diff --git a/.vscode/settings.json b/.vscode/settings.json index 7da4883..eb74d3e 100644 --- a/.vscode/settings.json +++ b/.vscode/settings.json @@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ "editor.detectIndentation": false, "editor.insertSpaces": false, "cSpell.words": [ + "bspwm", + "classnet", "developomp", "developomp's", "dompurify", @@ -12,9 +14,13 @@ "Fontawesome", "hljs", "katex", + "Librewolf", + "polybar", "Pomky", + "sxhkd", "texmath", "tinycolor", + "ungoogled", "YYYYMMDD" ], "[svg]": { diff --git a/markdown/posts/finding the ultimate browser.md b/markdown/posts/finding the ultimate browser.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2831b8b --- /dev/null +++ b/markdown/posts/finding the ultimate browser.md @@ -0,0 +1,99 @@ +--- +title: Finding the ultimate browser +date: 2022-03-24 +--- + +## Intro + +When I made the switch to Linux, I had to reconsider every choice I've made throughout the entire time I've been using Windows. +Most of them were trivial choices, some took a bit of time but I eventually figured it out but one problem stood out to be much more difficult than the others: +Which browser should I use? +Spoiler alert, I'm still waiting for the _ultimate browser_^TM^ but at least now I have something to share. +Make yourself comfortable because you're in for a ride. +This is my journey to find the ultimate browser. + +## The beginning + +For us to talk about browsers, we first have to go all the way back to the early 2000s, +when the only computer in my house was a old windows XP PC with a CRT monitor that was probably as old as me. +When I was old enough to understand language, my father introduced me to my first browser: The Internet explorer (abbreviated to IE from this point onward). + +At the time, it was everything I wished for and more, but little did I know, +IE was already on the decline while another browser was quietly climbing up the market share. + +

+ browser market share +
+ source: statcounter.com +

+ +One day, probably after my father upgraded the PC to Windows 7, +the default browser was changed to some colorful ball looking thing. +And its name was Google Chrome. + +Not much have changed with my browsing experience as I didn't use much internet back then - I didn't even know that YouTube was a thing - +but the switch is worth mentioning because it made Chrome the browser that I grew up with instead of IE. + +## Switching to Linux + +By the time I was in grade 8 I considered myself to be quite a tech-savvy person. +I knew how the internet worked behind the scene, I was able code basic programs, had some experience with Machine Learning and Linux, +was interested in various online privacy and security issues, and was no stranger to the DIY culture. +That, added with the fact that Microsoft was making Windows worse by day made me make the switch to Linux. +And along the way, I ditched Google Chrome for Chromium. + +In hindsight, I could have chose a better browser like firefox but I chose Chromium because I couldn't Ctrl+W away pinned tabs. +Sounds silly now but it was a big deal back then since the only browser I was familiar with was Google Chrome. + +Anyways, despite the poor decision, +this is probably the most important day in my search for the ultimate browser since it was the first major change I made on my own. + +## Not enough + +When I made the switched to Chromium, I was disappointed to see no changes in my browsing experience whatsoever. +Maybe if I used more advanced features I would have felt the difference but Chromium even supported account syncing back then +so I didn't experience any. +Familiarity isn't what I singed up for when I switched to Linux so I needed to find a new browser. + +After constantly switching browser every couple of weeks for the next two years, +trying many, many different browsers, I finally settled on one: librewolf. + +## Is this it? + +I could write an entire post just listing what librewolf does things right but to keep things simple: +it is not an obscure browser, it is secure, and it respects my privacy. +To put it simply, it was the ultimate browser I was desperately looking for. + +After configuring librewolf to suit my need, I was happiest I've ever been using a browser. +It created no cookies I didn't need, all my favorite extensions were there, and most importantly, I felt secure. +Not a single site was broken (at the time), and the only problem I had was the lack of performance. +I had to use chromium for io games that needed juicy 3 digit fps but other than that, I was satisfied. +I used librewolf all the way until I entered college. + +## I came for copper but I found gold + +Librewolf slowly lost its charm when firefox - the browser librewolf is based on - +was going in a direction I didn't like and some college related sites started breaking on librewolf. +I also never got used to opening chromium every other day. +One day, I was so fed up with the problems librewolf had that I decided to replace librewolf. + +I considered using raw chromium again since they removed much of google-specific code, +but then I remembered that ungoogled chromium was a thing. + +When I first saw ungoogled chromium way beck when I was trying different browsers, +it didn't really piqued my interest because back then I was heavily reliant on google's services +but now I barely use them at all so I knew it would work perfectly for me now. + +I quickly configured ungoogled chromium to delete cookies and histories on exit, installed some of my favorite extensions, +and changed some security related settings and I was shocked to see how closely it resembled the feelings of librewolf. +As a added bonus, I don't have to open another browser to play io games. + +## Conclusion + +For now, I'm more than satisfied with ungoogled chromium but it's still far from being perfect. +Though most if not all google-specific code was removed, +the original code is written by Google and some of the borderline spyware features could potentially find its way to my computer. + +Currently I'm not actively looking for the ultimate browser (and I don't think it even exists yet), +but I'm ready ditch ungoogled chromium the first chance I get. +I'll make sure to make a follow-up post if that ever happens. diff --git a/public/img/posts/linux-setup-script/browser-market-share-trend.png b/public/img/posts/linux-setup-script/browser-market-share-trend.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f3a6095 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/img/posts/linux-setup-script/browser-market-share-trend.png differ