TL;DR: Mozilla’s translation bot on Support Mozilla (that is currently overwriting user contributions is based on the closed source, copyright infringing LLM, Google Gemini. This is in spite of Mozilla claiming that they are at the forefront of open source AI, and belies their exhortations to choose to build open source AI and data sets. Although Mozilla has experience in attracting open contributions for data sets in projects like Common Voice, Mozilla is using a closed data set to overwrite open contributions. Since (paid) Gemini queries do not train the model, Mozillians can expect to correct errors every time the bot automatically updates an article.

TL;DR: Mozilla’s translation bot on Support Mozilla (that is currently overwriting user contributions is based on the closed source, copyright infringing LLM, Google Gemini. This is in spite of Mozilla claiming that they are at the forefront of open source AI, and belies their exhortations to choose to build open source AI and data sets. Although Mozilla has experience in attracting open contributions for data sets in projects like Common Voice, Mozilla is using a closed data set to overwrite open contributions. Since (paid) Gemini queries do not train the model, Mozillians can expect to correct errors every time the bot automatically updates an article.

  • Clot@lemmy.zipEnglish
    181·
    3 days ago

    Cant wait for servo to be functional asap so we get a real alternative that is free and open source

  • ZILtoid1991@lemmy.worldEnglish
    121·
    3 days ago

    Time to switch to LibreWolf or something else.

    Can I use that to sync passwords, history, etc. between phone and PC in some way of form, even if self-hosted?

    • youmaynotknow@lemmy.zipEnglish
      7·
      3 days ago

      I’ve been on librewolf for years, and as long as I’m running the FlatPak version, all Firefox extensions work. Having said that, you do have a few options to sync. One is using your Firefox account (I don’t suggest you do because of Mozilla’s BS over the past year or so, but you would be sharing way less stuff this way). In my case, the only thing I want synced in browsers is the bookmarks, so I use floccus extension in every browser, floccus app in android, and host them all in a self-hosted linkwarden instance. I hope that helps.

  • thethunderwolf@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    391·
    3 days ago

    For me the requirements in a browser are:

    • Works without many issues
    • Has extensions (or built-in features) that do what NoScript, Ublock Origin, Dark Reader, CanvasBlocker, and Redirector do on LibreWolf
    • Relatively secure
    • Open source and free from corporate evil
    • Not annoying in any major ways

    When the required extensions get made for Falkon, I’m probably switching

    When they are in late beta or ready for use, I will try Servo-based browsers and Ladybird

    currently I use LibreWolf

    • 87Six@lemmy.zipEnglish
      61·
      3 days ago

      LibreWolf has been quite good to me. I just allow cookies on my most used websites and it’s been perfectly fine to use.

    • rozodru@pie.andmc.caEnglish
      103·
      3 days ago

      I daily driver QuteBrowser and have for awhile now. I like it. does everything I need it to do and the vim style navigation is awesome.

      Sure there are some quirks that can be solved via userscripts and trust me I have a lot written for it but everything that requires an extension in firefox or chrome i have working on Qutebrowser. I don’t get adds with youtube in fact dare I saw I have it set up better than what you could get on Firefox or Chrome, I have my password management via bitwarden, it all just works. And the dev, The Compiler, is great and is always on top of issues that come up.

      there’s yet to be any site i’ve come across that just doesn’t work.

      • Einar@lemmy.zipEnglish
        128·
        4 days ago

        True. Still, afaik, they haven’t done anything shady.

        • Eldritch@piefed.worldEnglish
          471·
          4 days ago

          They also haven’t written a browser. It’s an apples and oranges comparison. There are plenty of Firefox derivatives that don’t have all the bloat that Mozilla, et cetera, is putting into there. That’s not the point. The point is how controlled they are by one of their competitors, namely Google.

          There are only three main browser makers. Chrome by Google Firefox by Mozilla and WebKit/Safari now maintained by Apple but derived from Linux’s K desktop environment web engine. There are a lot of wrappers written around these, but at the end of the day, there’s still just the three.

          The one real interesting bright spot though that I’m looking forward to is servo. Originally started by Mozilla, but now completely free of them. It’s not yet in a daily driver’s state, but it’s looking to be quite interesting.

          • sem@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
            3·
            3 days ago

            Out of curiosity, how are Konqueror and Falkon relates to the big three?

            Their websites say they use KHTML or KDEWebkit (Konqueror) or QtWebEngine (falkon). Are these downstream adaptations of apple-WebKit?

            Judging by the QtWebEngine page, it doesn’t explicitly say it, but I think it is based on chromium.

            Konqueror is a bit harder to figure out. Maybe QtWebKit. Is this also Chromium?

            • athairmor@lemmy.worldEnglish
              7·
              3 days ago

              Apple’s WebKit (WebCore+JavaScriptCore) was originally a fork of KHTML/KJS. They shared at the beginning but not very well. They eventually opened up their source and made changes that were more friendly to other developers. A lot of browsers and embedded renderers use WebKit, now, besides Safari and KDE based ones.

              Google forked WebCore for Chromium. I don’t think they share a codebase, anymore. Edge, Opera and many embedded renderers use Chromium.

              Anyway, I just think it’s interesting that most every browser out there is descended from KHTML.

            • Eldritch@piefed.worldEnglish
              2·
              3 days ago

              Yes, they are both WebKit, though largely irrelevant. Personally, I’m a daily KDE user. I did install falkon out of Curiosity for a short while. But neither it or konqueror are generally in any distributions base install. Including KDE neon.

