Hey there…
Alright, buckle up, fellow Linux enthusiasts! Let’s dive into the rollercoaster that XeroLinux has been riding with its browser choice.
Current Glitch
So, Mozilla, in their infinite wisdom, decided to drop a new Terms of Use (TOU) for Firefox back in February 2025. They said it was to be more transparent, but it ended up being about as clear as mud, causing a full-blown user revolt. The original wording made it sound like Mozilla wanted a “nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license” to all your precious data. Naturally, this raised eyebrows faster than you can say “privacy breach,” and comparisons to other data-hungry giants were inevitable. Check out this video that pretty much sums it up:
Mozilla, realizing they’d stepped in it, quickly backtracked and clarified that they just needed the necessary rights to make Firefox work, not to claim your data as their own. They updated the language to emphasize the limited scope, but the initial kerfuffle had already left a mark.
A Fork in the Road
Here at the XeroLinux HQ, we thought, “Hey, let’s let the users decide!” So, we ran a poll, and the winner was LibreWolf, a browser known for its privacy focus. Seemed like a solid choice, right?
Wrong! This decision detonated a digital war between LibreWolf’s supporters and those with concerns about its developer and philosophy. It was like watching two factions battle it out in an MMORPG, and we were caught in the crossfire.
Neutrality Patch
Here’s the thing: no matter which big name browser we pick, someone’s going to have a problem with it. We can’t win this game. But not including any browser at all? That’s a recipe for a user riot.
So, we’re hitting the reset button and sticking to “placeholder” browsers while still offering a wide selection for you to install later. Think of it as choosing a character class in a game – you get a basic one to start, but you can always switch to a more specialized one later.
For the Gnome spin, we’re going with Epiphany, and for KDE Plasma, it’s Falkon. These browsers are native to their respective desktop environments and, more importantly, politically neutral. This keeps us out of the browser wars and aligns with our project’s philosophy.
Bottom Line
We’re hoping this change will finally calm things down for good. These placeholder browsers are just there to get you started. After that, you can grab your favorite from our toolkit No Judgement ! We’ll keep adding more over time.
If you don’t see your preferred browser on our list, don’t panic! Just head over to Flathub, the AUR, or the official Arch Repos and install it from there.
It’s that simple! We apologize for the drama, but this was necessary to avoid endless arguments and political debates. Thanks for sticking with us, and we appreciate your understanding.
Keep on hacking!