Hang on to Your Firefox
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Firefox 155.0 released Sep 1, 2026, dropping Windows 8.1 and macOS 10.14 support.
Users debate Firefox's future amid performance complaints and browser engine diversity concerns.
Background
Firefox, the last major non-Chromium browser, faces declining market share and user complaints about RAM usage, CPU spikes, and AI-heavy new tab features. A newsonaut article urges users to stick with Firefox to preserve browser engine diversity, while Hacker News and Reddit users report performance issues. The release of Firefox 155.0, which ends support for older OS versions, has sparked renewed discussion about the browser's direction.
How it unfolded
- Aug 27, 2026Instagram post by BIEN promotes Firefox with 'Stay in control with Firefox on any OS'.
- Aug 31, 2026Newsonaut article 'Hang on to your Firefox' argues for browser engine diversity; Linuxteck compares LibreWolf vs Firefox.
- Sep 1, 2026Firefox 155.0 release notes published, ending support for Windows 8.1 and macOS 10.14; Hacker News discussion 'Hang on to your Firefox' trends.
Who’s saying what
- Support
- Newsonaut argues Firefox is 'our last best hope for browser engine diversity and competition' and urges users not to abandon it.
- Caution
- Hacker News user complains Firefox 'eats lots of RAM' and has constant CPU usage, with profiler showing 'GC collecting'.
- Bears
- Reddit user reports Firefox on Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is 'very slow and hangs a lot' with high CPU usage.
Still unverified
A Hacker News commenter speculates that anti-Firefox sentiment might be a 'bot campaign by Google', but this is unconfirmed and presented as a rhetorical question.