NotHereToPlayGames

Wow! I can't help but laugh at yet another virus scanner yielding FALSE POSITIVES.

There are no easy answers, that's for d#ng sure. We thought we had a tight reign on our daughter. At times, that only "pushed her" to "push back". Doesn't matter what you do with HER device on YOUR network. She has friends who have different ideas of "parenting". There are girls at her school that has been raised differently. There are boys at her school that will give her a "free phone" for over the weekend. Hades, my daughter would walk around with a DEAD PHONE and EARBUDS claiming that was the only way that others at school didn't "make fun of her". et cetera... Welcome to "parenting" in the digital age.

I don't have a YouTube account. But I can't help but be curious if the solution is to create a YouTube account. Some sort of scenario where NO videos can be watched if NOT LOGGED IN. And once logged in, you know the entire history of what has been watched.

WAY reasonable !!! Trust me !!! "Been there, done that!" Some learn the hard way, my daughter (and parents of my generation) had to learn the hard way. My daughter didn't really see the "why" until she had a daughter of her own.

At work, I already have to use Official Chrome. We can only use Official Edge (corporate default) or Official Chrome at work (unless a lab bench). At home, my list of 8 to 15 or so "problem sites" only only ONLY all work in OFFICIAL CHROME. (I was quite suprised that I could drop all the way down to v94 [didn't try older]). They USED TO all work in Official Ungoogled. They USED TO all work in 360Chrome v13.5. They USED TO all work in Official Pale Moon. They USED TO all work in Mypal/New Moon/Serpent. I really really really REALLY REALLY REALLY will only use ONE web browser. I really really really have NO INTEREST in "this browser for this, that browser for that". Why not use the latest? Because I have an IMMENSE DISLIKE for the "modern GUI". One size never fits all. That's why there are HUNDREDS of different browsers, abides by the whole "to each their own". And let's face it, even history demonstrates how GUI changes can downright kill something like Firefox. Pre-Quantum/Photon market share was around 10%. Post-Quantum/Photon market share is an abysmal 2-3%.

Not just banks. Been having issues with other logins as well (US Postal Service is one, I have a list somewhere). IceCat (based on Firefox v115) is also NOT working for several of my must-have--no-alternatives web sites. So I've just sold my soul! I CAN get ALL of my must-have web sites to work with OFFICIAL CHROME v97 !!! (v94 also works!) They "don't like" me running Ungoogled v122 (v130 also does NOT work for my bank) and they think that's going to get me to "upgrade". Nah! I'll now have to see how long Official Chrome v97 lasts me, lol. I swear, keeping up with browser upgrades has become a FULL TIME JOB.

I'm finding it funny that the keyboard was moved on top of the mousepad before snapping the picture.

Definitely not cookie-related on my end.

Regarding benchmark scores - Speedometer 3.0 has a Developer Mode -- https://browserbench.org/Speedometer3.0/?developerMode

I am quite confident that it is a server-side algorithm resulting in a server-side blacklisting that has resulted in Ungoogled and Supermium no longer able to log in. Those server-side algorithms are in a constant state of flux (self-fulfulling prophecy to protect their own job). In a few months (or all the way out to next December), the algorithm may very likely end up letting Ungoogled and Supermium back in. It gets old. No wonder the average consumer just runs with Chrome or Firefox, lets it auto-update every 2-4 weeks, and just takes it up the a%% if they have to abandon an extension that no longer works.

Therein lies the rub. I am too old for one browser for this, one for that, still another for that. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! And the car insurance example is the EXACT issue I am having - "wrong credentials" when both username and password ARE CORRECT. If so much as ONE of my *must-use* web sites only works in IceCat, then I use IceCat for EVERYTHING. I really do have NO INTEREST in this browser for this, that browser for that. I'd rather change browsers every two years. UNFORTUNATELY, that's exactly what I have had to do, a different browser pretty much every TWO YEARS ON THE NOSE. Ironically, pretty much ALWAYS in the months of December or January.

Yeah, did that once. I ditched Chase for the same exact nanny-state micro-manage browser-bs. If the EU wants to be serious about "browser choice", then why fine Microsoft over IE, they should be fining banks for their incessant push on limiting us to only The Big Three.

Speaking of Supermium -- I was able to log into my bank yesterday with Supermium. BUT... Today, I was scrolling through the settings and flags and whatnot, and while I cannot prove this to be the "why", but I disabled client hints, attempted to log into my bank again, it was UNSUCCESSFUL, so I enabled client hints, but still cannot log in! My only theory (coupled with users of Official Ungoogled and Official Brave) is that I now just server-side-blacklisted Supermium for my bank login.

Ugh! I was able to log into my bank yesterday via Supermium v126, but not today!

Just revisited Supermium as I haven't used it much in the past. My bank web site works in Supermium v126 and in IceCat v115. So I guess I have two new options. The hoops we have to jump through just because some wet-behind-the-ears-know-it-all designing web sites for banks is convinced that there are only THREE web browsers that should ever be used on their web sites!

Kind of waiting for IceCat to upgrade to v128 ESR before moving my next pawn on the chess board.

I'd like to trial-run *all* (except DNS) of your custom settings. Unsure how to go about that. I can not, can not, can not get Firefox to run faster than Chrome (I have no interest in Edge and have no clue if it is faster or slower than Chrome/Chromium/IceCat).

