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Waterfox
Version: g3.0.0 Web: www.waterfox.net
Time for a privacy talk. As long as we spend lots of time browsing the web, then that’s largely a web browser talk. Anyone running Linux knows there’s a wide variety of browsers for any taste, but opening the hood reveals a much narrower choice: either the Chromium engine or the much weaker WebKit engine. Thankfully there is a third way: Firefox is a high-quality mainstream browser. Mozilla says it cares about privacy, but there are also third parties developed forks of Firefox with enhanced privacy settings. One of the best of these forks is Waterfox, which all Firefox lovers should definitely give a try.
The main difference between the original and its scion is that the latter strips off telemetry, doesn’t ‘phone home’ and limits data collection where possible. Sounds nice, but there are already many other Firefox clones with similar customisations (LibreWolf, say). However, Waterfox has got something else: it removes Mozilla’s control over what extensions you can and can’t run. Waterfox restores the use of (the security flawed – Ed) 64-bit NPAPI plug-ins and enables users to install both web extensions and legacy Firefox add-ons. That said, if an extension/add-on gets rejected by Mozilla, it can still land somewhere else, like the Waterfox-backed add-on store (legacycollector.org). The new generation of Waterfox (g3.x) has kept the promise to retain all those classic compatibility features while switching to the newer Gecko 78 engine.
We were impressed with this browser’s performance. With Waterfox, you have access to a well-supported and updated Firefox-like browser that can still run the huge heritage of legacy Firefox add-ons. With titles like ClassicThemeRestorer, you can make Waterfox look like an early Firefox 3.x application, knowing it’s up-to-date under the bonnet. Web sites often detect Waterfox as an older Firefox ESR release, but Waterfox is not Firefox ESR, it receives security and feature updates from its own update channel. Looking for a customisable and less bloated Firefox? Try Waterfox!
