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by jancsika 468 days ago
> Firefox has severely lacked support for hardware "connections" and has been unfriendly for developers for a long time, so I simply stopped using it (one of the reasons).

How many devices are you setting up per day?

I just can't imagine jettisoning Firefox for browsing the web because of webusb.
3 comments
observationist 468 days ago
There are more than twice as many Linux desktop users than there are firefox users in total. People have left firefox for many reasons. The incompetence, user hostility, lack of principles, and technical lag are rampant and pervasive.
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lxgr 468 days ago
Even seemingly trivial missing features can push people to another browser if they're otherwise largely indifferent already.

I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that to some people, the inconvenience of juggling two browsers alone outweighs the benefits of using Firefox for most browsing.

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TheRealPomax 468 days ago
Neither can I, but you know what I can imagine? Walking away from Firefox because it yet again shows it has no interest in being a strong browser for the only folks that actually use it, namely power users who care about privacy, security, and controlling their own browser experience while enabling them to make the coolest shit with the latest, cutting edge Web APIs.

"Leaving Firefox" because of WebUSB would be silly, but "finally leaving Firefox" because they refuse to add yet another thing that intersects with your interests? Absolutely. At some point you just have to go "this is an abusive relationship holding me back".

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justinrubek 468 days ago
Precisely this. I've not even used WebUSB, but while reading this post, I was reminded of similar pain points with Firefox. I found myself thinking of what browser I could switch to while reading comments before finding this thread. I'm a long-time die-hard Firefox user as well.

I've been waiting years and years for service worker module support, and I am sure there are plenty of other things that are important and not being done so that's just one example

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Dylan16807 468 days ago
> power users who care about privacy, security, and controlling their own browser experience while enabling them to make the coolest shit with the latest, cutting edge Web APIs

I agree with this part entirely.

Except I don't consider WebUSB to be a "Web API", despite the name. And if it has any effect on privacy and security, it's a negative one.

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