As there seems to have been recent confusion about this, just a quick "official" toot to then pin: we haven't and won't support "generative AI" related stuff in LibreWolf. If you see some features like that (like Perplexity search recently, or the link preview feature now) it is solely because it "slipped through". As soon as we become aware of something like this / it gets reported to us, we will remove/disable it ASAP.
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lorenzo
in reply to LibreWolf • • •Disisdeguey🔻Pavlichenko🇵🇸
in reply to LibreWolf • • •Anthony
in reply to LibreWolf • • •This is great to hear.
I have a question pertaining to AI and Librewolf. Recently I started collecting the AI-related configuration options that appear when viewing
about:configin Firefox: buc.ci/abucci/p/1764685990.503… . There is one related to Perplexity I've found in the meantime that isn't on that list (browser.urlbar.perplexity.hasBeenInSearchMode). Do these configuration options reflect code and features you are able to remove from the codebase completely? Or must it stay in there, but turned off? I get that you might not have plans to do this, or even be able to, but I figured I'd ask.I ask because my recent experience with Firefox is that they are rapidly adding new AI-related features and corresponding configuration options like these. Many (most) are on by default when they're added, there does not seem to be an obvious place to find some of them in the Settings, and there does not seem to be a "master switch" to turn them all
... show moreThis is great to hear.
I have a question pertaining to AI and Librewolf. Recently I started collecting the AI-related configuration options that appear when viewing
about:configin Firefox: buc.ci/abucci/p/1764685990.503… . There is one related to Perplexity I've found in the meantime that isn't on that list (browser.urlbar.perplexity.hasBeenInSearchMode). Do these configuration options reflect code and features you are able to remove from the codebase completely? Or must it stay in there, but turned off? I get that you might not have plans to do this, or even be able to, but I figured I'd ask.I ask because my recent experience with Firefox is that they are rapidly adding new AI-related features and corresponding configuration options like these. Many (most) are on by default when they're added, there does not seem to be an obvious place to find some of them in the Settings, and there does not seem to be a "master switch" to turn them all off. It'd be really nice not to have to be hypervigilant about this stuff, just as it's nice not to have to be hypervigilant about ads and tracking or telemetry.
Thanks for your work!
Anthony
2025-12-02 14:33:10
Microplastics101
in reply to LibreWolf • • •Tinker ☀️
in reply to Microplastics101 • • •@Microplastics101 - It absolutely is a security issue, but this is a situation where it's the best we can get.
Librewolf works by forking the main project (which is toxic but not as toxic as Chromium projects) and trying to scrub the bad stuff out.
That sucks (as a concept) and it's a tough job, but there just isnt a better alternative now.
There just aren't any clean Web Browser Engines that are fully functional and useful now. We have hope for other projects building separate web browser engines but those aren't ready yet. We are stuck with Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome/Chromium as the only two engines to build off of.
The best we have is the heroic team at LibreWolf and a very few other similar projects trying to filter out the poison so we can injest it without hurting as much than if we injested the main fully poisonous core project.
Microplastics101
in reply to Tinker ☀️ • • •Mercutio
in reply to Microplastics101 • • •The Tor Browser is a Firefox ESR, configured for maximum privacy and to use the Tor network.
The others are based on Chrom(e/ium) or Chrome's Blink engine, and only marginally better that Chrome itself.
Microplastics101
in reply to Mercutio • • •Tinker ☀️
in reply to Microplastics101 • • •@Microplastics101 @Mercutio - Microsoft Edge is a fork of Google Chrome/Chromium
Yes, it is that hard.
The modern web runs full blown applications within a sandboxed browser. It's massively complex. Front End (what the user sees) and backend (what does all the heavy computing on the server side).
There *are* efforts to build new browser engines separate from Firefox/Chrome but they are underfunded and understaffed. Its firefox (paid for massively by Google donations) and Google proper. That's it.
Microplastics101
in reply to Tinker ☀️ • • •A.B. Murrow
in reply to Microplastics101 • • •@Microplastics101 @tinker @Mercutio Right now the only feasible alternative in the ecosystem is a project called Servo servo.org/. It is not a fully functional browser yet, just the rendering engine. Plus, it isn't finished yet.
But, the rendering engine is fully independent. Its not based on either Chromium's Blink engine or Mozilla's Gecko engine.
The idea is, sort of like how developers can fork Chromium or Firefox, and make a bunch of changes to it but the core behavior of fetching and rendering a page stays the same. Its supposed to have some major speed and security improvements baked in to the design so the end result can compete with Mozilla and Google.
I'm a web developer. The w
... show more@Microplastics101 @tinker @Mercutio Right now the only feasible alternative in the ecosystem is a project called Servo servo.org/. It is not a fully functional browser yet, just the rendering engine. Plus, it isn't finished yet.
But, the rendering engine is fully independent. Its not based on either Chromium's Blink engine or Mozilla's Gecko engine.
The idea is, sort of like how developers can fork Chromium or Firefox, and make a bunch of changes to it but the core behavior of fetching and rendering a page stays the same. Its supposed to have some major speed and security improvements baked in to the design so the end result can compete with Mozilla and Google.
I'm a web developer. The web is the single most complicated technology ever built, and it has been built by thousands of brilliant people over decades. The web browser is the most sophisticated and well engineered piece of software most people will ever use.
A good web browser needs to be able to make every half-baked, over engineered, or nearly forgotten feature of the web work in order for the experience to feel seamless (and there are thousands of features, old language quirks, and graphical considerations, etc.). It is a massive undertaking that takes huge investment, and a lot of time and brainpower. Hence, why most projects to make a new browser usually start by copying an existing one.
If you have a few bucks laying around at the end of the year, the Servo folks would be a great group to donate to.
Servo aims to empower developers with a lightweight, high-performance alternative for embedding web technologies in applications.
Servo