[someothherguyy]

This feature can be easily disabled with policies:

https://mozilla.github.io/policy-templates/#generativeai

https://mozilla.github.io/policy-templates/#preferences

https://searchfox.org/firefox-main/source/browser/app/profil...

https://searchfox.org/firefox-main/source/modules/libpref/in...

[bigstrat2003]

This is like when people defend Windows 11's nonsense by saying "you can disable or remove that stuff". Yes, you can. But you shouldn't have to, and I personally prefer to use tools which don't shove useless things into the tool because it's trendy.

[calvinmorrison]

not to mention firefox routinely blows up any policies you set during upgrades, incompatibilities, and an endless about:config that is more opaque than a hunk of room temperature lard.

[someothherguyy]

Well, you aren't the only person using a tool, and it probably matters more to those who are making things "trendy".

In general, how else would people "learn" about a feature unless it was enabled by default or the product nagged them?

[fsflover]

The difference is that on Windows all unwanted features eventually become mandatory, with no way of switching them off. With Firefox, it never happens.

[derekdahmer]

How is this different from linux? People happily spend hours customizing defaults in their OS. It’s usually a point of praise for open source software.

[beached_whale]

Easy for who? 99% of people are not going/able to setup firefox policies.

[someothherguyy]

More than 1% of humans can read and create a file on computer. Others know how to read and use a search engine, and way more can be instructed by a LLM on how to do so.

I would say it is nearly as easy as installing waterfox or some other privacy focused fork of Firefox.

[phyzome]

Even if we ignore things like "they're chasing AI fads instead of better things" and "they're adding attack surface" and so forth, and just focus on the disabling feature toggles thing...

... Mozilla has re-enabled AI-related toggles that people have disabled. (I've heard this from others and observed it myself.) They also keep adding new ones that aren't controlled by a master switch. They're getting pretty user-hostile.

[koolala]

Is it really in all 4 of those places? Just need to change it in the first two, right? I hate the new AI tab feature and wish they had a non-AI option.

[someothherguyy]

You can disable the one option. I included links to the source code to show the level of preferences you can customize, and how it is processed.

[nitwit005]

They absolutely know people want that, and absolutely aren't going to add it.