HN Explorer

Ask HN: Which browser is your default, and why?

14 points by lbj ↗ HN
On Linux I used https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conkeror for its speed. On Windows Ive been mostly in Opera but frequent crashes and problems with many Google apps made me switch to Chrome again.

I've loved Braves privacy and Operas/Firefoxs ability to send tabs directly to my phone, but not so much that I can stand instability.

tl;dr: Im back in Chrome and not too happy about it.

42 comments

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jrepinc
Using GNU/Linux on all my computers at work and home and I have Firefox as my default one. I trust it the most when it comes to protecting my privacy and having an open/democratic governance of the project.
hieudang9
For Windows, I prefer portable first, I don't want some auto running background services from Google/Mozilla. So I chosen IronPortable & Firefox Development Portable. For Linux, I sticked with default Firefox from OS repository. For mobile, I highly recommend Kiwi Browser - the one of very few Chromium base which let you install Chrome extension like Ublock.
lbj
Nice, thanks for sharing. Hadn't seen any of those before!
HomeDeLaPot
Nice! Firefox Mobile also lets you install extensions like uBlock. I thought it was the only one.
soukai
Google chrome. At the end of the day, this is the most convenient one for me
noir_lord
Firefox for everything but development.

I actually run both simultaneously and it's handy because I know docs/notes/confluence will be in the FF windows and dev stuff in Chrome's

__warlord__
Firefox for day to day activities and work, but when I have to use websites that are only available in their native languages I use chrome for the translation capabilities.
epc
I use Safari for all financial services, Chrome for Google stuff, newspapers, and some other sites I’m fine with being logged into and tracked, and Firefox for routine web browsing (like hn). Firefox is set to purge all cookies and offline data on closing. Chrome is set to purge offline data if I “log out” of Chrome. I use Vivaldi occasionally for questionable sites.
gshdg
Firefox because privacy. Also container tabs to keep multiple accounts open on the same site, etc.
jitendrac
Firefox. I am using it since 2008. Once I tried to switch to chrome, but memory and other issues were there. The initial reason I used firefox was for firebug,Chrome was not even launched at that time. I have now a soft spot for Firefox, But on mobile I use Chrome, firefox lite is looking impressive but I will wait to get it matured.
Raed667
Chrome for work because i like the dev-tools and most of our users are on it either way.

FireFox for everything personal because its fast and i love the containers.

On Android I also use Firefox because I like having extensions to block ads and get youtube to play videos while the screen is locked.

green-bottle
Firefox. When I first got to use a Computer to surf the internet I remember using Firefox and that is what I have used ever since.

A lot of people here have said that Firefox was a slow and bloated mess pre-Quantum. I suppose I stuck to Firefox when most people shifted over to Chome because my internet connection had been slow enough that internet was unusable without javascript and images disabled (this is no viable as a significant proportion of websites don't work without JS). Hence my browser ran pretty light and never gave me any issues.

At work for development I now use Chrome (for devtools) as Firefox still chokes up on really large javascript files. For anything else Firefox remains my default as it is comparable to chrome now in terms of performance (this only means I haven't noticed any noticeable difference for my web browsing workloads) and has a lot of features that I like (containers, customisability,...).

edit: The above refers to my choice of browser on Desktop.

GhostVII
Firefox, because it starts up fast, allows me to customize it to fit my system color scheme, and lets me set up autohide for the toolbar. I open and close my browser constantly so startup time is more important than how fast it is when running. Also chrome doesn't fit with my theme and has a big address bar so it looks ugly.
zafiro17
Pale Moon at the office for anything even vaguely non-work related (i.e. anything I'd browse on my lunch break, etc.). Google Chrome for all official work stuff. At home, Vivaldi on Linux for absolutely everything.

Even with that strict separation, the cross-over of adverts from home to work is astonishing. There are things I search for at home that I absolutely don't want showing up on my corporate browser.

thecupisblue
I use Brave, previously was a Chrome and Opera (but never again after I learned what the f is going on there).

I love that it has the chrome ecosystem but with better built in privacy and some other extra features I wanted (right click and block element). Everything works, sometimes sites break due to script blocking but that's a click away to fix.

fred_is_fred
Do you have any worries about how Brave makes money? That was my concern but perhaps that's been allayed now?
dhruvkar
Same.

Our ERP system doesn't work well with Firefox, and I didn't want to use Chrome.

Brave fixed both issues, and it just feels lighter than either of the two other browsers on my Pop_OS! Thinkpad.

decibe1
FireFox at home, the new Edge for work/development.
drinkcocacola
Safari because the integration with iCloud Keychain, Apple Pay, and its ability to show videos "Picture in Picture" in the Mac from sites such as YouTube. At work I use also Safari, but 40% of the time I use Chrome because the Safari dev tools are kind of limited IMHO
Snetry
Firefox so I can keep my mobile and desktop experience the same and keep away from the big G
bryan_w
Chromium. Does everything I need it to. No reason to switch. Also Firefox DoH plan concerns me
pid_0
Firefox by far. Besides being a browser that doesn't spy on you, it is light on resources, fast, and has tab sending to all my devices.
askafriend
Safari because it integrates with all my Apple devices and it's much more battery/memory efficient than Chrome.

The reader mode is fantastic and the password autofill/keychain works great on all my devices too.

vvps
Firefox. If not for some stupid corporate policies, I would use it at work too. Tried Vivaldi cuz the cool kids were using it but didn't get around to explore all its features.
adventured
Firefox without interruption since 2004/2005 sometime. I almost switched due to how slow FF had gotten compared to Chrome. Improvements FF have made more recently have kept me very happy as a user. On mobile I use Chrome.

I dislike FF's increasing sprawl / bloat. I suppose a browser with <1% device market share has to survive somehow. I dislike how they instigate opted-in spyware from first install now ("Firefox Data Collection"). I like how text renders on FF versus Chrome, their engine produces a superior aesthetic.

rasikjain
At Home (Windows), use Firefox browser with add-ons for ad blocking, media control etc

At Work (Windows), use Chrome. Like their dev-tools for debugging purposes.

On Mobile, I use default Samsung browser on Note 8. I believe browser is lightweight and fast with ad blocking feature.

kalipsosu
Same. Samsung internet is a hidden gem for android.
slipwalker
at home:

    MacOS X: firefox developer edition
    Linux: firefox
( basically for privacy concerns )

at work:

   MacOS X: chrome/safari
( chrome/safari are the target platforms for our SPA on mobile )
companyhen
Finally uninstalled Chrome after X amount of years after using Brave successfully for a year. Kept Firefox around just in case. :)