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Mozilla Has 'No Plans' To Offer Firefox Without Pocket (venturebeat.com)

Posted by Soulskill on from the they-go-together-like-peanut-butter-and-pocket dept.

An anonymous reader writes: In June, Mozilla integrated Pocket into Firefox, garnering a mixed response from the browser's community. This week, VentureBeat stumbled upon a Bugzilla ticket (bug 1215694) to "move Pocket to a built-in add-on" and immediately reached out to the company. "There are currently no plans to offer a version of Firefox that doesn't include Pocket," said Dave Camp, Firefox's director of engineering.

33 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. Could you at least hint what "Pocket" is? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Thanks Dicedot. Please, you know, edit.

    1. Re:Could you at least hint what "Pocket" is? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      As far as I can tell, it's a 3rd party bookmarking system.

    2. Re:Could you at least hint what "Pocket" is? by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 5, Informative

      "...the manner in which videos, articles or content has been accessed, saved and shared. We may use aggregated information to offer a list of top sites or content, or to make suggestions to our users or to report on usage and trends. We may also analyze and use aggregated information to improve the products and services that we offer, and to develop new products and services. "

      Yep.

      https://getpocket.com/privacy

      It's written a bit slimy, making strong statements then giving really innocent examples. I'm reading it while trying to keep in mind that a service to store your bookmarks is going to have to have a privacy policy which allows them to store your bookmarks.

      Everything free is malware these days, and many things paid.

    3. Re:Could you at least hint what "Pocket" is? by rossdee · · Score: 4, Funny

      "You know this system is probably used for advertising metrics."

      Only of use in the USA then, thats the only place that still uses feet, pounds and acres
      the rest of the world already uses the metric system.

    4. Re:Could you at least hint what "Pocket" is? by OverlordQ · · Score: 2

      If you actually read, it's been brought up many times. Not to mention the search bar is over there.

      --
      Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
    5. Re:Could you at least hint what "Pocket" is? by StormReaver · · Score: 5, Informative

      Pocket is a proprietary usage tracking system. You sign up for an account, which is how the tracking is performed. Then you can save Web pages, videos, etc. to your hard drive using the Pocket system to you can view the content offline later. All the while, Pocket is building a database of what you saved, which laws you've broken (to be handed over to law enforcement upon request), what your viewing preferences are, etc.

  2. browser.pocket.enabled = false by Luthair · · Score: 5, Informative

    NT

    1. Re: browser.pocket.enabled = false by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But that doesn't change the fact that the guys at Mozilla have lost it. Who is picking up the torch? Non-profit, open-source, privacy-aware fork. Please?

    2. Re: browser.pocket.enabled = false by hairyfeet · · Score: 5, Informative

      What you want is Pale Moon which is FF without the bullshit, NO Australis, NO Pocket, and NO ending the extensions, in fact they've been reaching out to ext devs to get them to support PM which now has its own user agent string and the ones who don't they are compiling their own version.

      I've been using them a couple years and its a rock solid dependable browser without the politics and crap, try it I bet you'll like it. Oh and before somebody asks they've recently added a Linux build which you can either get with the installer or through tarball, your choice.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    3. Re: browser.pocket.enabled = false by qubezz · · Score: 5, Informative

      Payola. That's the only reason why a third-party plugin would be forced onto an unwilling user base. Who's getting the money, and how much?

    4. Re: browser.pocket.enabled = false by hairyfeet · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If you want the project to continue? Then please leave the new start page and use it for any searches or click throughs to places like FB or Flicker as the devs get a couple cents for clicks which goes to keeping the team up and running. I personally have NO problem with an arrangement like this as it means I can keep my Adblock on and still support the team so I use it all the time, I hope others do as well to keep the project going strong.

      As for the Linux build being a year old? I try my damnedest to avoid Linux (because I find it buggy as fuck) so I only recently came across it thanks to MSFT forcing me to try to find affordable alternatives to Windows "all ur data belong to us" 10 Spyware Edition being the only one you can actually purchase. Personally I'll probably be going to Windows 8.1 but most of my customers don't have the option and once Win 7 reaches EOL I'll have to have a functional alternative, hence why I'm looking at Linux software now, not to mention my Vista customers will be hitting EOL soon and I wouldn't wish Win 10 on my worst enemies.....well maybe the FOSSIes, because that would be funny, but otherwise no..

