I just recently read some great reviews for Brave browser and decided to try it on my system. And I can say with confidence, It is definitely faster loading than Firefox( by a couple seconds).
After using strictly firefox since the 90's, I am am going through a bit of a learning curve (withdrawal symptoms)...right now trying to figure out how to permanently put a bookmarks icon on the task bar ( yes, just like Firefox).
I know I can use ctrl-shift-o ...but FF spoiled me! It's much easier to click on an icon.
Anyway, the reason I'm here is to ask: Does anyone have any practical experience with Brave ? how do you like it and Why?
I have used Brave and had no problems with it. I still use it occasionally. Firefox may be starting slow because it may be Snap now depending on when you installed it.
I have been using Brave, Vivaldi and Firefox recently. I have come across a very few websites that Brave seems to have trouble rendering; those websites worked with Vivaldi.
I did mention I use it, but infrequently. It works like Chrome. I like Chrome so I use that but occasionally use other browsers. I guess I use Chrome about 90% of the time and 10% other browsers including Brave, Firefox, and Opera. Brave works fine without issues. I have only had issues a few times with Firefox and usually it seems they were problems at the server end so I don't think it was related to Firefox. Vivaldi is fantastic but if feels like using KDE Plasma on a browser. It has too many settings for my taste. Another Chromium based browser like Brave is Opera and I have liked using that too. They all seem good but I enjoy the synchronicity of Chrome across a wide range of devices including Android, Windows 10/11, Manjaro Cinnamon, and iOS for iPad and iPhones. They can all sync information including the Microsoft Edge browser which has gotten good reviews and is available on Linux. From what I have read, for privacy, Brave is really good and so is Edge surprisingly.
I use Brave as my main browser , both out of convenience and from a security/privacy standpoint.
Sometimes (really sporadic) a site doesnt work, pretty much always because it is loaded with trackers, mouseloggers and other crap and Brave blocks that. I like that and it is easy to retract part of Brave's "shields" to allow the site to load if you REALLY need it ( like the horrible crap site of my ISP ).
This together with my favourite plugins (uMatrix, Privacy badger, TamperMonkey, close&clean) makes it the best browsing experience for me.
I have bookmarks on the taskbar, both single bookmars as complete folders. To do that, just use Ctrl+D like in firefox or rightmousebutton on the bookmark bar.
Since I use a systemwide dnscrypt-proxy and have a pretty extensive blacklist, I have firefox (with DNS over HTTPS) as backup for some cornercases. But i'm getting tired of their phone-home tendencies and their google-phylia: I have a completely customized user.js because of that. A long list just to let firefox shut up it's chattyness to sites i didn't ask for.
That's not going to open the expanding menu of a complex bookmarks tree, is it?
To reply to the original question, I like Brave for its speed, but dislike the lack of a keyboard shortcut to the bookmarks. Presumably the reason for this in Chrome was to encourage use of the omnibox, from which they could glean some form of search data.
TKN Thank you for your response. To do that, just use Ctrl+D like in firefox or rightmousebutton on the bookmark bar.
That's not what I meant...the "add bookmark" icon is already there no need to Ctrl+d, it looks like a banner(?) on the immediate left of the address bar.
In my FF I have three icons I absolutely "need". One that looks like a house, that takes me to my duckduckgo (home) screen, then there's a star in a tray(?), that's the bookmarks and when I click on that the bookmark drop down opens with all my bookmarks in it just like "Ctrl Shft o" In Brave. third , there's a - | 100% | + which increases or decreases size of screen content. I can't 'live" without those 3 and whether I use Brave or not depends on being able to do so. Please see screenshot below.
As you know, if you right click on the screen top and choose "bookmarks toolbar", a screen opens up with all the icon option available...this is what I want!
I know, I know...Brave is not Firefox!
I feel it's time to move on from FF for the reasons you mentioned. But I gotta have the "three", I don't want to have to type to accomplish these things, like in FF I want to just click and go.
I know, I'm picky and spoiled...I guess that's what happens when you use any one thing for 20+ years. I also know life is full of compromises...I just don't want to.
If you have any ideas how to permanently put the icons up there, as I described, I would appreciate it.
That's not going to open the expanding menu of a complex bookmarks tree, is it?
I am definitely no expert (can't you tell?) but if you mean to open bookmarks in Brave, you can do a "Ctrl Shft o", and you will get the clickable bookmarks listing in Brave, just like FF, only a lot bigger.
In my FF I have three icons I absolutely "need". One that looks like a house, that takes me to my duckduckgo (home) screen
You can switch it on in 'settings'
then there's a star in a tray(?), that's the bookmarks and when I click on that the bookmark drop down opens with all my bookmarks in it just like "Ctrl Shft o" In Brave.
The star in my firefox only adds a bookmark, same as the 'banner' icon in Brave.
So in Brave I created a folder on the bookmark-bar named "speed dial".
It contains all my bookmarks.
Normally, in Brave, the official bookmarks icon can be found on a 'new tab' and shows all bookmarks after clicking on it.
there's a - | 100% | + which increases or decreases size of screen content.
On my firefox it only shows zoomlevel, no way to enlarge or shrink
On Brave there is this icon:
mouse-over shows the zoomlevel, click on it and you can zoom.
(I never use it, i use the button 4 and 5 on my mouse to zoom)
You just have to go here:
brave://settings/searchEngines
Add another search engine and set whatever keyword you would like as a shortcut. Tedious but then it works just like Firefox. Shortcuts are tied to this menu instead of the bookmarks manager.
