You're not the only one, people especially in niche spheres like Linux are very nostalgic of a certain era in computing and refuse to accept that change happens. For example there are people who absolutely hate apps with the slightest bit of white space even though that was proven time and time again to be more accessible and readable
? In the very question you linked they state without a doubt that it's depicting a fox tho
"hi, the logo is clearly depicting a fox - however the red panda (common name: firefox) is also a cute mascot for our browser"
That means they have some red panda mascots (it seems like they use to actually have some live cams that you could watch them on too!) But the logo itself does infact depict a fox
I think the one before the current one is my favorite. I feel like the current one is a bit blocky while the previous has a little more detail but still looks good when shrunk down. I don't hate the current one, though.
I like it too, it is just easier on the eyes. There certainly is a trend of minimalism that makes every company try to simplify their logos, but for firefox I feel it does fit nicely