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    5. Re: browser.pocket.enabled = false by rduke15 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      These Windows vs Linux (vs Mac) are so ridiculously "last century".

      Yes, Linux is terribly buggy and limited as a Desktop system. But it has been extremely stable and generally a pleasure to work with as a server system.
      Macs are great desktop systems with the advantage of also having a real shell, and generally having Unix under the hood.
      Windows is the most stable desktop system I know (as long as it is not infected by malware), and has the greatest choice of high quality software in almost all categories. But I would certainly hate it if I needed to use it as a server.

      As it is, I use all 3 daily, and usually have a couple of ssh and/or VNC windows to other systems open. Just use the right tool for the job. This juvenile OS war is so passé...

  3. /Oblg. No plans to use Firefox then by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sad to see once a web browser that once was a bastion of open source become yet-another-sell-out.

    1. Re:/Oblg. No plans to use Firefox then by shubus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Of course I would like to get rid of Pocket. 3rd party bookmarking? Yah, like that's all it does. More than likely Pocket is collecting your browser history and selling it to 3rd parties to target advertising your way. Indeed Firefox has lost it.

    2. Re:/Oblg. No plans to use Firefox then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      People gave up on it because it had tons of problems and the developers at Mozilla are a bunch of clueless douchebags.

      Firefox is dead and there is zero reason to use it when there are many vastly superior choices.

    3. Re:/Oblg. No plans to use Firefox then by Cthefuture · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Honestly curious what the "superior" choice is?

      The spyware known as Chrome/Chromium? Internet Explorer? The unstable Opera? What is it, man? Please tell us what your awesome browser is so we can join you because frankly I'm out of ideas.

      --
      The ratio of people to cake is too big
  4. I'm howlin' mad: by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Pale Moooooon

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:I'm howlin' mad: by antdude · · Score: 3, Interesting

      SeaMonkey and rarely changed on the front end.

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  5. Re:Was great now just dead by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    At Mozilla, it is our job to continue to synergistically leverage others' long-term high-impact technology as well as continue to competently supply seven-habits-conforming meta-services for 100% customer satisfaction.

    It's also our objective to completely integrate cutting-edge catalysts for change so that we may endeavor to conveniently customize holistic solutions while maintaining the highest standards.

    http://cmorse.org/missiongen/

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  6. Re:Iceweasel for Windows? by twocows · · Score: 5, Informative

    You might want to look into Pale Moon.

  7. Dictator of engineering by manu0601 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dave Camp, Firefox's director of engineering

    At first glance, my brain quickly read "dictator of engineering" :-)

  8. No problem. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Informative

    [about:config] browser.pocket.enabled = false

    Every time Mozilla releases an update, I have to search through the config settings for new ".enabled" things to disable. (sigh)

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    1. Re:No problem. by nmb3000 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Every time Mozilla releases an update, I have to search through the config settings for new ".enabled" things to disable.

      Don't forget the part where you hope to hell they haven't removed even more "about:config" settings you rely on since "nobody uses the feature we intentionally hid behind an obscure configuration setting (surprise!)".

      --
      "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
      /)
  9. Re:Iceweasel for Windows? by RDW · · Score: 4, Informative

    I just did. Alas, I do not wish to download anything that only offers a so-called "web installer".

    You don't have to. The offline installers are linked from the 'Download' dropdown menu right there on their home page.

  10. Re:Iceweasel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    But the browser you build is not a Firefox® browser. Instead, Gentoo users have to go the Iceweasel route.

    That's incorrect. The Mozilla license forbids distribution of the Firefox package if built from modified sources, but anyone building Firefox for himself or herself is free to build the package to suit. That's what happens on Gentoo machines when building Firefox without the bindist USE flag. The firefox on my machines is is Mozilla-branded Firefox, but with Gentoo patches. I can't distribute that, but I can sure use it.

  11. Please forgive my ignorance, by Yxven · · Score: 4, Insightful

    but why does Pocket matter?

