Y U No Use Firefox?

Every once in a while, I feel bad for not using the only remaining truly open-source browser: Firefox.[1]

Opera is my go-to browser, but that’s been bought up by the Chinese, right? So far, things haven’t changed but who knows what’s going on under the hood? Chrome is a decent testing browser, but offers me nothing better than Opera and its memory profile is, for whatever reason, consistently worse. I’m a very happy Opera user.

Still, Firefox is, in version 57, supposedly much faster and uses less memory, finally putting it on-par with the other browsers. Cool. Let’s check it out.

Y U no speak English?

I start Firefox and it thinks I want to speak German. It’s a mistake more than a few applications make. My location is Switzerland, but the language of my operating system is English. Why does Firefox choose German instead of English? It’s not alone, but it’s a boneheaded mistake—if you’re going to make a guess, then guess the language I’ve chosen for my whole operating system.

No problem, though. I’ll just go find the setting where I can change the UI language.[2]

Y U no have UI-language setting?

There’s no way of searching preferences.

I guess I’ll just click through every page of the settings, hoping to find the language settings.

Damn, I can’t even find the area where I could change the list of preferred languages for web pages.

Y U no Upgrade?

Which version of Firefox am I even using?

Wait, how the heck do I figure out which version of Firefox this is? Let me type about:. Oh, that doesn’t work anymore. Back to the kind-of confusing menu on the right-hand side. None of those little pictures look right … maybe if I click “help”? Ah, there it is.

Apparently, I have an update pending. I’m surprised that wasn’t more prominently displayed.

Restart Firefox to apply updates.

I have a new start page and new settings! Now I can find the list of preferred languages for web pages, but still nothing about the UI language.

Y U no Helping?

I guess I’ll have to give on Firefox helping me and will ask DuckDuckGo.

I find the article Firefox in your language? Here’s the tutorial. Apparently, it’s possible without re-installation, for which I suppose I should be grateful…but there’s a tutorial. Sounds ominous.

I have to install an add-on. Whatever. I’ve already sunk enough time; let’s get this done.

I jump to the link provided for language packs and the one for English is right at the top.

Flips Table

How is that even a thing? How is it possible for Firefox to release a version on their stable branch without having the English language pack available? I’m running the latest stable version.

It was already a long-enough slog to get here in the first place, but now I find out that it’s not even possible to change the language of my browser’s UI without re-installing? Or that I get to “Download anyway” and take my chances?

Once again, I admit defeat and stop using Firefox. Who cares how fast it is[3] when the user experience is still so balky? It continues to feel like an unpolished product.