DuckDuckGo Web Brouser

Vanity | 1/10/2021 | Hootowl99

[Hootowl99]

Bah... Here’s a no good rotten Vanity! LOL!

I downloaded the DuckDuckGo web browser on my IPhone today and have been messing around with it. The app is in the AppStore and downloads and installs like any other app. Nothing uncommon to note.

Setup was simple with 2 or 3 settings to enable or not. The descriptions were clear enough on what the settings are for and there’s a click button on the bottom of the Duck’s webpage so that you can change them later if needed.

First impressions... So far, so good. It does have a bit different personality so to speak on button pushing compared to IE, Edge and Safari. I don’t use Chrome period so have no comments on that platform.

One thing I like lots is it is a one button push to get a list of tracker cookies blocked on a webpage. For example, ESPN had 15 cookies blocked, ie. Google, YouTube, Adobe, Oracle, Twitter, Facebook, Neilson and 5 or 6 others. FR initially had one cookie blocked, which I assume had to do with the password. After I enabled cookies one the sign in page, subsequent visits to FR show zero cookies blocked.

I am getting LOTS fewer ads, in fact zero ads on ESPN’s homepage as an example. Note that I didn’t list any ESPN cookies in the list above. The Duck does not block cookies by the owner of the webpage (ex. ESPN) but does delete them when you leave the website. While you are on a sign in page, you can disable cookie deletion so that you can retain the signin without having to resign in on a subsequent visit. I did this for FreeRepublic, for example. My IPhone’s retained password’s function pasted the username and password into the FR sign in and required the fingerprint authorization.

I don’t think that I can import my Bookmarks from Safari. I’m still looking but haven’t come across that capability. Worst case is I’ll have to do it manually. I’m retired so have nothing but time to spare but it will take awhile to manually transfer bookmarks. Oh well, it will give me an excuse for a thorough house cleaning. I’ve got several hundred bookmarks offhand that have been accumulating over 20 years. There are cobwebs in there!

Searching uses The Duck of course. I’m spoiled by just being able to type into Safari’s address bar but it looks like I need to click a button at the bottom of the page then select New Tab, which brings up DuckDuckGo’s search page. Adds a couple of clicks and a few seconds to doing a search.

Oh, my background as a software evaluator... I’ve been using computers since the mid-70s. Mainframes first then through the generations of desktops, laptops, phones and pads. I got a kick out of an experience once when a 30,000 employee petrochem company tasked me to a small test panel to evaluate new software before committing to corporate wide usage. I don’t claim any special whiz bang skills but a personality quirk curses me with a low patience threshold for sloppy or difficult to use software. Basically, I was valued because if I could (or would) use a software then any damn fool could.

[grame]

My Duck line is just beneath the safari bar. Off to the left.

[PIF]

available for iPhone also at app store

[Hootowl99]

Yep, I have it where you describe and lower right The 3 .:: I think it is. That screen is not in front of me on this composing screen so going a bit on memory.

The first few minutes of just messing around to get a feel for the Duck have shown me that I am not yet a whiz with its button purging quirks. It’s not complicated but we need to get to know each other better. First date! LOL!

[sauropod]

Get a life.

Stop hasseling people.

[House Atreides]

“I like Google.
Hasn’t harmed me in 20 years.”
*********************************
You do know that it’s been keeping detailed records of all those times you’ve googled for pictures of little boys in underwear, don’t cha? You shouldn’t do those searches, IMHO.

[mabarker1]

I’d like it to have TAB not Window when I “OPEN IN NEW TAB”

[Hootowl99]

Yep, that’s better. Are you using a mobile or laptop/full size computer? I have been using it on mobile only so no tabs for me.

[Tacrolimus1mg]

I use it on my Android phone. I love it. My only qualm is not being able to organize my favorites into folders. Other than that, it’s great.

[mabarker1]

I have not been able to DL it to the Toshiba Satellite LT (Windoze 8.1) yet because it’s not on the Device List at the goggle store. Any fixes for that ?

[daniel1212]

Thanks but not interested. For as I asked Quora and MS answers this question and received zero replies,

It seems that mainly due to security and speed aspects, then unlike legacy Firefox ESR 59.9 (with Tab Mix Plus and a few other extensions. which enabled more key customizations than the whole of Edge):

1. You cannot make it show multiple tab rows (you can with Firefox
Quantum but it takes one [1]of the hacks. And unless the latter is a portable version, it cannot run concurrently with FF ESR)

.2. You cannot adjust max or min tab width. And the more you open the thinner they get, and all look the same. (except the active tab has an close X)

3. You cannot close a non-active tab by just placing your cursor on it the top right
to get a X to click on (so unless you activate it, you need to R. click on it and hit close tab).

