this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2026

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265

Mozilla accuses Microsoft of sabotaging Firefox with Windows and Copilot tactics (nerds.xyz)

submitted 1 week ago by commander@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 45 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

There's a lot of people on the Mozilla hate train, and they do deserve a bit of ire for some of their more puzzling decisions. All I wanted from Firefox was a configurable browser with sane defaults, that lets me block ads and does all the normal browser things without being a total black box of corporate telemetry and profiling. To a large degree Firefox has been the best mainstream browser for people who can't dance with the devil and use Chrome. In many aspects, it has made better decisions than Chrome.

With that said, I didn't want Pocket, I didn't want AI, and I'm mildly annoyed that this sort of thing is in the default build. It feels like a windows installer asking you to install 10 additional programs, but the ticked boxes are greyed out. I just want a browser, no crypto wallets, no ai assistants, no built-in mail client, no biometric scanning.

Firefox has been around long enough to have been both god tier and trash tier at different points. I don't think the AI focus is going to go well for Mozilla. I'd like them to focus on browser stuff.

[–] festus@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I had an ad in my Firefox settings for "Solo AI Website Creator". It's a product from Mozilla for using AI to build your website. Note that it's not open source, and you must rely on them to host your website (no export functionality, and recurring fees outside a basic free tier).

I agree with you, I wish Mozilla would focus solely on their mission instead of trying to build all these side projects people don't want.

[–] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I meeeean…. I kinda agree with you, but where exactly do you expect funding to come from? “Focus only on the browser. That they make no money off. Also stop accepting money from Google.”

Like I get it to an extent, it would be nice. But how exactly is “make no money” a viable business plan?

[–] festus@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago

That's fair. I wouldn't reject money from Google but instead build up an endowment with it for when it eventually disappears. If you can recover your market share (maybe by investing in your browser - the peformance is lagging) then you can also demand more money from Google to set them as default. Finally, Mozilla is a non-profit and I wouldn't be opposed to them just asking for donations, like most non-profits.

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 days ago

I just want a browser, no crypto wallets, no ai assistants, no built-in mail client, no biometric scanning.

3 out of those 4 are not even a thing in firefox

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 21 points 6 days ago

What's up with the AI slop image for this post?

Also, Mozilla is destroying Firefox by themselves, they don't need help from m$

[–] MousePotatoDoesStuff@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Downvoting for unsolicited AI slop on my feed.

[–] QuandaleDingle@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

It would've been cool if they used Blender for the lil' guy. 🥺

[–] zerofk@lemmy.zip 21 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The original article mentions the sabotaging only as historical evidence for a trend of pushing its tech onto people. It is not saying Microsoft is currently doing it specifically to sabotage anyone. Bullshit title.

The original article also mentions several things as fact that are not, and omits other facts, but that’s a different discussion.

[–] SaraTonin@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago

Given the image,i wouldn’t be at all surprised if the article were just AI

[–] reksas@sopuli.xyz 16 points 6 days ago

firefox really shouldnt be our only line of defence for decent browser..

[–] bobo@lemmy.ml 12 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Did they also force them to kill MDN, buy pocket, or funnel 99% of the foundation's budget on everything that's not Firefox?

Edit: fact checked myself and the budget part is completely incorrect. The foundation just leeches on the corporation through yearly royalties.

[–] Strawberry@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What's this about killing MDN?

[–] bobo@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

In 2020 they fired the entire MDN writing team, slashed the budget, and basically left it in maintainance mode. The same year the foundation decided to drop millions on teaching Africans to code or some shit...

[–] demonsword@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The same year the foundation decided to drop millions on teaching Africans to code or some shit

this would be a very good use of money, if the money actually reached the target audience

[–] bobo@lemmy.ml 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I've got no issues with helping people in need, but even if it's not an embezzlement scheme, this is extremely bad prioritization unless their priority is publicity.

MDN is a proven resource that's helped a lot of people learn to code. How many African translators can you hire for a milion a year, let alone like 8? How many more people would learn to code that way?l

But nah, let's feed money into "partners" that use some experimental teaching methods, while destroying a crucial learning resource because corona made us broke.

Edit: fact checked myself and the corp killed MDN, and they're paying the foundation to do projects like this through royalties.

[–] Teppa@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Thundermail seems cool at least, as an encrypted email service.

[–] bobo@lemmy.ml 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Thundermail seems cool at least

Thunder* is developed by a separate corporation, they're just both subsidiaries of the mozilla foundation. Also mzla is pretty much financially independent due to individual donations.

https://blog.thunderbird.net/2025/10/state-of-the-bird-2024-25/

as an encrypted email service.

You can send e2ee emails with thunderbird.

[–] Sunny@slrpnk.net 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The only thing destroying Firefox is Mozilla themselves.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 5 days ago

too drunk on that google money.

[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 5 points 6 days ago

Firefox makes a good fork base anyway

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago

When Windows lets me make Dolphin the default file manager I'll believe they don't have a right to force people to use whatever product they wish.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip -1 points 6 days ago

Not fair! Mozilla can self-sabotage without the help of Microslop, thank you very much!

[–] TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone 376 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Holy shit that image... we need to destroy AI I'm sick of this absolute garbage polluting the web

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 90 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Yes, I agree. Join us over on fuck_AI

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[–] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 217 points 1 week ago

Here's the original article from Mozilla instead of this third-party AI slop regurgitating it.

[–] mushroommunk@lemmy.today 122 points 1 week ago

Fuck off with this AI bullshit

[–] Monkey@piefed.social 108 points 1 week ago (1 children)

ai;dr

[–] MrKoyun@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

oh wow. someone's actually using this.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 89 points 1 week ago

Windows forcing their own propriatary software as a means to destroy competing web browsers? Is it 1997 already?

[–] Tharkys@lemmy.wtf 53 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I don't think Microslop really needs to sabotage Firefox. Firefox is doing a really good job of shooting their own selves in the foot.

[–] foggenbooty@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I don't get this argument. Mozilla and Firefox is the best we have. Are they perfect, no, but don't let perfect be the enemy of good. They are still a lot better than the alternatives.

It's obviously important to hold Mozilla accountable, but I worry that all the negativity makes people just stick with Chrome or Edge because they think it's all the same.

[–] MrKoyun@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Its the best we have, given that our standart of "good" is privacy and open-source etc. Otherwise Firefox is just not a great browser. Especially on mobile. And Mozilla keeps making it kinda worse for privacy bit by bit. There isnt really any reason for someone who doesnt care about privacy to usw firefox.

[–] foggenbooty@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

I'll agree that their mobile experience is not great, they don't support tablet layouts for example, but it still has the best support for ad blocking. I consider that essential for the modern internet.

My big concern is that we're repeating the Internet Explorer issue all over again, where the web is coded for it instead of standards. Now Google has the ability to strong arm the Internet by not adopting standards, pushing their preferences, etc. Web sites are being coded coded to run on better on Blink than Gecko so it gets worse all the time. If we give up on Mozilla the Internet will fall even further into the hands of big tech.

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