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After using Arc since the end of 2022, Vivaldi is my new default browser.
Why change, and why choose Vivaldi?
I’d been feeling uneasy for some time about relying so much on an app with no apparent sustainable business model, that was starting to push AI. I’m not interested in paying for my browser, and the hint of a subscription was definitely in the air.
Arc isn’t dying, according to The Browser Company but it’s no longer under active development, with the bulk of the Arc team now focusing on an AI-driven product called Dia. I struggle to express just how not into AI tools in my browser I am.
Vivaldi seems stable, sustainable, and has a good community behind it. It’s privacy focused and allows installing Chrome extensions, both strong pluses in my book.
A few days in I experienced some muscle memory rebellion demanding I go back to Arc, but no, I am holding strong! Vivaldi is slowly taking shape. Bit by bit I’m learning to do the things I used to do in Arc without thinking.
And of course the things I used to do in Arc without thinking are the things I had to make myself learn bit by bit when I was a new user, resisting the muscle memory rebellion that was demanding I return to Brave.
One of the things I liked about Arc was the ⌘⇧C shortcut for copying the current URL. I haven’t yet found a one-step solution for this in Vivaldi so I’ve created a Keyboard Maestro macro that lets me use the same ⌘⇧C shortcut for a 2-step process: ⌘L followed by ⌘C.
It took a while to get used to the way Vivaldi handles tabs and bookmarks but now I like it. On the whole I’m finding that switching browsers has been a good thing for tightening up my workflow and cleaning out some bookmark cruft.
Jorge Arango mentioned that Vivaldi doesn’t have profiles in its iOS version, so he prefers Safari. One day when I need a nice tech-distraction I’ll finally learn how to use Safari properly.
I’m part way through this podcast with Vivaldi’s creator, and so far I like what they stand for very much. Next up: learn more about Vivaldi’s features so I can choose which will fit in with my workflow.
Waffle is a script from Mike Grindle that “enables users to search, edit and append a .md file stored in their home directory (~/obtf.md) from a terminal.”
I like it because it’s another good example of someone crafting their own system on top of a simple text file. There are features without lock-in, but above all there is the flexibility to take it or leave it.
I won’t be using it because my One Big Text File is just a scratchpad. I’m happy with a simple text file that I search by the classifiers I add to each entry. It’s like a searchable Bullet Journal.
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