              They are usable, so long as you don’t use any sort of add-ons.

              Falkon is based on Qt web. So it is also WebKit.

              Correction Falkon and Qt web engine are indeed chromium. Konqueror alone then would be WebKit

                • Eldritch@piefed.worldEnglish
                  2·
                  3 days ago

                  Ah you are correct. Thanks for the correction. I may have read otherwise, somewhere, but who knows that may have been an AI-tinted site. It’s been a hot minute since I last messed with programming using QT. I could have sworn it was webkit but the facts are the facts.

              • sem@piefed.blahaj.zoneEnglish
                1·
                3 days ago

                I wish Firefox was better integrated into KDE. Whenever I open a link in a different app, Firefox opens the link but stays in the background where it seems like it should come to the foreground.

  • palordrolap@fedia.io
    14·
    3 days ago

    Sigh. At this rate I can see a day where I end up switching to WebKitGTK’s MiniBrowser as my main rather than having it as a “secret” backup.

  • Cabbage_Pout61@lemmy.worldEnglish
    82·
    3 days ago

    Is there any good alternative to FF that is cross device compatible and keep my sessions between said devices, but without me having to press anything more than “Install” or to type “apt-get install firefox”?

    I hear a lot of these newer open source friendly browser, but switching between my pc/notebook/phone/tablet, is a requirement. I’d love to find something that fit that so I could switch.

    ^(edit: typo)

    • dogs0n@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      32·
      3 days ago

      The money from Google was surely what killed their browser. I’m not saying there was a behind the scenes deal. They just got lazy and spent Google’s money in stupid ways instead of improving their product so that they could gain a real userbase.

      Imagine if they spent that money towards just the browser (not possible, but imagine anyways), we could be in a very different place where Chrome doesn’t have 99% (or whatever it is) market share.

      Firefox is a good browser, but where could they have been today if it was prioritised over paying the CEO millions for nothing? They have recently been sorta catching up, i’ve seen a lot of updates that actually include features I use, but I think it’s too late.

      Time for one of the new built from the ground up browsers to shine when complete. I still stand by Firefox and recommend it, but as soon as their is an open competitor that is production ready, I’m outta here.

      They have undoubtly done amazing things for the web, but their idiocy is astounding sometimes and I don’t wanna stay on a sinking ship. I’d rather use a new browser that helps keep the web secure, safe a pleasant for us all without annoyances or dumb beurocracy.

        • watson@lemmy.worldEnglish
          76·
          4 days ago

          You may have misunderstood me: when I said “the rot has set in” I was referring to the end point. “The rot has set“ would refer to the beginning point.

          It is a confusing way of speaking (which I only employed for style), and our collective confusion is a great example of why we don’t speak this way anymore. Lol.

    • SteveTech@aussie.zoneEnglish
      25·
      3 days ago

      This isn’t about Firefox, and there are zero mentions of Firefox in the article. This is about Mozilla screwing over their volunteers by replacing their human written translations, with inaccurate machine translations written by a closed source LLM.

  • FaceDeer@fedia.io
    1520·
    3 days ago

    It’s funny seeing the sudden surge of “copyright is awesome!” On the Internet now that it’s become a useful talking point to bludgeon the hated Abominable Intelligence with.

    Have any actual court cases established that Gemini is violating copyright, BTW? The major cases I’ve seen so far have been coming down on the “training AI is fair use” side of things, any copyright issues have largely been ancillary to that.

    • yoasif@fedia.ioOP
      252·
      3 days ago

      Copyright isn’t awesome, it is useful. The whole basis of open source is built on the concept of copyright (copyleft), so alignment with copyright isn’t “sudden”, it is fundamental.

      • Grimy@lemmy.worldEnglish
        103·
        3 days ago

        Copyrights is mostly used by big companies to fuck with the competition so they can keep a strangle hold on the consumers.

        It’s a deeply flawed system not in any way to our advantage. Actually having copyright laws strengthened so they apply to AI training would instantly kill the open source scene and make certain only a handful of companies can afford to put out models.

        Copyleft is built as a protection against big companies and how unfair the playing field is because of copyright laws. It’s like saying crime is a good thing because without it, we wouldn’t have a police force.

        • yoasif@fedia.ioOP
          6·
          3 days ago

          Not disagreeing with you - just saying that the legal underpinnings of open source are the copyright regime.

          • Grimy@lemmy.worldEnglish
            35·
            3 days ago

            I’m disagreeing with the positive spin you are trying to put on it. We have cops because of crime. Having cops is a good thing (mostly) but we wouldn’t need them if there was no crime.

    • Pirate2377@lemmy.zipEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Copyright can be used to in a good way. Unfortunately, its mostly used by big corporations as a battering ram to extract as much money as possible from smaller businesses and even just individuals

      • Lfrith@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        3 days ago

        Probably because their angle is to find opportunities to push an AI positive agenda whether copyright is involved or not.

          • Lfrith@lemmy.caEnglish
            3·
            3 days ago

            Go take a look at their comments on their profile. Lot of AI talk there.

            I’m guessing people aren’t pro copyright, but its their argument in conjunction with AI that has led to the downvotes.

  • headset@lemmy.worldEnglish
    837·
    3 days ago

    Oh no! Better delete that woke tranny Firefox and install Brave™ the Crypto AI browser.

    Am I doing Lemmy right?

      • headset@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        I know. Brave is always driving negative campaigns against mozilla. This whole nothingburger seems just like yet another ambush campaign.

        Also, you idiots are too stupid to recognize sarcasm.