15 Years of Forking
2 days ago
- #privacy
- #open-source browsers
- #software development
- Fifteen years ago, the author created Waterfox, a 64-bit Firefox fork, due to lack of an official build, gaining unexpected popularity.
- Waterfox has grown significantly, with an estimated 1 million monthly active users and over 25 million lifetime downloads, and underwent changes including partnerships and independence.
- Running an independent privacy-focused browser is economically challenging, relying on search partnerships, but community support motivates continued development.
- In 2026, Waterfox is introducing a native content blocker based on Brave's adblock library for better performance and integration, allowing text ads on the default search partner for sustainability.
- Waterfox remains committed to privacy and user choice without AI integration, focusing on distribution support and packaging improvements, especially for ARM64.
- The project is sustained by community contributions and personal support, with optimism for the future despite a competitive market.