
Ask HN: Why can't I pay for Firefox? - spinningslate
Google&#x27;s &quot;jump the shark&quot; post yesterday [0] puts into sharp relief the perilous state of the net and privacy generally.  If nothing else, it reaffirmed my decision to delete Chrome and fully embrace Firefox - not just as <i>a</i> browser, but the <i>only</i> browser I use across desktop, laptop and phone.<p>Apple&#x27;s pro-privacy stance is laudable, but questionable in its permanence - it&#x27;s more strategy credit [1] than structurally embedded principle.<p>Mozilla might not be perfect but they&#x27;re the closest to a organisation where privacy stands a chance of being a meaningful commitment rather than disingenuous propaganda or convenient byproduct of monetisation strategy.<p>And yet: Firefox is free, and Google remains a major funding source.<p>Whilst I can donate to the Mozilla foundation [2] (and have) I can&#x27;t imagine it&#x27;s a path many will easily find.<p>Which makes me wonder: why doesn&#x27;t Mozilla offered a paid Firefox subscription option? Not suggesting it&#x27;s mandatory, or that it has to offer premium features.  Equally realistic about the percentage of users who would actually pay.<p>Google&#x27;s funding is around $300M pa [3].  That&#x27;s 10M users paying $30pa.  That&#x27;s a lot of people, but the internet&#x27;s a big place.  The wikimedia foundation has so far managed to function on donations.<p>So: why wouldn&#x27;t Mozilla offer the option?  Would you pay?<p>[0] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.blog.google&#x2F;products&#x2F;chrome&#x2F;building-a-more-private-web&#x2F;<p>[1] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;stratechery.com&#x2F;2013&#x2F;strategy-credit&#x2F;<p>[2] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;donate.mozilla.org&#x2F;<p>[3] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;techcrunch.com&#x2F;2017&#x2F;11&#x2F;14&#x2F;mozilla-terminates-its-deal-with-yahoo-and-makes-google-the-default-in-firefox-again&#x2F;
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ShakataGaNai
"...wikimedia foundation has so far managed to function on donations."

"Whilst I can donate to the Mozilla foundation [2] (and have) I can't imagine
it's a path many will easily find."

Uh. So... Are donations viable or not? I'm sure if Firefox pop'd up a note on
install and once a year saying "Help support Internet Freedom & Firefox" with
a link to Moz's donation page... they'd get plenty.

