First off, a huge thank you to everyone who responded to my [last post] with suggestions and insights. The feedback was incredibly helpful.
Now, I’d like to focus on one specific challenge that’s still unresolved: my browser situation.
Currently, I’m using Brave as a temporary solution. It has vertical tabs and pinned sites, which I need, but it’s still Chromium-based. I want to move away from Google’s ecosystem, but I’m not willing to compromise on usability. If a browser can’t handle vertical tabs or DRM for streaming, it’s not a viable option for me.
What I Need
- Vertical tabs (non-negotiable; Arc spoiled me)
- No Chromium (Firefox-based or independent engine preferred)
- Functional DRM (yes, even on Linux—don’t judge me)
- Daily usability (no constant cookie purges, no janky workarounds)
What I’ve Tried
- Vivaldi & Zen Browser: Firefox-based, which I liked in theory. But DRM (Widevine) was a no-go, even with plugins. Linux + DRM is a known nightmare, but if someone has a functional setup, I’d love to hear about it.
- Mullvad Browser: Privacy-wise, it’s great, but the aggressive cookie-clearing makes it impractical for daily use.
What I Haven’t Tried (But Am Watching)
- Ladybird Browser: This could be the answer—if it ever becomes stable. If anyone’s tested recent builds, I’d love to hear how close it is to daily usability.
What I’m Looking For Now
Is there a browser out there that I’m missing?
One that balances privacy, usability, and my specific needs - without forcing me into a Chromium-based corner?
Specifically, I’d love to hear from people who’ve had success with:
- Firefox-based browsers (or others) that handle vertical tabs and DRM smoothly.
- General experiences with non-Chromium browsers - what’s your daily driver, and why?
If you’ve found a setup that works for you, I’d genuinely love to hear about it.
> thanks <
This is what pushed me back to piracy again. Paying Netflix for shitty 720p resolution and compression artifacts so bad I couldn't see what was happening in horror movies or anything shot at night, viewing on Linux.
there used to be an addon to 'fix' that but i dunno if it still exists. it's been awhile since i did a month of netflix.
I used an agent switcher to say firefox was chrome on windows, which gave slightly better resolution, but it doest fix their shitty compression. Blacks and greys are just blobs in some night scenes, can't see anything. And its not my TV, because the same scene downloaded from somewhere else is perfect at 1080p.
Ok — at first I did not get the problem you all have with DRM. Widevine works just fine for me. Pro tip: I've got a 31" TV. No problems with resolution :-)