> Debian's Gnome uses Iceweasel much like Windows uses IE. I'm not really sure what you mean. It's Debians default browser in the way I think IE is currently Windows' default browser, but it's not used outside of being used as a browser. Many programs use some flavor of webkit for the like of displaying help pages. Which is what IE also does or at least did on Windows.
> MY QUESTION: Would Iceweasel also be incorporating those bothersome features
> in the near future? If so, would it be possible to use Debian without
> Iceweasel or any Mozilla product?
Iceweasel _is_ firefox, it just has some branding like name and artwork
replaced. Also, the dispute that lead to this was recently settled, and
debian's firefox will be called firefox again [1]
I have not witnessed the three you mentioned on my own, but that does not mean
its not there and it never will be. If these features are provided by nonfree
software, like html5-drm is, debian will not allow that into main and contrib -
but mozilla would not include non-free in their products. They might create
interfaces for that though, like they did with html5-drm. Note that iceweasel
not supporting screen sharing does not make you that more safe from an attacker
breaking into iceweasel and using it as screen sharing tool: There is nothing
to prevent any X client from taking screen shots. Of course that assumes
firefox' screen sharing only becomes active at your request.
But it is totally possible to ditch firefox/iceweasel and the other mozilla
products, there are plenty of other browsers:
# aptitude show www-browser
No current or candidate version found for www-browser
Package: www-browser
State: not a real package
Provided by: chimera2 (2.0a19-8+b2), chromium (47.0.2526.80-1~deb8u1), chromium
(48.0.2564.116-1), conkeror (1.0~~pre-1+git141025-1), conkeror
(1.0~~pre-1+git160130-1), dillo (3.0.4-2+b1), dillo (3.0.5-2), dwb
(20140702hg-2),
dwb (20150419git-2+b1), edbrowse (3.5.1-1), edbrowse (3.6.0.1-1),
elinks
(0.12~pre6-11+b2), elinks (0.12~pre6-5+b2), epiphany-browser
(3.14.1-1),
epiphany-browser (3.18.4-1), hv3 (3.0~fossil20110109-6), iceweasel
(38.5.0esr-1~deb8u2), iceweasel (44.0.2-1), iceweasel (45.0~b5-1),
konqueror
(4:15.08.3-1), konqueror (4:15.12.1-1), konqueror (4:4.14.2-1),
links (2.12-1+b1),
links (2.8-2+b3), links2 (2.12-1+b1), links2 (2.8-2+b3), lynx
(2.8.9dev8-4),
lynx-cur (2.8.9dev1-2+deb8u1), midori (0.5.11-ds1-2), netrik
(1.16.1-1.1), netrik
(1.16.1-2), netsurf (3.2+dfsg-2), netsurf (3.2+dfsg-2.2),
netsurf-fb
(3.2+dfsg-2+b1), netsurf-fb (3.2+dfsg-2.2+b1), netsurf-gtk
(3.2+dfsg-2+b1),
netsurf-gtk (3.2+dfsg-2.2+b1), qupzilla (1.8.9~dfsg1-3), surf
(0.6-1), surf
(0.7-1), uzbl (0.0.0~git.20120514-1.1), uzbl
(0.0.0~git.20120514-1.2), w3m
(0.5.3-19), w3m (0.5.3-26), xemacs21-mule (21.4.22-14),
xemacs21-mule
(21.4.22-14~deb8u1), xemacs21-mule-canna-wnn (21.4.22-14),
xemacs21-mule-canna-wnn
(21.4.22-14~deb8u1), xemacs21-nomule (21.4.22-14), xemacs21-nomule
(21.4.22-14~deb8u1)
many of them won't be what you're looking for in a browser, but some might be.
Every somewhat modern but mozilla stuff will use some flavour of webkit though.
Exception to that exception: Mozilla Servo (that's not yet in debian though)
>
> Window 7 coming to an end in 2020, and Windows 10 being essentially spyware,
> I am seriously looking for an alternative system. I have been using Debian
> on my 2nd computer for a few years now and I am quite comfortable with the
> basics of the operating system so Debian is my first choice. But if
> Iceweasel incorporates those Firefox features, I would have to also switch
> away from Debian.
Always good to hear this!
Regards, Arian
[1] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=815006
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