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

Generating project ideas…

AdblockEngine Bridge

Summary

  • Provides a unified, full‑feature adblocking engine that works on Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox, eliminating the need for separate extensions.
  • Core value: same uBlock Origin filtering power across all major browsers, including complete cosmetic filtering.

Details| Key | Value |

|-----|-------| | Target Audience | Power users, privacy‑focused browsers, developers who rely on uBlock Origin across browsers | | Core Feature | Cross‑browser adblock extension that uses adblock‑rust under the hood and maps its APIs to WebExtension APIs of each browser | | Tech Stack | Rust (adblock‑rust), WebExtension APIs, Native host bridge (Node/Electron optional) | | Difficulty | Medium | | Monetization | Revenue-ready: Subscription |

Notes

  • HN commenters repeatedly lamented that uBlock Origin “doesn’t work as well” on non‑Firefox browsers; this solves that pain directly.
  • Could be packaged as a lightweight native host that updates filter lists automatically, appealing to users who want up‑to‑date blocking without manual list management.

Container Window Manager for Firefox

Summary

  • Extends Firefox’s container tabs with per‑window sticky containers and seamless integration with window‑manager marks for power‑user workflows.
  • Core value: effortless multi‑account switching and compartmentalized browsing without extra windows.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Advanced Firefox users, multitaskers, developers who run multiple workspaces and need isolated sessions
Core Feature Container‑aware windows that persist container assignments, auto‑attach new tabs to the correct container, and expose keybind hooks for i3/sway
Tech Stack WebExtension (JavaScript), browser container API, optional native‑manifest for mark integration
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Users like “Sticky Window Containers” and “multitab container workflow” were explicitly requested; this extends that concept to full windows.
  • Could be marketed as a productivity booster for HN’s “profile‑per‑window” crowd, fostering discussion about workflow efficiency.

LibreFirefox – Managed Privacy Browser

Summary

  • A curated, subscription‑backed distribution of Firefox pre‑installed with adblock‑rust, uBlock Origin, and other privacy extensions, with automatic updates and optional support.
  • Core value: a “set‑and‑forget” privacy‑first browser that requires no manual configuration.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Privacy‑conscious individuals, small teams, enterprises seeking a hardened browser without dev overhead
Core Feature One‑click installer that delivers a fully‑configured Firefox with hardened settings, integrated filter sync, and optional paid support
Tech Stack Packaged Firefox (ESR), Rust adblock‑rust, Docker for build pipeline, WebExtensions
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Tiered Subscription (Basic/Family/Enterprise)

Notes- Discussions about “paid clean Firefox” and “pay to remove crypto stuff” show willingness to pay for a tidy, ad‑free experience.

  • Aligns with HN’s frustration over telemetry and the desire for a trustworthy, out‑of‑the‑box solution.

Unified Filter Sync Service

Summary

  • A cloud‑based filter management platform that hosts up‑to‑date blocklists and syncs them to browser extensions across devices, with a simple UI for custom rules.
  • Core value: eliminates manual list maintenance and ensures consistent ad‑blocking behavior on every device.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Everyday users, families, and small businesses that use multiple devices and want reliable ad‑blocking without manual effort
Core Feature Central dashboard for filter list versioning, per‑device sync, and rule customization; provides lightweight client libraries for browsers
Tech Stack Backend (Node.js + PostgreSQL), CDN for list distribution, Browser extensions (WebExtension), Mobile SDK (optional)
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium (free tier with basic lists, paid tier for premium filters & analytics)

Notes

  • Responds to repeated calls for “easy updates” and “sync across devices” in the thread, especially from users juggling multiple browsers and devices.

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