Posted on 12/27/2021 6:51:50 PM PST by bitt
Gabriel Weinberg’s DuckDuckGo is taking aim at the desktop browser market, betting that default privacy-centric settings will provide safer alternatives to Google’s Chrome and Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browsers.
The upstart search engine company says it is building a desktop browser from scratch with the same privacy-enhancing defaults that makes the DuckDuckGo search engine popular with privacy advocates.
Weinberg, who co-founded DuckDuckGo in 2008 and expanded beyond search into email protection and mobile app tracking, said the new desktop browser will attempt to make things simple for confused web surfers.
"No complicated settings, no misleading warnings, no 'levels' of privacy protection – just robust privacy protection that works by default, across search, browsing [and] email," Weinberg declared.
Instead of forking the open-source Chromium, Weinberg said the company is building its browser around the OS-provided rendering engine. “This lets us strip away a lot of the unnecessary cruft and clutter that’s accumulated over the years in major browsers,” he added.
“It's not a 'privacy browser'; it's an everyday browsing app that respects your privacy because there's never a bad time to stop companies from spying on your search and browsing history,” Weinberg added.
The move into the desktop market comes as DuckDuckGo sees growth in the mobile space with app downloads on both Android and iOS surging to power more than 100 million searches per day.
The company did not provide any technical details on the new browser or say when it would be available for desktop computers.
I have been using DuckDuckGo for nearly FIVE years.
Love it!
I get better search results with digital, then Google. Google hides sites.
Digital? Looked for it but not finding it. Thank you.
Gd phone, duck duck go not digital sorry
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it in the interest of efficiency - which for me is have lots of tools laid out on the bench. But I do like color.
Same here, but with at least 7 browsers running with a total of about 300 or more tabs open (31 source identifiable tabs on each row in my main browser using a 23" monitor), with each browser having its own general purpose (and there are extensions that will change the title of the browser). One for text and related research, tow others for shopping research; another as the default (Vivaldi), etc. Two profiles for FF ESR (and its Open With extension enables opening links in other browsers), multiple (portable so I can run the ESR concurrently) updated FF Quantum installations (though to run multiple portable Quantum installations you need to place a copy of the FirefoxPortable.ini from Other\Source folder to the main folder of FirefoxPortable and edit the FirefoxPortable.ini to AllowMultipleInstances=true DisableIntelligentStart=true), plus Vivaldi, Waterfox, Chrome, Edge. Thank God we have such tools and choices.
"Every once in a while I go through all my open tabs and either bookmark and close them or just close them."
Same here, though with some many bookmarks then despite organizing them, it is faster for me to leave key tabs/pages in top rows organized. Whatever works for you.
Indeed, and I appreciate your comments, as I do like varied colors, versus drab. As you might be able to tell from my (made vi word processor) web site:
It used to be a black background but someone said they did not like that!
"I certainly wish I could have menu bars available as a default "
Well, Google thinks otherwise, and it seems the best you can do with Chrome is install Proper Menubar for Google Chrome but which just adds another icon someplace near the "hambuger." Yet Firefox and Vivaldi both enable it. Which browser are you using?
I use Brave for privacy and ad blocking, though I have used Vivaldi. I found “proper menubar” to be clunky. I have a 42” screen, plenty of room for menus.
Actually it has to do with functionality since FF ESR enables more. The ability of change the color of a tab is a enhanced helpful function. I want a utility truck browser vs. a sports car as my main one. With Chrome you cannot even right click on a tab and copy the URL unless you are one that open tab.
"If I had my browser set up like that, there would be no room left for the web page. I’m running a laptop with a 15” screen at 1920x1080 pixel resolution."
Indeed, thus I should have said that I was using a 23" screen.
"I also run Waterfox "
"Mobile First is the current design preference for all things web because phone usage has surpassed PC."
True, and while mobile devices certainly have their unique capabilities, I could not do 5% of what I have used a Desktop for, esp. with my stiff arthritic fingers. But again, thank God we have such, though if the whole world lived simpler that would better.
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