Chromium or Firefox as the default from 18.10 onwards

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Chromium is looking to become a first class citizen as a Snap package and maybe no longer available as a deb from 18.10 onwards (https://community.ubuntu.com/t/intent-to-provide-chromium-as-a-snap-only/5987)

Firefox fate is not known at this stage but is also available as a snap now - so that is an option for all Ubuntu variants and who knows, maybe mandated in the future.

So I think it is right and proper to consider again our default Browser on first install for 18.10 onwards since the last time we considered this was in the budgie-remix days two years ago.

EDIT: The choice is limited to two browsers that are maintained in the Ubuntu Repositories - all other browsers are maintained outside of Ubuntu and cannot be included in our ISO since we are not allowed to include third party repositories by default.

We do make it very easy to install either Chromium or Firefox - and indeed Chrome and Vivaldi - on first logon via the budgie-welcome getting started wizard.

Iā€™ll leave the arguments as to which we should default to you - please keep discussion to just the proā€™s and conā€™s.

As always - majority wins ā€¦ but I do reserve the right to reconsider the vote if I see any nefarious voting :wink:

  • Default to Chromium
  • Default to Firefox

0 voters

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BTW - Iā€™ve seen various comments about Brave - think this would be a nice option to add to the browser ballot in Budgie Welcome to give new users more choice.

Anyone fancy working on that? https://github.com/ubuntubudgie/budgie-welcome

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As a former IT consultant ( Mac and PC) for for than 20 years, I have used several technologies including browsers.

During my last 10 years I was using Chrome but got to learn Firefox during the last few years and I would never go back to chrome ( even if I consider Chrome / Chromium to be " very good, stable and fast browser")

I would definitively make Firefox the default but as you did, make it simple for new Budgie users to add other browsersā€¦

At the end of the day, the best browser is often the one we spend time to learn and understand but I must admit Firefox has many cool optionsā€¦

JF

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Firefox vote here, even though I split between using it and Chromeā€¦ I agree that Brave would be a nice option to add to the Ballot.

As an aside, I continue to be unimpressed by the Snap format. Firefox, for example, looks terrible as a Snap and doesnā€™t conform to the desktop style. It also didnā€™t have access to all my drives (including my preferred and syncā€™ed Download directory) due to its sandboxed nature, which is annoying. Iā€™m also still amazed by how slow Snaps are to load at first launch. I understand the appeal of Snaps for devs and network administrators, but I continue to see no benefit for them as a individual desktop user. I know Canonical is working on these elements, but I still find them frustratingā€¦

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Since the new rewrite in version 57 Firefox is on top again. I hate that you canā€˜t even scroll with middle click without a plugin in chrome and their bookmark management is just aweful.

So yeah, Firefox all the way

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Another Firefox vote, especially the non-snap version.

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I would add it (brave) for sure to welcome. Simple snap install too.

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May be note the place to ask for it, but as I didnā€™t know brave, the " Brave for dummies " version of : Why use brave or how brave is different from other browser ?

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Basically, Brave has its own ad blocker which replaces blocked ads with its own ads and reimburses the page with the blocked ads with micropayments in return. Itā€™s an interesting (and controversial?) system, the idea being that malicious, slow, and tracking ads are replaced by fast, unobtrusive, secure ads. It also uses https by default. They also claim to be the fastest browser as well. Since itā€™s Chromium based, I believe you can use all your usually extensions as well. I think the Brave CEO was the original Mozilla founder?

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Brave does not use chrome extensions and they cannot be loaded from the store. I have seen articles in the last where people had side-loaded them, but I am not sure what the current status is.

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Thanks for the clarification. I must have been thinking of the side loading you mentionedā€¦

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A web browser is so essential that I think every effort should be made to have the most capable one and have it running at its best.

Just this morning I had to install firefox on my little sisterā€™s laptop because she wanted to watch Netflix, and Chromium wasnā€™t able to play the videos.

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How about a choice of ā€œNoneā€? Do something like Microsoft was required to do for several European countries and give them a list of what they want to install on first run?

To me, Linux is about not worrying about limits.

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The browser ballot already exists within the welcome screen. But most people expect at least a single browser to be installed.

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Yeah thatā€™s something new that came up in 18.04.

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Okay then how about move that to the last part of the Install process?

Could still give one for the live cd version, but right after you set up the initial account give them the browser ballot box?

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Itā€™s possible, but comes down to what the majority of the community would like.

Which is why we have the thread going. :grin:

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I feel thatā€™s totally awesome, but not able to express my feeling via the poll so there you go, my 2 cents :slight_smile:

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And your two cents is greatly appreciated!!

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I am glad that Budgie offers the option to install the Vivaldi browser.
Vivaldi, imo has superior accessibility options over all the other browsers and I have them ALL installed. Only Vivaldi will adjust preferred font sizes everywhere for example. Vivaldi is fast and reliable and the Vivaldi-snapshot (the leading edge beta version) is now my default browser.

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