Firefox

Firefox Developer Edition browser.

Managed by: the firefox@developer-edition Homebrew cask in nix/darwin/default.nix installs the app; nix/home/darwin/programs/firefox.nix declares the default profile and add-ons.

What firefox.nix does

Home Manager's programs.firefox module manages the profile, not the app: package = null leaves installation to the Homebrew cask.

The activation script unregisters stale nix-store Firefox copies and asks the Homebrew app to become the default HTTPS handler with Firefox's -setDefaultBrowser option.

The profile gets Bitwarden, uBlock Origin, Dark Reader, and Tampermonkey from NUR. It also pins react-devtools, kagi-search, maxfocus, simple-translate, and multi-account-containers to immutable AMO file URLs and hashes in nix/home/darwin/programs/firefox.nix.

Why Firefox Developer Edition

We use Firefox Developer Edition. Here is why.

• We reject Chromium-based browsers to help against browser-engine monopoly.
  Rejected: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Ungoogled Chromium, Arc from The Browser Company, Dia from The Browser Company, Opera, Vivaldi, Naver Whale
• Browser extensions must be free to use. In particular, uBlock Origin must be usable.
• We reject Safari.
  Rejected: Apple Safari
• We don't obsess over anonymity beyond what's needed.
  Rejected: Tor Browser
• We need confidence that the browser will keep being maintained.
  Rejected: LibreWolf
• DRM playback must work, for services like Laftel and Netflix.
  Rejected: Zen Browser, Pale Moon
• The browser must embrace diversity.
  Rejected: Brave [2014 Apr]

Alternatives considered

Opera Neon, Zen, Arc, Dia: interesting new-style browsers, but judged too risky to use as a daily driver.

Other platforms

Windows installs the Mozilla.Firefox.DeveloperEdition winget package declared in xpkg/windows/default.toml. WSL skips Firefox entirely.