Google is Killing uBlock Origin. No Chromium Browser is Safe.
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We’ve been anticipating it for years,1 and it’s finally happening. Google is finally killing uBlock Origin – with a note on their web store stating that the extension will soon no longer be available because it “doesn’t follow the best practices for Chrome extensions”.2 Daly Barnett. “Chrome Users Beware: Manifest V3 is Deceitful and Threatening.” EFF, December 9, 2021. ↩ Lawrence Abrams. “Google warns uBlock Origin and other extensions may be disabled soon.” Bleeping Computer, October 13, 2024. ↩

Google is weakening ad blockers as part of their MV3 extension standard and this will trickle down into all Chromium browsers. Built in ad blockers lack features compared to uBlock Origin as well.

  • SanguinePar@lemmy.world
    1·
    1 month ago

    I’ve recently switched to FF as my main browser, but I still need Chrome for some work things. And some people will want to stay on Chrome. So for them, this IS a problem.

    Just dismissing it because other browsers exist isn’t helpful.

    • orangeboats@lemmy.world
      1·
      1 month ago

      Usually I sympathize with sentiments like this (“people use X because of uncontrolled circumstances”), but browsers are not one of them.

      If you have a website that requires the use of Chrome, then just use Chrome for that website! It’s not an either-or thing – you can install both browsers and use Firefox as the primary one.

      And some people will want to stay on Chrome.

      And that’s what makes this statement so problematic. You don’t earn anything by staying exclusively on Chrome, when both it and Firefox can work alongside each other.

    • acockworkorange@mander.xyz
      0·
      1 month ago

      I am under the same predicament, but found that I can still use FF by spoofing the user agent on those “chrome only” websites. I don’t recall ever having an issue, but in case a specific functionality fails for you, all you gotta do is open up a chromium browser to sidestep the problem.

      • SanguinePar@lemmy.world
        0·
        1 month ago

        Thanks. My main issue is the lack of progressive web app ability in Firefox. I have my Outlook, Gmail, Keep, Calendar, Netflix and other sites set up that way, but can’t do it with FF.

        I did hear that they might be working on adding it though, which would be great.

        • acockworkorange@mander.xyz
          1·
          1 month ago

          Adding it back. They pioneered it way back, even before there was a PWA, they had a similar solution. It was not perfect, but scratched many itches and was trending in the right direction. Then they dropped. One of the many casualties of Mozilla’s mismanagement. And this one really tickles the conspiracy theorist in me.

          On a more practical note: add shortcuts to these sites in your desktop/start menu/launcher. It’s not the same, but your muscle memory will thank you.

          • SanguinePar@lemmy.world
            1·
            1 month ago

            Thanks, yeah, I actually started doing that, but having those sites open as tabs in browser windows just wasn’t working for me. That, and the favicons just being the FF logo instead of the logo for each “app”. I might have another go, but I’ve been busy with work and have just taken the path of least resistance so far.

            That’s interesting about FF and PWAs, I didn’t know that it used to do something like that. I guess Google aren’t the only ones who kill useful stuff! 😁