4. You cannot enable different colored tabs as with the legacy Colorful Tabs extension (NOT the one in Quantum).

5. You cannot choose to open links in other installed browsers via right click.

6. You cannot toggle btwn the most recently accessed tabs using the Ctrl+Tab switch (and its Alt+Tab alternative messes up switching btwn applications).

7. Edge has a very poor spell checker and the dictionary is hard to find in the drive even if you could edit it (as you can with that of Firefox).

8. You cannot create more than one profile (as far as i know).

9. I know no extension that saves your text box posts such as this, like the Lazarus legacy FF extension did/does.

10. MS does not make it easy to set another browser as the default one for all html documents and links (details too long for here).

11. There is no option to keep the Find/Search bar open across tabs (handy in searches), meaning you need to do the search new for every tab.

12. There is no option via right click on a tab to choose “Copy link.”

Since MS writes the software for Windows, than it ought to be able to create a real "utility truck" browser - and which I am sure would become a classic for "power users" - rather than just another minimalist Chrome clone.

Footnotes

[1] Izheil/Quantum-Nox-Firefox-Dark-Full-Theme

[Hootowl99]

In the the Setup menu, find Safari in the program listing. There you can specify the default search engine to use and I specified this to be www.DuckDuckGo.com . In IOS and using Safari you just search as normal and the query is routed through the DDG search engine.

This ability to specify a specific search engine is a capability present every web browser marketed in the US and is packaged as a component of the operating system. It was the subject of antitrust litigation several decades ago to prevent monopolies on information acquisition. The EU also went through this wrestling match with Microsoft and the IE browser. This has nothing to do with the Duck browser app for IOS that I'm giving a test drive.

[Hootowl99]

I don’t have this on my Safari bar using IOS on the phone. I’m tunnel visioned on this application right now.

[Hootowl99]

I would go stark raving mad using that complex of a tab system. LOL! It's a combination of the types of information I worked with, how I use the information plus the way my brain spins. A simpler organization fits my needs.

I'm retired now so the more complex stuff is behind me. Tab wise, when I was working with lots of tabs, it would typically be within the MS Excel spreadsheet or the project management programs MS Project and Primavera.

For example, I would have multiple tabs of subgroups of something so the detail work in question was in a logical arrangement and in smaller bite sizes then link those results into a master summary tab for the big picture.

[Hootowl99]

I’m getting hung up on the folder thing as well. All is great until I get to folder setup. No folders? I’m going to dig into this to see what’s up with this. Without folders, it turns into a Chinese fire drill.

[grame]

I think, not absolutely sure, but the more I used it, then it began showing up as a regular option.

[daniel1212]

I would go stark raving mad using that complex of a tab system. LOL! It's a combination of the types of information I worked with, how I use the information plus the way my brain spins. A simpler organization fits my needs.

Actually it is attempting to discern which tab is which when you have more than a few opened and they all look much alike (esp. when from the same site, like FR) and crunched up is what is difficult. And a vertical list is not as easy to find a page than multiple tab rows and Colorful Tabs. And you can just drag tabs and group them together. However, if you are not research-intensive then all you need is poor Edge or Chrome.

[Hootowl99]

Webpage wise, I would rarely need more than a half dozen tabs at a time for quick referral on the home screen. With respect to Edge for example, typicality I would be IDing companies and tech for specific needs of the moment or specifications for materials and equipment. Sometimes this would be enough or it would get me prepped for follow on detailed conversations. Tech info especially, I would need hard copies for the personal working file so a printer and 3-ring binder are my very good friends. Also, bookmarks were used for future reference. For long term or permanently retained info, I maintain a detailed folder arrangement via email attachment and archived in the company server. Very little is actually electronically stored locally other than immediately active items. Past some level of complexity, electronic filing is delegated to a project clerk, a full time job.

Since my variety of design was number based, I never had a need for a large monitor so typically would have a high end laptop plugged into a 19in monitor. Laptops for a number of years have had more HP than the towers of 10 years ago used for complex modeling.

I'm an engineer specialized in phase 1 process design and process control. What is it you work with? It strikes me as something used for real time data in the financial field. And I really would go nuts with that kind of tab setup. Professionally, I'm an engineering product of the 1970s and like my drop down menu trees. LOL