...It doesn't matter what they change, someone like you will treat it like it's the end of the world....
The marketshare numbers for Firefox disagree with you. Firefox is losing users.
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So you have a decision to make.
You can continue to blame those who say Mozilla has chosen the wrong path.
Or you can try to change the direction Mozilla has chosen with the goal of regaining the users that Firefox has lost.
It's sad, but if Mozilla dies, will any free software group fill their void?
imo, Mozilla is no longer a free software group. They sold out long ago. And now they are exploiting their users, just like other for-profit corporations.
Install Classic Theme Restorer if you miss your overly complicated UI
The recent version of Firefox did not remove the complications, it removed the ability to customize.
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If Mozilla wants to have a simple, dumbed-down interface for Firefox as the default, I am absolutely OK with that PROVIDED that Mozilla retains the ability in Firefox to customize the interface to the complexity level that I want.
That is the problem with Mozilla's current thinking. Mozilla has removed the ability to customize Firefox. The "Classic Theme Restorer" is a bug-fest. It's the equivalent of putting a pile of shit out in a fly farm.
if Mozilla strategically intends to have plug-ins or add-ons provide essential functionality of a browser, then Mozilla needs to implement a quality assurance certification program for those plug-ins and add-ons. The current "works for me" ratings systems fails miserably in this regard.
...What, exactly, do you hate about it?...
For starters, I do not 'hate" software. It's not an emotional thing for me. I look at software as something that helps me do what I need and/or want to do.
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To that end, Firefox's Australis is a degradation of Firefox. It has significantly reduced my ability to customize the user interface of Firefox to suit my needs.
Mozilla's attempt to find a "one size fits all operating systems" approach to Firefox has resulted in a significant dumbing down of the user interface.
I do not want Firefox to look the same across all the OS's I use. I want Firefox to exploit each OS to the greatest extent while staying within the conventions of that OS. That's where Mozilla went astray....
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Mozilla is in a war with its users, and the users are losing. Firefox's declining marketshare is evidence that the users are losing.
Mozilla is the only hope left in the browser market. The rest are controlled by mega corps...
I am more concerned about attitude towards users than who controls the browser.
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Mozilla,over the past year or so, has shown complete disdain for the desires of its users. And the result of that disdain is a declining marketshare.
How long will it be before Mozilla is little more than a Netscape-like footnote in the history of the web?
...a reminder that you can turn tiles off completely
How long will it be before Mozilla decides that the users no longer need the ability to turn off the sponsored tiles?
...Microsoft seems to think they need to release a new OS to stay competitive....
I think it is more that Microsoft thinks they need to release a new OS to keep the revenue flowing towards Redmond. Remember the Microsoft Upgrade Treadmill of yore? That business strategy is so engrained in Microsoft that they do not know any other way of convincing consumers to buy Microsoft products.
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Microsoft is still living in the past world where Microsoft controlled computing. First and foremost, Microsoft needs to learn how to compete in the marketplace by convincing consumers that Microsoft products are worth buying.
I'd argue that using windows is easier for most people than it is using Linux....
Why is Microsoft afraid of allowing the marketplace to decide?
There's got to be more to life than compile-and-go.