I-Firefox Community Forum

I am just burned out with Firefox and not sure why I should continue to use it instead of some fork or Chromium-based browser.

It seems like every update brings some new GenAI/LLM component that is auto-enabled and difficult to disable. I do not want GenAI/LLMs in my web browser. I have dropped nearly every other application or software that has forced it on me and included it in their product. I feel like I'm trying manage a Windows system having to follow blogs to debloat, restore privacy, and restore security. GenAI/LLMs shouldn't be in my web browser. And, they should be opt-in, not opt-out in some confusing mix of GUI and about:config madness. If GenAI/LLM is so great, then make it an extension or a fork then let those folks use it from there. Don't bake it into the web browser.

I continue to use Firefox for uBlock Origin but I guess that would be possible with a Firefox-fork. However, I am just tired of having to continuously manage my Firefox browser and battle websites that only support Chromium-based browsers. If Firefox actually seemed intent on improving security and privacy then I could find the motivation but this GenAI/LLM nonsense seems the point of no return.

On my Android phone, I've switched to a Chromium-based browser given the poor state of security and hardening for the vanilla Firefox. I keep IronFox on hand but it is just easier to surf the web with a Chromium-based browser due to many websites just working better. Why should I deal with the pain and frustration of limited Firefox support when Firefox isn't even keeping up with security hardening?

As for desktop, the Firefox browser just doesn't seem as snappy or stable as I would expect. Firefox for Linux is still not supported for Slack Huddles. How is it 2026 and Mozilla/Firefox are still not fully functional with one of the major business chat platforms? Yes, I know this primarily a Slack and AWS-Chime-SDK problem but it is also a Firefox problem because there isn't much that a user can do. I've tried to prod Slack and the AWS teams numerous times to support Firefox but they've just done nothing. I also see nothing being done by the Firefox team, too.

Another example is the EdgeSuite CDN. Nearly always they block my traffic when I use Firefox. Switch to a Chromium-based browser and EdgeSuite is much less likely to block me. This is fairly consistent for the retail and financial institutions I use.

As far as I am aware, many of the security concerns brought up by Madaidan in 2022 still hold true for Firefox today, especially for Android and Linux. If this is no longer true, then it might be good for the Firefox team to post a rebuttal or update clarifying the current state of Firefox. The average users such as myself only see the Madaidan blog post and have to take it at face value. https://madaidans-insecurities.github.io/firefox-chromium.html

Anyway, I don't see a way ahead for me and Firefox but maybe you can convince me. It just seems like Firefox and Mozilla have lost their way. They no longer seem focused on security and privacy. Instead they're forcing privacy, security, and system resource disasters onto their userbases, just like Microsoft, Google, and every one of the major tech firms. I just don't see why I should use, promote, and even support Firefox going into 2026.

When I try to access a function of my banks website I get the message: Authorization has been denied for this request

Late last year this occurred when using FireFox but not Chome or Edge. I have contacted my bank and was told I need to add an exception to the Manage Exceptions list. I did that and I was able to access that function of the site. Now the error is occurring again. This time I figured out what the URL was that needed be added. All other functions of the site work fine without these exceptions.

My question is: what are the security ramifications of this and what do I tell my bank so they fix this? Does this make their site less or more secure? Is it necessary to fix this?

Windows 11; FF 146.0.1. All updates installed.

I am 82 years of age and did not grow up with the Internet. I have a total of only 8 hours of training on a PC. I have no idea how my PC got into 'safe mode' and now all of my extensions are disabled. I do not know how to exit 'safe mode' to allow the extensions to be enabled again. I tried following the instructions as provided, but to no avail.

every time I enter some words for a search the system blocks access with an "I'm Not A Robot" process. while I always get past this it is annoying and has only started happening in the last few days.

I've been using Fire Fox for decades, but lately it is so slow, I thought there was something wrong with my Windows 7 ultimate. I've done full Windows reboot, to no avail. Then I see the internet t hat FireFox is starting to implement AI. I thought that may be the issue, but after looking into it, looks like that isn't an option with my old Win 7 OS. So if that isn't the problem, how can I find out what is bogging Fire Fox down? I keep a watch on my CPU usage, and the usage is going nearly to 100%, when it used to barely go over 10%. When I check the actual CPU usage, it shows as many as 15 or more items tied to Fire Fox.

Is this all a result of continued use of Win 7? I'm planning to move to Linux, but that will take me some serious time and effort. Gerald

Hi,

I use the Page Info window quite regularly, it used to be accessible via the right-click menu but this seems to have been removed in recent updates. I can still access it via Ctrl+I, but this isn't as convenient as using the menu.

Could you please tell me how I can put this useful feature onto the menu / toolbar as a shortcut?

Thanks

Owen.

I've used Firefox for 20 years through the various iterations of Windows, and have been using it trouble free on Windows 11 since November 2024. Two days ago, however, When I tried to open the Guardian site (www.theguardian.com) it would open very slowly and not load and of the pictures. This gradually got worse, the site taking for ever to open at all, and always with the little dot in the tab at the top left going from side to side showing it was still loading. I have tried everything I can think of. Opened in troubleshoot mode, changed DNS settings, uninstalled and reinstalled Firefox twice (one time to see if it would work normally if I didn't actually sign in to my account). All to no avail. In fact now things are worse, in that the GOV.Uk website is now giving me similar problems - and a few other sites have become slightly slow and reluctant to open as well. My internet connection seems fine, and all these sites open without any trouble on Microsoft Edge. I am NOT very good at tech, and I am now tearing my heair out as to what I can try next.

Any help wopuld be gratefully received!

Jim Luetchford

Your article about the expiration of Windows 10 says that anyone that has FireFox on the Release Channel doesn't have to worry, that updates will continue to support Windows 10. I don't know what that means (Release Channel). And how can I check if that's what I have?

My credit card payment methods are missing from Firefox's settings. I tried enabling every relevant setting in about:config and still they won't appear. My current relevant settings are shown in the attached screenshot. any suggestions?