Mozilla Firefox is open source software, which means that any user can access its code. If you know what you’re doing, you can make changes to existing code and launch a new browser. Thus Waterfox was born. It is a browser originally based on Mozilla Firefox code. But between Firefox or Waterfox, which is more secure?
There are other similar projects based on Firefox, such as and . Nevertheless, Waterfox has received the most attention as a standalone browser.
What is Water Fox?
Waterfox is a browser based on Firefox code. The following reasons contributed to the success of Waterfox:
- It was the first 64-bit browser on the web.
- Not only did it offer better speed, but it also gave users the freedom and control to run whatever extensions or plugins they wanted, including traditional XUL Firefox extensions and NPAPI plugins like Java and Silverlight.
- Waterfox promised that no data or telemetry would be sent to Mozilla or the Waterfox project, and ensured greater privacy and security.
Waterfox is compatible with Windows, Mac OS and Linux operating systems. There is also an Android version available to download for free on the Google Play Store if your smartphone or tablet is running 64-bit Android.
can download waterfox since
Firefox or Waterfox: Which is Safer to Use?
When Firefox Quantum and Firefox 57 were released, many users were not happy with the transformations even though it was much faster than its predecessor because they ditched the traditional Firefox extensions and interface that everyone knew. In that sense, Waterfox seemed like a better alternative, as it could match Quantum’s speed and also maintain plugins.
However, since Mozilla released Firefox Extended Support Release or Firefox ESR, there are not too many differences between Firefox ESR and Waterfox. In fact, Waterfox feels like Firefox ESR with some settings changed.
Let’s see how the telemetry function works in both browsers. Firefox collects this data and sends it to the developer (Mozilla) to improve the browser. You can read exactly the kind of information that is . If you feel this is a violation of your privacy, Waterfox might appeal to you as it has no telemetry. However, in Firefox ESR you can easily disable this feature and prevent your data from being sent to Mozilla.
The biggest problem with the Waterfox browser is the slow security updates. Since Waterfox is based on Firefox ESR, the Waterfox developers have to wait for Mozilla to release security updates and then work to integrate them into Waterfox.
This can take anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks after security patches have been released for Firefox ESR users. This can leave your computer vulnerable to all kinds of attacks.
How to implement Waterfox features in Firefox
If you find certain features of Waterfox attractive, you can modify your Firefox browser settings to get Waterfox privacy features and enjoy the best of both browsers.
Remove Pocket from Firefox
Waterfox disables Pocket by default, while Firefox (especially Firefox Quantum) has Pocket deeply integrated into the browser’s workflows. The good news is that you can remove Pocket from Firefox in just a few clicks.
Open Firefox and start a search. Hover over the icon Pocket in the search bar, right-click and select Remove from address bar. This removes Pocket.
Stop sending telemetry data to Mozilla
If you don’t like the idea of telemetry being sent to the developer, you can turn that feature off as well.
To do so, follow the path Options (Windows) or preferences (Mac)> Privacy & Security > Firefox Data Collection and Use and edit preferences for sharing telemetry data with Mozilla.
Disable DRM controlled content
Digital rights management or DRM is a technology that allows online audio and video services, such as Netflix, to enforce their own requirements when the content they provide is played.
Waterfox has the DRM feature disabled by default. However, this will prevent you from viewing DRM-protected content from sites like Netflix.
To disable DRM-controlled content, go to Options (Windows) or preferences (Mac), then scroll down until you see the Digital Rights Management (DRM) content . Deselect the Play DRM controlled content to disable it.
We recommend using Firefox because it receives security updates at the time of release. If you’ve used both browsers, you’ll find that the advantages Waterfox initially had over Firefox no longer apply.
In addition to discovering Firefox or Waterfox, which is more secure?below you can see more related topics of related to this article:
Facebook Comments
Disqus