Show HN: Mozilla killed Orbit, so I built a local-LLM extension (github.com)

Mozilla's recently discontinued Orbit project has inspired the launch of Apogee, a new browser extension designed as a fully local AI assistant that operates without any cloud dependencies. Apogee runs directly in the browser, leveraging WebGPU for Chromium-based browsers like Chrome and Edge, while using WebAssembly in Firefox. This allows it to provide private functionalities such as summarizing articles, videos, and emails without sending any data to external servers. Users can also access larger language models by connecting to a local Ollama instance, ensuring that all processes remain on-device for enhanced privacy. The significance of Apogee lies in its commitment to user data privacy and independence from corporate infrastructure. Unlike Orbit, which relied on centralized API servers, Apogee eliminates any potential data leaks by performing all tokenization and inference locally. Furthermore, its ability to handle larger contexts through local models means that users can interact with extensive documents without limitations typically imposed by cloud services. This privacy-focused approach not only addresses the architectural flaws of previous solutions but also empowers users to maintain control over their interactions, paving the way for a new standard in browser-based AI tools.