Brave browser: The bad and the ugly

Nobody and nothing is perfect. Get that into your head early on in life, and you'll be a million times happier.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't want things to be better.

I like the Brave browser. A lot. But when I first started using it, I had concerns about a few things. A few things that felt a bit odd to me.

But I put them aside, and they were soon forgotten.

However, the other day I wrote about Brave, and how I think this is the perfect alternative to Google Chrome for those who want a powerful privacy-focused browser.

But then a few comments came in, reminding me of those things that I initially didn't like about Brave.

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The first comment relates to the dashboard page and how this page feels cluttered and, because it occasionally displays ads, spammy.

"Spammy" was a word that was used a few times.

And it's true that it does display ads, and there are links to several cryptocurrency services. They're 'safe' ads, and you can turn them off, but it wasn't what some people expected to see in a browser that had been billed as putting privacy at its core.

But the feedback I received makes it clear that some were not expecting to see huge trading ads, and what seem like deep links to crypto services.

I understand the problem here. On the one hand, Brave needs to pay the bills, but on the other, first impressions matter.  

I'm not sure if there's a solution to this. Maybe give users a choice (although you and I both know what most will say). Maybe it doesn't matter.

Either way, it is all a bit jarring, especially for people not into crypto.

And it doesn't help that when people do a search, a few controversies float to the surface.

The other thing that I got a fair amount of feedback on was the settings.

Brave has a lot of settings. A lot more than the likes of Google Chrome, and while hardened stalwarts to browsers won't have a problem -- or will be able to drive to the nearest search engine for clarification -- Brave can feel unfriendly and overwhelming to those who don't live and breathe tech.

And all the settings and buttons related to all the cryptocurrency stuff goes some way to bloating out the user interface.

I don't see either of these as showstoppers, but they are barriers and obstacles that some stumble on.

I'm curious to know your thoughts on this. Do you think that Brave needs to address these issues, or is Brave a browser for a specific audience?