWolf.

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    • [–] [S] 15 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    Found a Reddit post with a bit more information. With the new built in ad-blocker (which I disabled in favour of uBlock Origin) the default search engine was changed to 1.org and the built in ad-blocked configured to not block ads for searches on 1.org.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (3 children)

    i think the built-in blocker is based on uBo, no?

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  • [–] [S] 5 points 5 months ago

    From what I've heard, the built in blocker is based on Brave browser's ad blocker. But as it is built in, it is supposed to be faster and more efficient than an extension. I don't think that part matters very much on desktop, but I might be interested in using it in the mobile version.

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    • [–] 30 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (7 children)

    Never heard of it. Nice domain. Claims to donate to charity every time you search. Makes 3rd party requests to

    cookielaw.org  
cloudfront.net  
googletagmanager.com  
unpkg.com

    Compared to DDG-noAI: zero 3rd party requests.

    Waterfox believe in charity so much, they made some sort of deal with a company that is making money with the idea of helping by making internet searches?

    BTW, I use Librewolf.

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  • [–] 10 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    1.org:

    We and our 1011 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device.

    Seems like they would many more 3rd party requests than those four.

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

    These are cookies. dropping cookies for 1011 partners does not require accessing their domains at that moment.

    A 3rd-party request means that when a client (browser) loads a page, that page wants to load content from other domains. Strictly speaking, DDG does that too (see screenshot below): it loads extra content from one of its _sub_domains.

    Still, good catch. Where'd you find that?

    And btw it's of course perfectly possible that DDG does that too; I never meant to claim absolute superiority for it. Just for comparison. It's my default search engine right now but I should try something better I guess.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

    The number of partners is in the cookie banner from onetrust when opening the site (maybe location dependent?). I'm aware it doesn't mean they necessarily are making 3rd party http requests (feels likely though?), but when a site has such a ridiculous amount of partners, it is a huge red flag.

    But it's not surprising, if they donate to charity, for each search request, they have to generate income somehow...

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    • [–] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Temporary?

    Also, I wonder why they removed Startpage.

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    • [–] 5 points 5 months ago (5 children)

    Don't know.
    I've had a little extension to make home and new tab be an arbitrary URI of my choosing.

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