Slim down Firefox - remove Pocket and have it as a pre-installed extension

[Gustav]

A less complex product will have less bugs.

The core of Firefox should only be the needed functionality to browse the web.

Additions that are built in like Pocket add additional code.

I my idea is that Firefox should split Pocket out from the Firefox executable and have it as an pre-installed extension which can be disabled by users or even removed if they do not want to have have it in their installation.

[Gustav]

@Kappa 

The point I was trying to make when creating this suggestion is that Mozilla adds things to Firefox that a small sub-group of users actually use.

This added code creates complexity. Regardless of how small impact (it can never be 0) it has it gets installed for all users since it is included in the core product.

That there seems to be some sponsor agreement as far as I have been able to understand gives me zero hope that Mozilla will actually move Pocket into a pre-installed plugin (that can be uninstalled by the user if they wish).

I hope that more people vote for this suggestion, but after 2+ years I think that Mozilla has parked the suggestion in "In review" because they don't have the courage to that "if we do this we will lose sponsor money and therefore will not implement".

I mean - if there was any progress made on this they would have had so much time to update us in this thread.

[ark_knight]

I am surprised people dont even want Sync though. Yea, I pretty sure like 5 people actually use Pocket, but really, nobody here uses the Sync feature?

[SaturnV]

I use Sync all the time.  I'll never use Pocket.

[JasonP]

Firstly, I guess some marketing feedback: I don't even entirely know what Pocket *does*. Aside from getting disabled by me. It seems to use a lot of social-media corpospeak marketing jargon that tells me nothing useful and just makes my eyes ricochet right off of it. Best understanding, it's just some enhanced bookmark thing. They talk about it moving with you, but my bookmarks are already synced by... Sync. And other parts just seem to be yet another stream of algorithm-curated media, which I (and, I'd argue, pretty much everyone) already have too many different versions of. If it's doing something else actually useful, you've done a poor job relaying it.

Secondly, as @Gustav has been diligently saying for a very long time: for the sake of all logic and decency, please avoid fully-integrating trendy auxiliary functionality. I know some people out there will surely buy a cloud-ai-powered toaster despite it quite expertly missing the mark every time and taking ten minutes and doesn't work if the app is down,  but... that's just not what we love you guys for. We just want a solid machine that makes pretty good toast, preferably from a company that doesn't make us feel like garbage to buy from.

Third thought... I saw general statements about Pocket being a source of revenue, but *does* it actually make meaningful money for Mozilla? I guess that'd be worse, if the fool thing wasn't at least making enough to be worth all the trouble.

I'm mostly rambling for the sake of "engagement" for the topic, I'm pretty sure. And because it's the end of the day when rambling happens. I'll be quiet now.

[jluc]

I use sync.

I feel same as JasonP about Pocket : I don't know what Pocket does. When bloating Firefox is usefull for Mozilla, at least explain what's the use of Pocket !

[SaturnV]

Well, hallelujah, JasonP!  Thank you for eloquently stating what I am sure most Firefox users think - what does Pocket actually do?  And why is it necessary to embed it into Firefox, with no way to completely remove it?

If it isn't quick and simple to understand what Pocket actually does, that tells me it is entirely unnecessary tat, and I would like the opportunity to get rid of it, forever.  I cannot conceive any occasion when I would have use of such parasitic nonsense.

But Mozilla continues to ignore this particular thread (and has done for almost two and a half years now), it cannot come up with a valid, viable explanation for having Pocket in Firefox, let alone embedding it into Firefox.  It is unjustifiable, so Mozilla doesn't try to justify it.  They just seem to be metaphorically sticking their fingers in their ears, whilst shouting "La la la la la la la la la I can't hear you!", which is no defense at all.  In fact it is pretty close to Mozilla admitting it cannot defend Pocket.

So, a few quotes from Firefox's own website:

"Customise your browser."
"Make Firefox your own."

Yes please, I'd like to make Firefox my own by removing Pocket, permanently.  Can you help please, Mozilla?

"Extensions for every interest". 
"From security to news to gaming, there’s an extension for everyone. Add as many as you want until your browser is just right."

I use several extensions in Firefox, and I'm pleased to be able to do so. When I feel they have ceased being of use to me, I remove them.  In order to make my browser "just right", I'd like to permanently get rid of Pocket, thank you.  Mozilla, are you prepared to help me do that?

"Backed by the non-profit that puts people first."

Hmmm.  For the time being I am going to call BS on that particilar claim.

[JasonP]

To clarify, I'm not necessarily referring just to the Pocket thing. No, I really don't have a grasp on what it does and thus would rather it not be there. Yes, for code efficiency, it really should be a removable extension, especially with it being so nebulous about what it does. As others have pointed out, would this necessarily lead to noticeable performance boosts? I kinda doubt it. At least not anytime soon.

But it would combat code clutter and scope creep and the like, which is more what I think I was getting at. I worry about the few remaining companies that I actually like jumping on the whole AI bandwagon, and all chasing the next big thing or trying to artificially find something to "stand out", etc, at the cost of the core product suffering, so that they're all the same bloated dysfunctional mess.

Extensions are amazing. Being able to add a la carte functionality that you want is amazing. When I read threads that talk about how adblock should be included, gestures should be included, my immediate thought is no, it shouldn't. And those are functions I understand and use! But I don't want them built in because not everyone does. Mozilla could even build their own extensions for such things, that'd be nice. Complaints when things between the browser and the extensions don't work well should be addressed by gradually ironing out those kinks by working on the extension framework, not by assimilating them.

Again, I just want a toaster. (Ideally that uses actual real temperature sensing like we did 50 years ago instead of just a timer like virtually all models do now because it's a tiny bit cheaper but doesn't actually do the job right yes I am mad at/about my toaster right now) I don't want one that can share my toast automatically on social media. I especially don't want one that brings social media to me first thing in the morning. I know some people might, and some people might want to buy a thing you can attach to your toaster to do that, but they can dang well get that stuff from Sharper Image or something.

Which again is all just a stupid way of saying, please focus on the core product and don't fully integrate such very extraneous functions. I guess the most direct way to define scope in this particular scenario (in my opinion, obviously) is, if it involves the words "social," "feed", "content," "recommendations," or "AI," it should adamantly not be built directly into the browser. Make it an extension.

[Elle]

All the features, like Pocket, including AI chat, and other need to be removed from Firefox and shipped through the extensions.

[Anonymous]

I wish mozilla would make every module that communicates to a external service (telemetry, sync, pocket, ai-chatbot, safebrowsing) into a removable addon. That would be a great design decision and give people the freedom to install and use what they want.

[Anonymous]

Interesting that mozilla was quick with moving the AI chatbot into an addon.

This kind of re-enforces this idea since pocket is from a technical standpoint very very similar and should be able to be treated the same way.