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Author: Rick Moen
Date:  
To: dng
Subject: Re: [DNG] FF now defaults to DNS-over-HTTPS for US
Quoting golinux@??? (golinux@???):

> Just great! So how can we keep off this cloudflare thing?
>
> https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/25/mozilla_turns_on_dns_over_https_by_default_for_usa/
>
> Rick Moen? Anyone?


It's been obviously coming (for newer Firefox versions) for quite some
time. Since my _personal_ view is that Firefox (Release Edition and
Beta) went unacceptably off the rails starting with Firefox 48 on
2016-08-02 (and similar damage to Firefox ESR then being only a matter
of time), I see this as unfortunate but as just another hammer in the
coffin.

As noted in TheReg's article (and linked Mozilla blog item), the new
DoH default in Firefox 73.0.1 can be simply unchecked somewhere in
the program's Settings (for now).

Also, for those who care about new Firefox versions but haven't read the
coverage, it should be noted that the new default is (claimed to be) set
only in downloadable binary versions of the browser offered at
mozilla.org to USA users, not to those elsewhere in the world.

The direct effect on Linux users would be only on distros that do no
meaningful curating and correcion of Mozilla, Inc.'s sometimes brainless
defaults in their distro packages. (I really have no idea if the Debian
distro package of Firefox Release Edition suffers this brain damage,
having lost interest, as I said, some years back. Perhaps someone else
here knows.

(Seriously, I really, really wish either Debian or someone else would
gather together as much as possible of the 'No, we don't accept
mandatory extension signing and are not thrilled about losing XUL/XPCOM
without a lot better planning' consensus under one roof under revived
brand identity 'Iceweasel'. Seems like an obvious solution, to me --
and, to correct myself just a bit, in a way, it's almost-sorta happened:
the several little scattershot Firefox pre-57 forks include Pale Moon,
Basilisk, Waterfox, Iceweasel-UXP, Iceape-UXP, and Borealis Navigator.

For those who are unfamiliar with Iceweasel-UXP, I recommend reading
their lucid and brief explanation:
https://wiki.hyperbola.info/doku.php?id=en:project:iceweasel-uxp
(But, seriously, IMO they should call it 'Iceweasel', which is peculiar
enough without the suffix, but at least has a history.)

-- 
Cheers,                     "Why doesn't anyone invite copyeditors to parties,
Rick Moen                   when we're such cool people out with whom to hang?"
rick@???                        -- @laureneoneal (Lauren O'Neal)
McQ! (4x80)