Re: Firefox 31: problems with yahoo and gmail

["J. Lewis Muir" <jlmuir%imca-cat.org@localhost>]

On 8/11/14, 10:50 AM, Gerard Lally wrote:
> At date and time Mon, 11 Aug 2014 11:23:26 +0200, Ottavio Caruso
> wrote:
>
>> I also wonder if I am the only one using Firefox on Netbsd, because
>> the only questions about FF are mine.
>
> Many users, myself included, prefer not to use X on NetBSD, never mind
> Firefox, so we're not in a position to answer your questions about
> NetBSD as a desktop. For us, there are many alternatives if we want a
> full-fat desktop, indeed too many if you ask me. NetBSD is one of very
> few genuinely lightweight Unix-like operating systems still available.
> Please don't assume yours is the only, or even predominant, NetBSD
> usage scenario, by constantly expressing surprise that nobody has
> answered your various Firefox questions. Some if not most of us have
> absolutely no interest in polluting our NetBSD boxes with heavyweight
> desktop environments and browsers, and thus we're in no position to
> help you on that score. Needless to say that does not mean we are
> "lesser" users of NetBSD.

Hi, Gerard.

I certainly appreciate the clean secure portable small footprint of
NetBSD, but NetBSD does not bill itself as a non-desktop OS.  I really
like it that I can run the same OS on an embedded device, a server, and
a desktop!  That makes things way easier for me by reducing the number
of systems I have to know how to administer.  I think a reasonable
expectation is that a desktop would have a modern web browser, and so I
think Ottavio is justified in being surprised that Firefox (or whatever
modern browser is supported) does not just work out of the box.

Granted, the impression I get is that all modern web browsers are just
beasts in terms of complexity and getting them to build correctly.
That's a shame, and I wish there was something better.  But if there is
no modern browser that just works on NetBSD, then I don't think NetBSD
can really be considered viable as a desktop OS.  Happily, I don't
think that's the case since some people are using Firefox without any
problems.  But it still remains that having a working modern web browser
is, I think, very important for NetBSD as a desktop OS.

Lewis