I'd kind of be more interested in a Before And After benchmark score. An illustration of "this is what Firefox scored before making THIS LIST OF CHANGES and now this is my after score". I want want WANT to make IceCat v115 faster than Chrome. So far, I CAN NOT! So by all means, "spell it out for me" because I really do want to migrate to IceCat v115 (then v128 only *after* Official Firefox releases their "next" ESR Branch at which time IceCat drops v115 and picks up v128).

Which Firefox version and which Edge version?

Of course silly-me tried two days in a row to time that site. Hit in the face with the corporate popup that this computer is monitored and that site violates policy. At least nobody has come knocking on the door yet, lol.

Thanks. Still testing but likely will stick with IceCat. Only tried Mercury AVX v129 so far. Speedometer 2.1 == 113 (only one run) SunSpider 1.0 == 85.5 131.3 159.3 slower than IceCat but IceCat is v115 and Mercury is v129... IceCat claims to be releasing v128 soon, may wait until then before finally ditching Ungoogled v122... Kraken 1.1 === 1321.6 1284.3 1300.9 slower than IceCat And IceCat does not have these mozilla/firefox telemetry connections at every launch. Yeah, maybe I'm being too picky. But even if I am, IceCat has passed that pickiness, lol. But it is not as FAST as Chromium. I don't think ANY firefox-fork ever will be!

I have no use for the bundled extensions. I don't even know what they are, I had them deleted before I ever launched IceCat the very first time. For all I know, they bundled uBO, I deleted before launching, then I added uBO from my own archive (I never install from "stores", be it Chrome-based or Firefox-based). I guess I was hoping for some Firefox tricks like JIT in Chrome (a single solitary setting that reduces a test like SunSpider from 230ms all the way down to 80ms. THAT is a performance gain !!! Setting HUNDREDS of about:congif settings and having SunSpider report 5.5ms SLOWER is just one of those things that Placebo Effect gut-feel users "perceive" as a 500ms "gain" but in REALITY is a 5.5ms "loss". As everyone here knows, I don't do "gut-feel", lol. Not claiming all "tests" and "benchmarks" paint the entire picture, but keep my gut out of the equation, lol. It's just unfortunate that the world we live in has "banking IT" folks thinking we cannot transfer money from savings to checking unless we use a "mainstream" browser or a mobile phone "app". I'm actually of the view now that it won't be long before I won't be able to make that transfer with IceCat either !!! Ungoogled is the ONLY chrome-fork I have seen that is TRULY 100% UNGOOGLED. (It's been 5-7 years since trying Brave and Vivaldi so can't speak for them at the moment.) And IceCat is the ONLY firefox-fork I have seen that is 98% telemetry-free. It will "phone home" when specific settings pages are open, but only when they are open. IceCat never phones home if you set all settings while OFFLINE and then NEVER go into the GUI's settings pages. I suppose 360Chrome actually kind of SPOILED me in the sense of TELEMETRY-FREE BROWSER. Because of all of the blood, sweat, and tears it took to get it to my liking and share it with MSFN. It was, admittedly, a GIGANTIC eye-opener to just how much TELEMETRY is contained within FIREFOX. But here I am, once more in-process of reverting back-and-forth between Moz-based and Chr-based. It's a never-ending cycle.

After: Speedometer 2.1, three runs 114 113 115 SunSpider 1.0, three runs 82.0 95.0 88.6 average is 5.5ms SLOWER (ie, IceCat is FASTER without "Betterfox" config changes!, but statistically insignificant and within margin of error) Kraken 1.1, three runs 1371.2 1361.8 1370.1 average is 20.7ms FASTER (but again within margin of error, I could have just as easily reran the above numbers and see where a "fourth run" landed and replaced 1405.8 above) I guess I was hoping for MUCH BETTER IMPROVEMENT than that. Especially when the GitHub page has the misleading (and basically false) statement of "Increase Firefox's browsing speed. Give Chrome a run for its money!"

I'm skeptical. I'm pretty sure I've tried that in the past with zero effect. But here goes... Before: Speedometer 2.1, three runs 104 102 101 SunSpider 1.0, three runs 82.0 90.1 76.9 Kraken 1.1, three runs 1405.8 1381.6 1377.9

How about providing about:config fixes for Firefox forks to improve performance and I'll even go so far as to REDUCE/ELIMINATE *any-and-ALL* "security/privacy" 'feature' ??? I want my browser to be configured for SPEED and PERFORMANCE. I will set my own privacy/security mitigations !!! My Ungoogled Chromium v122 has officially hit the end of the line for me to be able to use as my default. ie, my bank login (and US Post Office login) now both no longer work in *ANY* version of Ungoogled Chromium. This login issue is also an issue for Brave browser users that also use the same bank. All signs indicate SERVER-SIDE blacklisting of "non-mainstream" browsers and they finally closed the hole for v122, v123, and v124. So I am in-process of configuring ICECAT as my default use-for-everything browser (I really am "too old" to have one browser for this, another browser for that, still another for this, still another for that). So what about:config settings can I set that will make IceCat FASTER than Ungoogled v122 - EVEN IF IT MAKES IT "less secure" !!! I want FASTER, FASTER, FASTER. I shall define for myself what "security" or "privacy" BOTTLENECKS to enable. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.