1163434 - Provide other read it later services than Pocket

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Firefox :: Pocket, enhancement)

Description

[Thomas Citharel]

Pocket is a proprietary service and Mozilla shouldn't provide it as the only read-it-later provider.

An alternative service that exists is wallabag, which is open-source and can be self-hosted.
Mozilla Manifesto states : « Individuals’ security and privacy on the Internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional. » Using these services compromises your privacy whereas wallabag gives you the choice to select who you want to give your data to.

Moreover, Mozilla itself developed a read-it-later service that could be implemented https://github.com/mozilla-services/readinglist

Therefore, Firefox should offer the possibility to choose between all these services, and certainly not implement that one in particular.

Comment 1

[HLFH]

I'm using a chromebook with Google Chrome. I'm using an ArchLinux server with Lynx. I'm using an Intel NUC desktop with Microsoft Edge (and soon Pale Moon). Why the hell, do you need Firefox? 

1. They chose to support HTML5 DRM alias EME
2. They don't want to support HTML Imports. https://hacks.mozilla.org/2014/12/mozilla-and-web-components/ 
3. We are waiting since 2011 that Firefox OS gets a native CardDAV support and it does not happen. 
4. Mozilla and its "openness" have fired the great Brendan Eich and then replace him with a CMO.
5. Then Tristan Nitot quits Mozilla Foundation because he can't fix the new situation and that the privacy trend is moving forward from the client to the server.
6. Now a CMO leads Mozilla, what good thing could come out from Mozilla, besides advertising and alienation?

For me, it's clearly a won't fix. You have 2 choices :
- you choose to use Mozilla Firefox because you are an open source sadist hypocrite
- you are pragmatical, and you have real values of how should be the open source movement in 2015: you just use another browser that is more transparent and assume its evil side : Chromium ; or you just use the Firefox fork that will never support ads, HTML5 DRM, and Pocket: Pale Moon. http://www.ghacks.net/2014/05/21/palemoon-author-confirms-browser-will-ship-eme-ads-australis/ ;  https://www.palemoon.org/

Comment 2

[Thomas Citharel]

This doesn't help AT ALL the discussion.

Comment 3

[u474331]

I agree. A proprietary service should be only integrated with an extension. In case you wanted to have a service like that it would be better option an open source one like wallabag. I think this step doesn't goes with the Mozilla philosophy. Or at least it doesn't follows the way of think that differenciated Firefox from other proprietary browsers like Chrome or IE.

Comment 4

[damien]

Pocket inside Firefox is a mistake : Wallabag is open source and is the right tool for the right internet browser.

What is Pocket doing with our informations and datas ? As a commercial proprietary service, it cannot be trusted.

Comment 5

[pdog]

(In reply to alex.vlc88 from comment #3)
> A proprietary service should be only integrated with an extension.

I completely agree with this. I took a look at the list of Firefox services and it appears that they are all proprietary. I don't even understand the point of services at all. There is already a diverse collection of add-ons available for Firefox, including an add-on for Pocket, so what exactly is the point of bundling it as a "Service for Firefox"?

The biggest issue here is that bundling these services completely contradicts The Mozilla Manifest (https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/), especially number 7:

> Free and open source software promotes the development of the Internet as a public resource.

So why exactly is it that Mozilla is promoting proprietary software that doesn't safeguard user privacy, especially when there are free and open source alternatives available? Wallabag is mature software that works extremely well, so if Mozilla feels the need to promote services, then at least promote software with similar regards to Mozilla's ten principles.

Comment 6

[u474331]

Wallabag v2 will even have a FFOS frontend

https://github.com/wallabag/wallabag/issues/521

Comment 7

[nicolasmaia]

Agreed, this is a very serious bug!

Comment 8

[William Dorffer [:Nildeala]]

Agreed.

Comment 9

[maat]

idem.

Comment 10

[Francesco Lodolo [:flod]]

Before adding new comments, please check
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html

While this bug is absolutely useful, adding comments like "I agree" doesn't help, quite the contrary.

Comment 11

[github.domain.call5]

add wallabag please, it's foss alternative for pocket

Comment 12

[paul.leo.steinberg]

This should be closed as WONTFIX. We have the Social API for exactly this stuff.

On the other hand, including Pocket as core Firefox functionality is of course a total joke and another step in destroying any trust in Mozilla, while always emphasizing how much Firefox respects your privacy compared to Chrome. It started with defaulting to send Firefox Health Report by default (Chrome defaults to NOT send usage statistics!), then destroying Firefox Sync (while also trashing the surely soon-to-be completely closed down BrowserID) and finally introducing "Enhanced Tiles". Listing "Pocket on Firefox" as "Mozilla Service"(!) ( https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/access-mozilla-services-firefox-accounts ) only shows again how little Mozilla values privacy in practice.

Comment 13

[HLFH]

I agree. It should be closed as a WONTFIX. Mozilla is **** up.

Comment 14

[Michael]

I too am very unhappy with this integration.  This is 3rd party tool with 3rd party privacy policies that ultimately destroy Mozilla's privacy policies.  If anything should be incorporated it is local only storage to have true privacy!

Comment 15

[John Hesling [:John99] (NeedInfo me)]

Pocket is now Mozilla. See Moz blog
>Mozilla Acquires Pocket
>Denelle Dixon-Thayer February 27, 2017
>We are excited to announce that the Mozilla Corporation has completed the acquisition of Read It Later, Inc. the developers of Pocket ....

https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2017/02/27/mozilla-acquires-pocket/

Comment 16

[vince06fr]

So mozilla decide to put money in pocket rather than use an authentic Free and open source software like wallabag.
Sure, if mozilla open source the code of pocket the situation will be better than now but this choice is not the choice of promoting openess of internet.

Comment 17

[Frederik Braun [:freddy]]

AIUI, the first request from this bug is to get Firefox to use a free and open source reading list service, which will hopefully be achieved through https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=open-pocket.

I'm understand that folks also want choice to use a different service and have that choice baked into our UI.
That was never in scope for the pocket integration and it seems unlikely to happen. Those third-party services will have to continue writing extensions and offering bookmarklets.