Struggled for a long time between Chrome and Arc, finally chose Librewolf - Fewer Parties#
Omnivore#
After struggling for a long time between Chrome and Arc, I finally chose Librewolf.
This article introduces the Librewolf browser and some commonly used plugins.
Background#
Librewolf is a browser based on Mozilla Firefox development. Firefox itself is an excellent open-source software, as shown in the figure below.
Librewolf adds some advanced privacy protection settings on this basis to facilitate ordinary users.
In the end, there are several reasons for switching from Chrome to Librewolf:
- Common Chrome plugins can be found on Librewolf (Firefox Add-ons Store), providing a consistent user experience. I have never been accustomed to Arc's tab logic;
- My Chrome browser always has strange bugs: occasionally unable to log in to Google accounts on third-party platforms and showing errors, while Safari can;
- Arc's sidebar experience is good, and Sidebery can achieve similar functions and provide a tree-like tab structure. For settings, please refer to: Configuring Firefox Vertical Tab Bar. After setting, the interface is very clean (see the figure below);
- Firefox-based browsers have lower power consumption. This is a strange requirement, but it is indeed needed. When I travel, I carry a 65w charger. When I open multiple software, there are times when it cannot charge;
- I originally wanted to choose Firefox (the little fox is so cute), but Librewolf's privacy settings are ready to use, which is really convenient. If I use Firefox, I may want to tinker with it again in the future;
- Fresh feeling;
- Privacy is important: Why Do I Care So Much About Privacy?;
- Librewolf does not play any DRM content by default. YouTube does not apply DRM protection to creators' videos, but it does apply DRM protection to their commercial advertisements. Therefore, using Librewolf allows you to enjoy ad-free YouTube videos completely for free;
- Open-source software is cool. If two software provide similar experiences, I will choose the open-source one.
Firefox Add-ons#
Librewolf uses the Firefox Add-ons Store.
Bypass Paywalls Clean - used to bypass paywalls on websites and access restricted content.
ChatGPTBox - summarizes web page content.
ClearURLs - privacy tool that automatically removes tracking parameters and unnecessary metadata from URLs.
Clip to DEVONthink - clips and saves content from web pages to DEVONthink.
Content Farm Terminator - identifies content farm websites, which typically feature low-quality content and ads.
Copy PlainText - copies plain text from web pages.
Dualsub - displays subtitles in two languages in videos.
EasyScholar - displays the impact factor and partition of research papers.
Enhanced GitHub - optimizes GitHub browsing and usage experience.
Enpass Password Manager - password manager.
Google Scholar Button - quick access to Google Scholar search engine.
Humble New Tab Page - customizes the new tab page.
I don't care about cookies - disables cookie notifications on websites to improve browsing experience.
Immersive Translate: Web Page&PDF Translation - plugin for translating web pages and PDFs.
MetaMask - cryptocurrency wallet plugin.
Readwise Highlighter - imports articles into Readwise Reader and highlights and annotates them.
Sidebery - tree-like browser tab sidebar. For settings, please refer to: Configuring Firefox Vertical Tab Bar.
Tampermonkey - script manager for customizing website behavior and appearance. The scripts I use are shown in the figure below and have been backed up and uploaded to Github.
UBlock Origin - ad blocker.
V2EX Polish - optimizes the browsing experience on v2ex.
Zotero Connector - browser plugin for Zotero literature management software, used for collecting, managing, and citing academic literature and information.
SearX - changes the default search engine.