IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Firefox Has Integrated Brave's Adblock Engine

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Ad‑blocking & MV2 Deprecation

The community repeatedly warns that losing Manifest V2 (MV2) would cripple uBlock Origin and other filters.

“Maintaining both MV2 & MV3 support isn’t easily sustainable long term when you factor in the need to prioritize other features.” – devsda
“There is no feature Firefox provides that is more differentiating than uBlock origin.” – zephyreon

2. Multi‑profile / Multi‑container Workflows

Many users crave a more robust way to juggle separate logins and contexts without opening many windows.

“The multi user containers are also very nice.” – collabs
“I suggest to have a look at the underrated extension Sticky Window Containers.” – gawa

3. Distrust of Mozilla & Search for Alternatives A sizable portion of the discussion expresses waning confidence in Mozilla’s roadmap and looks to browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, or even experimental engines such as Ladybird.

“My last hope is ladybird right now… I don’t use Firefox or Chrome as my main browsers anymore.” – cookiengineer
“They try to make it feel like an ‘us’ browser, but it just comes off as a corp trying to talk cool.” – prox

🚀 Project Ideas

uBO Compat Bridge#Summary

  • Enables full‑featured uBlock Origin (MV2 capabilities) to run unchanged on Chrome‑MV3 and Firefox‑MV3, preserving cosmetic filtering and list updates.
  • Solves the community’s fear that ad‑blockers will lose functionality when MV2 is deprecated.

Details| Key | Value |

|-----|-------| | Target Audience | Power users of uBlock Origin who rely on advanced filtering (cosmetic + script‑injection) across Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. | | Core Feature | Compatibility shim that translates deprecated MV2 APIs to MV3‑safe equivalents without requiring users to rebuild filters. | | Tech Stack | Rust-based port of uBlock‑origin’s core (adblock‑rust) + WebExtension polyfill (WebExtension polyfill library) + autobuild pipelines for Chrome/Firefox. | | Difficulty | High | | Monetization | Revenue-ready: {Freemium model – free core, paid premium filter updates for enterprises} |

Notes

  • HN commenters repeatedly worry that “MV3 kills uBlock” – this bridge directly addresses that anxiety.
  • Provides an open‑source alternative that can be bundled by browsers seeking native ad‑blocking without sacrificing full functionality.

Profile‑Container Suite

Summary

  • A native, multi‑profile tab‑container manager for Firefox (and Chromium‑based browsers) that lets users assign containers per window, auto‑open new tabs in the same container, and sync container settings across devices.
  • Addresses the demand for “profile‑per‑window” workflows (e.g., work vs. personal) highlighted in the discussion.

Details| Key | Value |

|-----|-------| | Target Audience | Power users who juggle multiple personas (work, side‑projects, community) and need strict isolation without many windows. | | Core Feature | Per‑window container assignment + sticky tab creation + deep‑link support for “open‑in‑container” URLs. | | Tech Stack | WebExtension API (WebExtension APIs + Browser API), React for UI, Rust for backend isolation logic, sync via IndexedDB. | | Difficulty | Medium | | Monetization | Hobby |

Notes

  • Community members praised Sticky Window Containers and expressed frustration at the lack of built‑in profile switching.
  • Offers a differentiator for Firefox amid concerns about MV3 and ad‑blocking, as a native productivity enhancer. ---

Manifest‑V3 Compat‑Linter

Summary

  • A developer tool that validates extension manifests for MV3 compliance, automatically rewrites MV2‑only permissions, and generates fallback polyfills for request‑blocking APIs.
  • Mitigates the risk of extensions breaking when browsers fully deprecate MV2, a pain point voiced by many HN participants.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Extension developers maintaining ad‑blockers, privacy tools, or any MV2‑dependent add‑on.
Core Feature Manifest linting + auto‑migration scripts + runtime polyfill loader for request‑blocking APIs.
Tech Stack Node.js + TypeScript, ESBuild for bundling, WebExtension polyfill (web-ext).
Difficulty Low
Monetization Revenue-ready: {SaaS subscription – $5 /mo per repo}

Notes - Several commenters argued Chrome’s MV3 implementation is the real bottleneck; this tool lets developers avoid being locked out.

  • Could be integrated into CI pipelines, directly answering “how can I keep my MV2 extension alive?” concerns.

Network‑Edge Ad‑Blocker Box

Summary

  • A plug‑and‑play hardware appliance (Raspberry Pi 4 + micro‑SD) that runs a local DNS‑level and TLS‑MITM blocker using the adblock‑rust engine, offering system‑wide ad‑blocking for all devices on a LAN.
  • Provides a solution for users who want “network‑level” blocking beyond per‑browser extensions, addressing HN discussions about proxy/box solutions.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Home‑lab enthusiasts, privacy‑focused families, and power users with multiple devices (phone, tablet, desktop).
Core Feature DNS‑based blocklists + TLS‑MITM proxy + UI for rule editing + auto‑updates of filter lists.
Tech Stack Raspberry Pi OS, Rust (adblock‑rust), Dnsmasq + Caddy for TLS termination, Docker for isolated services.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Several HN comments explored using MITM proxies or Squid with SSL bump; this product packages that workflow into a consumer‑friendly box.
  • Offers an alternative when browser extensions become insufficient or crippled by MV3 transitions.

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