I'm concerned about switching

[DrKnow]

I want to move to a move secure and customisable browser..

However,

Reading these forums gives me huge concerns about PaleMoon.
Every day I see posts about MAJOR sites having issues with users tweaking settings just to access them and make them work.

I know it's been said that users should expect some level of tweaking, but trying half a dozen user agents / changing script settings just to access a hugely popular site doesn't seem like a good experience to me.

Does it ACTUALLY work decently for you guys? or are you constantly having to tweak settings or use other browsers. How many major (eg banking/shopping etc) sites do you have to change browser for?

[grayhoose]

give it a try, you'll find that its the site's a majority of the time not following internet standards or an addon causing the problems.

[TwoTankAmin]

I am probably one of the least technically savvy members you can find on this site. I run a very simple setup. I have only one site issue cuurently and that is the Verizon site. I need to change the user agent mode from native to Firefox there. (Tools/Prefences/General tab). This has happened on a few sites mI have visited but out of curiosity- like for a local restaurant part of a chain. But, i also block all ads as well as all trackers widgets etc etc. This also breaks some things on sites.

However, there is no other browser I use at this time. i am a privacy nut and i liked the old extensions we can keep but died on Firefox and do not exist on most of the rest.

The more things one does in their browser, the greater the potential there is for Pale moon to go bump. But then you need to consider the type of person opts for this browser. Most are pretty tech savvy and do a lot of modifications to everything digital they use. And we use an eclectic assortment of themes, add-ons, apps, etc. etc. You can bet that most users of pale moon who use multiple browsers have different issues with them all.

I would offer this suggestion. Try out Pale Moon with the portable version on a USB stick for a while. Play around with it a bit and see how it goes. Also ask yourself what secure and customizable is worth to you. If those things were easy to find, you and the rest of us would likely not be here. I have a whopping 7 extensions. 5 of them I have been using for about 6 to 7 years. I began using them on Firefox and when I switched to P M, they came with me. None of them are now available on FF in a format that will work with P M and some wont even work with the current FF at all.. You cannot get more customizable than that

[rabnbeinn]

I've been using PM for 8/9 yrs now as my main browser, I have no troubles getting into all the sites I frequent on a daily basis.

Give it a go for a few weeks, you won't be disappointed.

[billmcct]

I have used PM since 2011 and have rarely found sites that have problems. As mentioned, usually an addon causing it.
I have 100 extensions installed and 76 are enabled. The others I enable when needed.
Just give it a try, and then decide for yourself.

[Isengrim]

I generally don't find myself tweaking too many settings in the browser itself after a few years of using it. Most issues I have run in to are due to some of my add-ons blocking something, sites using user agent sniffing, or my disabling of certain things such as geolocation. The browser itself is pretty solid.

[adesh]

I concur. I am using Pale Moon exclusively for the last one and a half year (when I found it first) and I never encounter any breakage.

Now, my use of the browser is a liitle different from an average user. Specifically, I do not use any of the world's major websites, except GitHub. But, I guess, there are people here on this forum who are browsing these sites without issues (sometimes using tweaks, though). Rest of the Web works perfectly¹ for me. If a website does not work in Pale Moon, it's the site's fault.

1. For content oriented sites, if I get readable text - good enough for me.

[Falna]

Been using PM for a couple of years as my main browser and very, very rarely find a problem site. If I do, then I normally just use an alternative browser - there's an 'Open With' extension that you can use to do that.

[Thehandyman1957]

Though I don't use the major sites like Google, Netflix, Twitter or Facepalm. I have a boat load of add on's and
almost never have any issues with the sites I use. As for secure, top notch. With a great team making a great browser
that is about to get even better with the next milestone. Some of these "bugs" will be worked out in V28.

Over all, it is worth the few user agent issues to use this browser. Though, I have honestly never had to use a user agent string
and I have been using PM for just over 3 years now. And like Falna said, just keep another browser of your choice for the problem
sites and usually those "problems" are the web site's over the top agent sniffing, thus the string fixing.

I would imagine that this user agent issue will always be an issue as long as web designers only want to write code for
the top browsers in the market. It's not that Pale Moon can't render those sites, it's just the web designers locking down
their sites to only the top market browsers. Google is really bad for this type of behavior.

[SpockFan02]

There's one site that I can't get to work in Pale Moon 27, and that's the Comcast Web mail client (I know, I know! My account was set up for me almost a decade ago). When I need to use that, I use Safari (I'm on a Mac).

