"Hang on to your Firefox": a blogger's case for browser engine diversity

On August 31, 2026, writer and web developer Mark Rogers published a post on his Newsonaut blog titled "Hang on to your Firefox!" The entry answers a growing habit among technology commentators of dropping Mozilla's browser, and argues that the reasons they give rarely justify the cost of losing the only independent competitor to Google's engine.

A dispute over where Mozilla shows up

Rogers opens with the German adage about not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, noting that it dates back to 1512, and applies it to the current discussion. The immediate trigger, he writes, was a post by a prolific blogger who switched to Vivaldi because Firefox now has a presence on X. The author contrasts that with Vivaldi's own presence on X, along with Meta's Threads, Facebook and Instagram and Google's YouTube — platforms the same critics rarely mention.

He is also critical of the recurring threads on Hacker News, where, in his words, over-thinkers come up with convoluted reasons to dislike Firefox every time the subject arises. Rogers wonders whether the pattern looks like an organised bot campaign, then dismisses the idea himself: Google would have little reason to bother.

One engine left to keep competition alive

The author's central argument is technical rather than political: Firefox is the last best hope for browser engine diversity and competition. Without it, he writes, users would be left with Google Chrome and its derivatives everywhere — Vivaldi included, since it is built on the same Chromium base. The only other holdout is Apple's Safari, which survives mainly because it is the enforced default browser on iPhones.

Why Mozilla is on X, and what readers can do

Rogers believes the reason Mozilla keeps an account on X is straightforward: the project is trying to reach new users. With a small and diminishing share of the browser market worldwide — he links to StatCounter's public figures — Mozilla needs to reach out wherever potential users can be found.

His conclusion is a direct appeal: if people who understand the value of an independent engine want it to survive, they need to support it rather than abandon it. "And you desperately need to help them," he writes.