I get what you mean, but alot of people out there aren't necessarily idiots,
but rather they don't have a specialty in technology. many people, even many
who use free software rather have a simple firefox/icecat browser that just
comes with the evil things removed and some good things added to protect them
so that they have to do the minimal amount of set up to just get it working.
if it doesn't "just werk" many people just throw it right in the trash and go
to an easier option. what's so great about icecat is that it IS that easier
option and it's also better for security than a normal firefox browser. take
away the benefit to using it and it's just some boring browser that does
nothing special at all.
I'm absolutely not in any way at all suggesting we take away the choice or
freedom from the user, but if all the good things about icecat are removed and
most smart people (who aren't good in tech) have to spend 10 million
frustrating headache hours pounding their head into their computer screen
searching for answers on dead forums with spiderwebs in the corners and those
weird mods who delete topics with answers to obsucure questions and failing to
find any answers and desperately trying to add those good things back into
firefox, they will simply just stop using icecat out of frustration.
smart people who can't figure out tech will just scream and cry at their
computer screens in frustration as the very last FOSS minimalistic browser with
some security features in existance becomes the "generic do-nothing browser"
that already exists all over the internet in many different redundant and
boring forms. there are loads of browsers out there already that do "nothing
but browse" so why should we de-specialize icecat? why make it so normal that
it's not worth using it?
I love the fact that icecat is very minimalistic, but I'm very happy that it
comes what it comes with and many others are too. we shouldn't bloat icecat to
death because look at what happened to mainstream firefox, but we shouldn't gut
it to death until its a hollow shell that does nothing.
--
Securely sent with Tutanota. Claim your encrypted mailbox today!
https://tutanota.com
20. Aug 2016 16:11 by [email protected]:
> Hi,
>
> On Thu, 18 Aug 2016 18:50:14 +0100 (BST)
> <> [email protected]> > wrote:
>
>> sounds really nice, but why would we want to pass along such strongly
>> minimalistic
>> "un-de-freedomed" browsers along to the normal people specifically without
>> added security features? this basically lands them back right where they
>> started since they are immediately washed clean and then re-exposed to the
>> filth of the world again. we have to help them but "here don't go alone,
>> take this!" without security- without defense there is nothing worth
>> defending.
>
> I don't quite understand. A libre web browser does give people a
> browser which does not download proprietary plugins without asking nor
> suggest to install non-free Addons. Privacy aware search engines are
> enabled by default. Why would this lead people back "to the
> filth"? Users of free software are not stupid.
>
> I strongly believe that people must be offered complete free/libre
> software. But we don't have to lecture them like children what the can
> and can't do. This attitude will provoke contradiction. We can suggest
> and recommend - but the choice should be freely made by the user.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Henry
--
http://gnuzilla.gnu.org