I have occasionally had problems that were resolved with a user agent override (e.g. some graphs weren't displaying on NationStates, an online game), and there was something going on with Twitter a few days ago, but for the most part, everything works just fine. I don't need to tweak settings to get things working on a daily basis. Remember that the forum is where people go when they have problems, and there are surely many more happy Pale Moon users who aren't active here.

I would agree with what some people said above: Test it out yourself! Try the portable version, or just a regular install, and see if it works for you. You can also open sites that don't work with Pale Moon in another browser, it's not a big deal.

[Michaell]

I just had a terrible time with Verizon. At first I was just trying to use the old vtext site to send an SMS to find my phone. Nothing worked. PM wouldn't connect because of outdated security protocol, and I tried the fixes in the FAQ. Tried Basilisk and I think it just sat there spinning with a blank page, nothing in the ublock logger. Tried an old version (38) of Waterfox Portable I had on a USB drive, different extensions and different results but still didn't work. I then tried Iridium thinking a Chrome clone would surely work--nope, but to be fair I did have some blocking extensions that could be interfering. But with as familiar as I am with tweaking block extensions to allow, I gave up before getting any browser with content blocking to work. Finally got on and registered using Edge. Ironically, had to send a text message to me to confirm my registration, but by then I had already found my phone and so didn't need it anymore.

[Moonraker]

I notice the original poster puts emphasis on the word MAJOR.Could they be so kind to list which major sites do not work in palemoon for them please.The only website i visit which could be classified as major is facebook and it seems to work ok in palemoon.

[franstam]

as spockfan02 pointed out, most users who post on the forums are people who have issues.
rarely you would see anyone posting that they have a smooth experience and have no problems with pale moon.
thats why the forums are a skewed representation of the actual experience, and if you want to know how it really is in YOUR setup, like others have said, give it a try. its free and no obligations.

[back2themoon]

Where secure and customisable browsers go, Pale Moon is the perfect choice for both areas. As for your concerns, you might encounter some minor issues (nothing security-related, PM is actually stricter than those browsers) with a few websites that only cater for mainstream browsers. These few issues will be mostly resolved in PM 28, to be released later in 2018.

If your main concern is security and customisation as your post indicates, moving to Pale Moon is a wise move.

[therube]

I notice the original poster puts emphasis on the word MAJOR.Could they be so kind to list which major sites do not work in palemoon for them please.

MAJOR, is in the eye of the beholder, obviously, but a run through recent topics here will find some.
And even ones where a useragent "fix" is required, things may not be "just" as simple as changing the UA (in that you may need to have a "correct" UA).

Latter example, Spotify broken.

Partially broken - depending on "which" login page you happen to use, Pale Moon 27.6.0 breaks Citibank login.

Other broken & not useragent related:
ASUS support site doesn't appear correctly.
Очередной упоротый : 101ru и UA
Problem with a Charles Schwab webpage
Go Compare's Connected Cities not loading
Weird picture bug
Need to update general.useragent.override.usbank.co
various Facebook reports over the last day or so


So yes, there are some sites, parts of sites, actions, whatever, that simply will not work in PM 27.
You may not ever hit such a site, but they are there.
If these are MAJOR issues, that is up to the particular user to determine.


And yes, PM 28 will likely resolve most if not all those issues - but PM 28 is not here, yet.

[LAR Grizzly]

So yes, there are some sites, parts of sites, actions, whatever, that simply will not work in PM 27.

And I'll also bet that there are as many sites that don't work in the other browsers as well. No browser is perfect, you'll just have to determine that for yourself. Install PM, play around with it, and see how it goes for you. For me, it was just the right switch from the direction Mozilla was going with Firefox and SeaMonkey.

[therube]

I'm VERY new at this, & may be wrong but...

The way I see it, PM 27 is simply based upon too old technology (FF 38), & what was valid with 38, simply is not cutting it any longer (at times) with "more modern" websites.

Security is a different issue, with security related fixes backported as needed from current FF offerings.

So the browser is secure, yes.
But more & more it is unable to handle current web pages (or particular parts of web pages - see, Blocked Content).

If it works for you fine. Use it.


I don't consider useragent "issues" an issue, more a nuisance.
I do consider site breakages an issue.
And obviously I don't expect any browser to be "perfect".

it was just the right switch from the direction Mozilla was going with Firefox and SeaMonkey

There is no "direction" from Mozilla in regards to SeaMonkey.
(I'm sure Mozilla wishes SeaMonkey will simply go away.)
That SeaMonkey essentially has to follow FF, has to pick up on what FF has done, well, that is just the ways things happened to have turned out. (And with what Mozilla has done & continues to do with "Quantum" [perhaps better said, changing & pulling out code] may very well spell the end of SeaMonkey. We shall see...)