Mozilla makes first-ever acquisition: Web-clipping app 'Pocket'

Tuesday 28th February 2017 06:57 GMT DavidRa

Unrelated of course to foisting it on people...

But perhaps I am the only one who remembers them shoving it down everyone's throats.

I can't surely be the only one thinking it's not a coincidence?

12 0 Reply
1. Tuesday 28th February 2017 07:16 GMT allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
  
  Re: Unrelated of course to foisting it on people...
  
  Nope, you're not the only one. In fact, I'm a bit surprised that Pocket wasn't a part of FF/Mozilla already. But then I never was really interested in Pocket anyway and never looked into it.
  
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Tuesday 28th February 2017 08:47 GMT Mage

Gurr!

Why can't they focus on Firefox security & bugs?

Stop messing with other projects and stop messing with GUI.

I've not used Pocket as I don't like the idea of a 3rd part server. I simply save webpages or paste into LibreOffice Writer. Sometimes I convert them to ePub/Mobi via Calibre.

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Tuesday 28th February 2017 09:16 GMT Dan 55

Unicorns and clouds

Firefox already has a bookmarks manager and bookmark sync. Perhaps giving Thunderbird some care and attention would have been more useful? (I say "have been" because they've decided to dump it completely.)

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1. Tuesday 28th February 2017 10:05 GMT wolfetone
  
  Re: Unicorns and clouds
  
  I don't know how it finished up but I think last year they were planning on dropped Thunderbird, or at least passing it to someone else away from Mozilla.
  
  Heard no more about it though.
  
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Tuesday 28th February 2017 09:45 GMT wolfetone

Shorter Mozilla Statement

"Guys, we've bought this mobile app which we think is super cool and will improve your experience!"

"What about Firefox? What are you doing to improve that for everyone?"

"Yes."

".... well?"

"*blinks*"

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1. Tuesday 28th February 2017 20:29 GMT Captain DaFt
  
  Re: Shorter Mozilla Statement
  
  "What about Firefox?"
  
  You mean the "Return control of the web to you" browser?
  
  It had its run, was very popular.
  
  Then what I call the "graffiti artists"* at Mozilla took over and a once promising project was history.
  
  *"Graffiti artist" - the type of "programmer" that joins a popular project, and proceeds to "make his mark" everywhere, to the detriment of the project. A most lamentable sub-species of human.
  
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Tuesday 28th February 2017 11:59 GMT Whynot

Pocket has been integrated in to Firefox for ages. Pocket is a very good and useful app.

I a;so use the desktop version of Pocket

The only negative when Firefox integrated Pocket they made the previous Pocket addon defunct, the integrated method was a possible security risk.

I managed to get a copy of the last signed Pocket addon and it is installed permanently.

1 8 Reply
1. Tuesday 28th February 2017 14:01 GMT inmypjs
  
  "Pocket is a very good and useful app."
  
  If you don't mind a 3rd party collecting information about everything you find interesting on the internet and linking it to you across multiple devices.
  
  I never considered the utility of pocket to come close to justifying the loss of privacy and was annoyed as hell to find it baked in to Firefox.
  
  8 0 Reply
  1. Tuesday 28th February 2017 19:49 GMT Mage
    
    Re: loss of privacy and was annoyed as hell to find it baked in to Firefox
    
    First thing I do on anyone's PC I install FF, is for their user account, I go to the menu and remove pocket. I also add Classic Theme Restorer and Noscript.
    
    Having 3rd party cookies disabled by default and something like Noscript makes more sense than privacy stealing & pointless pocket. There are loads of "safe" ways to do what pocket does.
    
    Pocket is also on my Kobo. Facebook is on my Kindle & Kobo. Are they all mad? Yet I can't email highlighted text from Kindle or Kobo.
    
    I have no difficulty at all using Calibre to make ePubs for the Kobo from saved webpages.
    
    I can read them on phone too.
    
    The Kindle & Kobo & phone do sort of work on web pages anyway.
    
    I don't use Firefox bookmark sync etc either. Privacy & Trust. If I need a link on another gadget / machine I use methods I trust to copy it. I rarely do.
    
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Tuesday 28th February 2017 14:35 GMT Anonymous Coward

Translation

For those who can't be bothered to read the press release that Sharwood copy / pasted, the story goes more or less like this:

Firefox had its own offline reading feature that was being developed internally, then the Pocket guys were approached by Mozilla Business Development and told "would you like us to bundle your stuff in our browser as a core component?" There was a monetary exchange here, of which Mozilla developers were initially unaware, thinking that it had been purely a decision on technological grounds.

Fast-forward a couple of years and the money now seems to be going in the other direction. I haven't checked but it would be interesting to know if anyone at Mozilla had a material interest, disclosed or not, in Pocket.

6 0 Reply