Battle Firefox vs Librewolf

n8chavez

n8chavez

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Is there any reason to use Librewolf over the official Firefox if you already have a librewolf profile that you could just migrate over? Not even that. Couldn't you just use the prefs.js file from librewolf and replace the one in your firefox profile and get most of the same benefits? Is there anything that librewolf, waterfox, arkenfox. etc., offer than cannot be done just be editing your about:config preferences?
 
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n8chavez said:
Is there anything that librewolf, waterfox, arkenfox. etc., offer than cannot be done just be editing your about:config preferences?
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Not that I know of. I think the main advantage of LW is it's already to go out of the box. I've used LW but now use FF instead. You can tweak it whatever way you want.

Depending on your level of 'privacy' or security paranoia, preferences, etc. using a configured FF will still keep you blending in with the herd.

BTW, I'd never use Waterfox and don't know about arken.
 
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Arkenfox is just a prefs.js generator. But I do like Waterfox because it offers tweaks that the other gecko browsers do not, without css modding. Like tabs on the bottom of the screen. Easy enough to replicate I guess, but nice nonetheless. Waterfox uses the Firefox ESR, which some like. I like Waterfox. I don't use it as a daily drivers, and I think the complaints against its sale were unfair, but I still like it.
 
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I don't think it matters with Firefox or it's forks at least security wise because it uses point releases. Firefox you get 1 or 2 point releases a month to patch bugs/exploits and that flows on to other Firefox type browsers. Chrome and its forks seem to have an update every few days, at least with Edge I've found them to be very frequent.
 
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n8chavez said:
Is there any reason to use Librewolf over the official Firefox if you already have a librewolf profile that you could just migrate over? Not even that. Couldn't you just use the prefs.js file from librewolf and replace the one in your firefox profile and get most of the same benefits? Is there anything that librewolf, waterfox, arkenfox. etc., offer than cannot be done just be editing your about:config preferences?
Click to expand...
While it's true that you can migrate your Librewolf profile to Firefox or replace the `prefs.js` file in your Firefox profile to get some of the same benefits, there are some differences between Librewolf and Firefox that may be important to certain users.

One of the main benefits of using Librewolf over Firefox is its emphasis on privacy and security. Librewolf comes with several privacy features and security enhancements out-of-the-box that are not present in Firefox by default. This includes features like removing telemetry, blocking ads and trackers by default, and disabling WebRTC.

Another benefit of using Librewolf is that it's a community-driven project with a focus on open-source and transparency. Users who prioritize these values may prefer to use Librewolf over Firefox, which is owned and developed by a large corporation.

Finally, while many advanced configuration options can be accessed by editing the `about:config` preferences in Firefox, some options may not be available or may require more complicated configuration. In these cases, using a specialized browser like Librewolf may be more convenient.

Of course, whether or not these benefits are important to you depends on your individual needs and preferences.
 
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So, is there a difference between Librewolf and Firefox in regards to telemetry? We can disable it, including firefox studies, in about:config. Of course that's just the prefs.js file. But is there any value in removing telemetry gathering capabilities as a whole, which is one way Librewolf differs from firefox?
 
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n8chavez said:
So, is there a difference between Librewolf and Firefox in regards to telemetry? We can disable it, including firefox studies, in about:config. Of course that's just the prefs.js file. But is there any value in removing telemetry gathering capabilities as a whole, which is one way Librewolf differs from firefox?
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LibreWolf and Firefox are both open-source web browsers based on the Mozilla Firefox codebase, but they differ in some significant aspects, including their approach to telemetry and privacy.

Telemetry is the collection of usage and performance data by a software application to help its developers understand how the software is used and identify potential issues. In Firefox, telemetry is enabled by default, but users can disable it through about:config or by adjusting their privacy settings. However, even with telemetry disabled, there is still the possibility that some minimal data may be collected.

LibreWolf, on the other hand, is specifically designed to enhance privacy and security. It completely removes telemetry, studies, and other data collection mechanisms from the codebase, ensuring that no information is transmitted to Mozilla or any other third parties. This distinction makes LibreWolf a more privacy-focused alternative to Firefox.

In summary, while you can disable telemetry in Firefox, using LibreWolf provides an additional level of assurance that no data is being collected. For users who prioritize privacy, this difference could be valuable.
 
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By default both does NOT improve the speed of the browsers and LW is hardened for security and privacy only. Speed-wise you need to harden this yourself.

LW 's strength is to de-Mozilla like Ungoogled Chromium is to de-Google.

And both also don't protect against other types of privacy issues. Browser anti-fingerprinting is not strong either. You need extensions to improve in this area.

LW, like Ungoogled Chromium, is a non-mainstream browser. Some sites may not work properly. FF is a mainstream browser.

Bot needs to upgrade its vocabulary
 
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HarborFront said:
And both also don't protect against other types of privacy issues. Browser anti-fingerprinting is not strong either. You need extensions to improve in this area.
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What extensions (add-ons) are recommended for anti-fingerprinting?
 
n8chavez said:
> ss said: What extensions (add-ons) are recommended for anti-fingerprinting?

You don't need any with privacy.resistFingerprinting set to true. But if you are determined to use an extension, use CanvasBlocker.
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From experience: DO NOT set privacy.resistFingerprinting set to true. Or at least look into it carefully!
It's a COMMON MISTAKE. So common they have a bug about it - many bugs about it in fact.
It is pretty much supposed to be for use in TorBrowser only. Causes tons of problems. For me, one issue was I set it and didn't realize it switched me to UTC time, for example, and so I had no idea why websites were confused about my time zone...
 
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n8chavez said:
Is there any reason to use Librewolf over the official Firefox if you already have a librewolf profile that you could just migrate over? Not even that. Couldn't you just use the prefs.js file from librewolf and replace the one in your firefox profile and get most of the same benefits? Is there anything that librewolf, waterfox, arkenfox. etc., offer than cannot be done just be editing your about:config preferences?
Click to expand...
if i'm being honest i just use librewolf to avoid the ugly ass logo on every firefox new tab page that ruins every background
 
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n8chavez said:
Is there any reason to use Librewolf over the official Firefox if you already have a librewolf profile that you could just migrate over? Not even that. Couldn't you just use the prefs.js file from librewolf and replace the one in your firefox profile and get most of the same benefits? Is there anything that librewolf, waterfox, arkenfox. etc., offer than cannot be done just be editing your about:config preferences?
Click to expand...
if i'm being honest i just use librewolf to avoid the ugly ass logo on every firefox new tab page that ruins every background
 
Logician said:
For me, one issue was I set it and didn't realize it switched me to UTC time
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Indeed, the built-in anti-fingerprinting features are extensive. I finally switched to FF and run it near stock based on this
How I Learned to Stop Hardening and Love Strict Tracking Protection
atlasisfake said:
if i'm being honest i just use librewolf to avoid the ugly ass logo on every firefox new tab page that ruins every background
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That's one thing I liked about it too. Nonetheless, I switched.
 
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oldschool said:
Indeed, the built-in anti-fingerprinting features are extensive. I finally switched to FF and run it near stock based on this
How I Learned to Stop Hardening and Love Strict Tracking Protection
Click to expand...
Is this URL link relatively current? I opened it and first tweak is: Enable DNS-over-HTTPS. instructions seem clear, settings | General | Network Settings | settings...
I go there and I don't find Enable DNS-over-HTTPS on that page anywhere? :unsure:
I am running a vpn, so is this necessary, or does running vpn remove this choice from that page? That seems unlikely. running FF 119.0.1
 

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