    When they first introduced it, I right clicked it and removed it from my toolbar. I haven't thought of it since, yet there are people threatening to boycott Firefox over it.

    I've never about:config disabled it. Is it selling my privacy? Doubling firefox's memory usage? Supporting terrorism?

    Why is it news worthy?

    1. Re:Please forgive my ignorance, by denis-The-menace · · Score: 2

      This is one reason i remember:

      multiple vulnerabilities exposed in pocket.

      http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

      --
      Obama's legacy: (N)othing (S)ecure (A)nywhere and (T)error (S)imulation (A)dministration
    2. Re:Please forgive my ignorance, by vux984 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      but why does Pocket matter?

      Its not what it is, it's what it represents.

      Pocket is a proprietary system, with a commerical company behind it, that produced an addon that a small number of people used.

      That was fine. Nobody objected to it. Nobody cared.

      Then one day, pocket was integrated into the browser. Why? WHY? What possible reason was there to integrate a 3rd party commercial add on directly into the codebase.No good one.

      The free software people were pissed at having a proprietary service.

      The no-bloat were pissed off at another completely pointless feature; especially when the add-on was working just fine for the people who wanted it.

      And the rest of us look at it as the thin edge of the wedge; as in if Mozilla is willing to just thrust this on us... where does it end? Facebook integration next built right in? Twitter after that? Snapchat? Zynga games? Chatroulette? Not as addons... all built right in to firefox.

    3. Re:Please forgive my ignorance, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Pocket matters because it's THE symbol of Mozilla ignoring its strengths and leveraging its weakness.
      What strengths Mozilla/Firefox have (or is perceived to have)? Promotion of open standards instead of proprietary solutions; care for users' privacy; powerful addon infrastructure that allows me to run niche functionality like Pocket if I like it.
      And what did they do? They built in a proprietary solution that has unnecessary privacy considerations that is NOT an addon.

      It's not about technology, it's about doing the exact wrong thing.

  12. Isn't pocket just bookmarks by rsilvergun · · Score: 2

    that somebody gets to track and probably use to serve ads? I can't see a use case for pocket.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  13. Re:I hate social media by Cito · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hehe,

    Yea, I was thinking up some humorous opposite to social media. Every website is now tied into Facebook and Google plus with share and plus and thumbs up icons, that track users every move online. And the use of tracking cookies so once you ever return to site they get a history where you went.

    Social media is the culprit that allows spying like NSA does, how folks get doxxed, etc. It's my opinion websites should have never fell for the trap adding Google analytics code, Stay counter, Facebook, Google plus, double click, twitter, etc

    Since every single site is connected back to Facebook, Plus, Twitter

    You don't need to get access to other site's logs, you got all the federal, tracking cookies, every single site a user has surfed daily can be logged.

    So my satire on the antisocial media. I wish these sites would all unlink from social sites. Remove Facebook, analytics, stay counter and double click tracking which all are even here on Slashdot.

    I already use adblock with 5 blocklists for various things from tracker blocklists , ad lists, social media blocking, anti adblock blocks, then noscript, then greasemonkey plugin script running 'antiAdblock killer'

    Just to get a look at content like we had in 90s.

    I see the web like a newspaper if I want to cut out an article and toss rest in trash, or pull the comics out and toss rest in trash I can.

    Web site owners want the freedom to do what they want on their sites, which is fine, but they scream and cry and don't want users to have freedom to use the web how the user wants. To those site owners that's why I say "fuck off"

    And my idea for Antisocial Media Web 3.0 :-P

  14. Re:How long till nobody else cares about Firefox? by triffid_98 · · Score: 2

    You can have my Firefox when you can pry Firebug from my cold dead hands...or they make a really nice port of it for other browsers.

    Edge is a bit faster, but using it for script development/debugging? Really kind of a pain in the ass.

  15. Re: Iceweasel for Windows? by corychristison · · Score: 2

    Sync in Palemoon is based on the old Sync 1.1 in Firefox. Everything is encrypted client-side and your key is never transmitted. Sync 1.5 is what is currently included in recent Firefox builds. It does transmit your key.

    You run your own Sync 1.1 server, and configure Pale Moon to use it instead if that tickles your fancy. See here: https://docs.services.mozilla....