Re: web browser recommendation
On Thu, Mar 6, 2025 at 4:25 PM Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> wrote:
>
> On Thu, Mar 06, 2025 at 21:50:27 +0100, KISER JD wrote:
> > The Chromium-based browsers will soon lose many adblock capabilities due to Manifest V3.
> >
>
> When I updated google-chrome-stable the other day, it informed me
> that it was disabling uBlock Origin. Thus began my own search for
> some answers. I'd never even *heard* of Manifest until that moment,
> so I was starting from square zero.
>
> (Short answer: Manifest is a sort of browser extension API. It defines
> what capabilities an extension may use. Google is phasing out version 2
> of the Manifest API in favor of version 3, which offers fewer features.)
>
> However, I don't use a lot of extensions, and uBlock Origin was the
> only one that was disabled by the upgrade. For me, the question wasn't
> really "How can I get uBlock Origin to work again?" I mean, it's a
> great extension, and I loved having it. The real question, though, was
> "How do I get ad blocking to work again?"
>
> Because, let's face it, the Web without an ad blocker is just not a
> pleasant experience at all.
>
> One of the possible answers was to switch to "uBlock Origin Lite",
> which is less capable (it can't "phone home" to update its block lists
> because Manifest v3 doesn't permit that), but may still be good enough
> for most people.
>
> Another answer is to use Firefox. In my case, I'm already doing that.
> I run both Firefox *and* Chrome (up until the other day), with one set
> of tabs in Firefox, and another set in Chrome. So, I was looking for
> a replacement for Chrome that isn't Firefox.
>
> I ended up installing Brave. Sure, it's Chromium-based, and it will
> eventually drop support for Manifest v2 extensions, including uBlock
> Origin (even though it's supported right now). But it has its own
> built-in ad blocking *by default*, so you don't actually *need* uBlock
> Origin to have a satisfactory environment.
>
> I urge people to investigate the various browsers that are out there
> and choose for themselves. Everyone's needs are different, so it's
> good that there are multiple choices available.
I believe all the major browsers are using Manifest v3 nowadays.
Also see <https://www.exads.com/blog/googles-manifest-v3-mv3-impact-on-ad-blockers-and-ad-tech>.
Jeff
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