Basically, Firefox 98.0.1 is a point release only concerned with removing Yandex search for users in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey, and switching them all to Google by default. Some old promotions from mail.ru and ok.ru were blocked, too, but these have been dead as a doornail and irrelevant.
Note the smoking gun: regular Google links were used in configuration file on 11 March, and then were switched to firefox-tagged (sponsored) ones on 13 March (“part 2”). Why couldn't Mozilla switch Yandex search users to regular Yandex links the same way if they reportedly had “troubles” with their agreement, which supposedly would be the best for the users, and best for Mozilla, apparently? Imagine their wet faces when they beg on their knees for more after successful extension of Google's sponsorship agreement onto 4 big countries, and you'll know why.
The changelog for 98.0.1 is currently absent. The changelog for 98 has a vague note about search engines. The relevant code-related bugs have zero explanations. Bug 1748923 is private. The UI that alerts the user about the removed search engine was introduced two weeks ago (and had it text changed to be more vague). There is a specific (and vague) help article about the switch:
As usual with Mozilla, there were bugs. Users of previous version of Firefox that automatically update the list of search engines but have no UI to warn them about the changes got it removed silently.
I personally don't use Yandex, its results for IT-related English language queries have been quite shitty, in all honesty, for many years, most likely because of the supposed full-on focus on keeping the existing (mostly non-English-speaking) users. However, it's another nice example of treating people like swine by those who have even a tiny bit of power over them. Oh, we're used to that, thank you very much.
It wouldn't be a problem if there was a clear statement from Mozilla, or from Yandex. However, both declined to comment (as of now) because, obviously, the talk might give the users the revelation they have been sold and resold like cattle. So because of the corporate handling of the matter now we have a shitstorm among common computer users because something has seriously changed with their “internet”.
I've been installing Firefox with useful extensions on all computers of friends and relatives (if only because it's not fucking Google Chrome Cage), and now they got a shovelful of shit straight from Mozilla.
It also affected Firefox ESR (unless, I guess, there is a custom policy for search engines). Because, you know, system administrators simply love self-destructing software.
Tomorrow they will disable mouse input, and tell everyone that those who need it should've had a specific rule.
I've found niche uses for Yandex; translation specifically, which can do OCR on images you upload to it. Google translate won't do that, last I checked. If anybody knows of an alternative, I'd like to hear about it.
Their reverse image search is also often more useful than anyone else. Google in particular has gone downhill as of late, not entirely sure why. My gut says that their indexes were purged at some point.
Google Lens may be accessible via the web-version of Google Photos.
I know that has OCR functionality with at least easily-accessible translations (iirc not overlayed on the image, though).
Not sure if Google Lens is accessible outside of the app, though.
>My submission was flagged because of the phrase “golden shower”,
In 99.9% of cases HN dont accept editorialised headline. Although I have no idea why this current post is also flagged as well. Firefox removed Yandex is a perfectly valid description. May be it should get rid of the latter part.
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-release/shortlog/35f...
Basically, Firefox 98.0.1 is a point release only concerned with removing Yandex search for users in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey, and switching them all to Google by default. Some old promotions from mail.ru and ok.ru were blocked, too, but these have been dead as a doornail and irrelevant.
Note the smoking gun: regular Google links were used in configuration file on 11 March, and then were switched to firefox-tagged (sponsored) ones on 13 March (“part 2”). Why couldn't Mozilla switch Yandex search users to regular Yandex links the same way if they reportedly had “troubles” with their agreement, which supposedly would be the best for the users, and best for Mozilla, apparently? Imagine their wet faces when they beg on their knees for more after successful extension of Google's sponsorship agreement onto 4 big countries, and you'll know why.
The changelog for 98.0.1 is currently absent. The changelog for 98 has a vague note about search engines. The relevant code-related bugs have zero explanations. Bug 1748923 is private. The UI that alerts the user about the removed search engine was introduced two weeks ago (and had it text changed to be more vague). There is a specific (and vague) help article about the switch:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/search-engine-removal
However, the first signs were noticed about a month ago (in Russian):
https://www.opennet.ru/opennews/art.shtml?num=56721
As usual with Mozilla, there were bugs. Users of previous version of Firefox that automatically update the list of search engines but have no UI to warn them about the changes got it removed silently.
I personally don't use Yandex, its results for IT-related English language queries have been quite shitty, in all honesty, for many years, most likely because of the supposed full-on focus on keeping the existing (mostly non-English-speaking) users. However, it's another nice example of treating people like swine by those who have even a tiny bit of power over them. Oh, we're used to that, thank you very much.