this post was submitted on 31 Dec 2024
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Firefox

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[–] [email protected] 137 points 1 month ago (2 children)
  • no account or login required.
  • it's an addon (and one you have to go get), not baked-in.
  • limited to queries about content you're currently looking at.
    (it's not a general 'search' or queries engine)
  • llm is hosted by mozilla, not a third party.
  • session histories are not retained or shared, not even with mistral (it's their model).
  • user interactions are not used to train.
[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Thanks for the summary. So it still sends the data to a server, even if it's Mozillas. Then I still can't use it for work, because the data is private and they wouldn't appreciate me sending their data toozilla.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago

In such scenario you need to host your choice of LLM locally.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

Technically it's a server operated by Google, leased by Mozilla. Mistral 7b could technically work locally, if Mozilla cared about doing such a thing.

I guess you can basically use the built-in AI chatbot functionality Mozilla rushed out the door, enable a secret setting, and use Mistral locally, but what a missed opportunity from the Privacy Browser Company

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

According to Microsoft, you can safely send your work related stuff to Copilot. Besides, most companies already use a lot of their software and cloud services, so LLM queries don’t really add very much. If you happen to be working for one of those companies, MS probably already knows what you do for a living, hosts your meeting notes, knows your calendar etc.

If you’re working for Purism, RedHat or some other company like that, you might want to host your own LLM instead.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

That's really cool to see. A trusted hosted open source model is really missing in the ecosystem to me. I really like the idea of web centric integration too.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 month ago

no, i don't want to meet orbit, thank you very much.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I want to point out that by downvoting this, you're reducing the visibility of the post for other people, therefore making less people informed of the change.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

My thoughts exactly.

However, I always found upvotes and downvotes a bit confusing because upvote is almost synonymous with "like" and downvote with "don't like". With upvote, that assumption isn't that problematic but with downvote it is, like in this case where post will have less chance of being seen.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 month ago

No thanks, I'll pass.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I appreciate the option to not install it.

Now if only Mozilla could migrate their built-in AI stuff to this optional extension so it doesn't come pre-installed, that'd be great

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The built-in AI staff,you referred to, is nothing but an accelerator to integrate with 3rd-party or self-hosted LLMs. It's quite similar to choosing a search engine in settings. This feature itself is lightweight and can be disabled in settings if not required.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The built-in AI staff [sic]... is... an accelerator to integrate with 3rd-party or self-hosted LLMs.

Users are only shown Big Tech "3rd-party" options. Mozilla made this choice intentionally.

Since Mozilla is clearly capable of developing an add-on that is not forcefully installed on user's devices, they should remove the built-in thing that endorses the highly unethical chatbots run by Google, OpenAI, etc.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Users are only shown Big Tech “3rd-party” options. Mozilla made this choice intentionally.

Well, how many users really have LLM local-hosted?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

So we agree Mozilla only chose to promote Big Tech options.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I will try it. People are too negative about mozilla. They are a hundred times better than Google and we need them to survive.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 month ago

Yes we need them to survive,
yes they're better than Google.

But no we're not being too negative/hard on them!

Lately Mozilla has been pulling a lot of anti-consumer yet pro shareholder shit.

AI is a perfect example of that,
unwanted by the majority of their community, yet still forced upon us by shareholders, for now through an optional addon, which appears to be a foot in the door, which can quickly grow into a baked in addon which ships with FireFox by default.

Sources:

They blatantly ignore their community,
and for that we're allowed to be angry with them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

The bar is in hell

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Firefox, tell your creepy little friend he can get the fuck off my property!

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's an add-on, not something baked-in the browser. It's not on your property at the first place, unless you choose to install it 🙂

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (2 children)

For now, but one day Firefox will try sneak him into my house and hide him in a cupboard untill squatters rights kick in.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Even they choose to do so in future, usually there always is a about:config entry to disable it.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

I can't wait for Firefox to Starr putting product recommendations on all web pages

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Man, I hope this is not the new Pocket.

[–] kazerniel 3 points 1 month ago

I'm still using Pocket 👀 (though an unofficial version)

[–] ramblingsteve 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I'm starting to warm up to this stuff. There is a future rapidly hurtling towards us where, if you take the time to read and think for yourself, you will become a genius. It was happening already in some stem fields where people used GUI tools without ever reading what the buttons did, and if you took the time to read the manuals and the underlying methods, you could become vastly more competent than anybody else in your team. This "AI" bullshit is just extending the lazy culture out to every piece of information on the web, where average Joe is already unable to concentrate beyond 140 characters. Those that take the time to learn the fundamentals and read deeply will have vastly superior knowledge of any subject, while the majority will be spoon fed superficial summaries filled with errors and no way of realising.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That was written by an AI, wasn't it?
If anything brings me around on AI, it'll be the "kids these days and their dang quill and parchment, the chisel and stone tablet was good enough for me so it should be good enough for everyone" argument.

[–] ramblingsteve 2 points 1 month ago

Thank you for illustrating my point!

[–] Dkarma 12 points 1 month ago

Bugsbunnyno.jpg

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This is why I don't use direct Firefox. I use soft forks like Librewolf, Mull and now Fennec

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This is just an add-on BTW. It's completely up to you to decide if you need this.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

that's an awful argument, are you worried that mozilla is also gonna start censoring swear words in firefox?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

But pocket can be disabled via about:config, right?

I thought that’s how all those soft forks handled that mess.