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Google May Be Stealing Mobile Traffic

alexkras.com

191–200 of 261 posts

Re: Google May Be Stealing Mobile Traffic

#191

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Mobile Firefox does this fine. JumpGo does it, too, which means that it's certainly still possible in Android System WebView.

I use mobile firefox - how do you get it to reflow? I would love that feature if I knew how to activate it.

My mistake. I thought it did support it, but apparently not anymore.

Re: Google May Be Stealing Mobile Traffic

#192
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't have to though. If there's a symbol and sites with that symbol are faster, they'll learn to look for the symbol, perhaps not even consciously.

>They don't have to though. If there's a symbol and sites with that symbol are faster, they'll learn to look for the symbol, perhaps not even consciously. Totally disagree. I didn't know what AMP is and I keep seeing it. I avoided it thinking it was yet-another Google adware property like DoubleClick, another cleverly named way to trick users. For the vast majority of users on 4G connections, AMP loads aren't that mu…

Bandwidth is often not the limiting factor on mobile networks. AMP reduces the number of TCP connections your browser has to open (each of which requires 2 RTTs, and many of which will have HTTPS running over them which requires another one or two RTTs).

Take all those connections and introduce a 1-5% packet loss rate, and suddenly there's a very good chance that any given "page load" (really dozens of requests) takes perceptually "forever". That is what AMP helps with.

Re: Google May Be Stealing Mobile Traffic

#193
post #149
post #42

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Yep, in the short-term it's a good thing for users because it means they can access the content they are looking for more quickly in a consistent format. In the long run, it might be bad for users, as it could result in media producing less valuable content, and one big company having more control over distribution.

But content isn't really valuable anyway. If there's less of it, then I'll make breakfast a few minutes earlier - that's all.

Since I've searched for the content, these are not ads but real content that match my search query which site owners have asked Google to render. If, despite matching my search query, the content is not what I'm looking for, then it helps me as a user to know that sooner rather than later.

Re: Google May Be Stealing Mobile Traffic

#195

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While that may have been true in 2014, today it's hard to find an exploitable bug affecting a major image format parser in ImageMagick. Assuming you aren't using unsanitized user-provided parameters on the command line with it, it should be fine unless your attacker is very motivated.

There was an RCE vulnerability this year: https://imagetragick.com/

ImageTragick did not affect major image formats; it was a vulnerability in the parser for ImageMagick's scripting languages [1]. The real problem was that support for scripting was enabled by default, and there was no obvious big red button to disable it.

[1] Like MVG (http://www.imagemagick.org/script/magick-vector-graphics.php) and MSL (http://www.imagemagick.org/script/conjure.php)

Re: Google May Be Stealing Mobile Traffic

#196

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How do you suggest publishers who are dependent on traffic from Google cope with AMP in the short-term? It seems like there is no way to compete with AMP-enabled content on Google ranking except by adopting AMP.

I don't think if you're running a business there's any way to avoid optimizing for Google in the short-term. You simply have to do it, if you want to be seen. Not optimizing for Google won't hurt Google, it'll just hurt you. Because Google can always just promote someone else. But you should also support antitrust legislation and judicial action against Google. Don't vote for candidates next month receiving large don…

As an outsider observing the US election the statement of yours "Don't vote for candidates next month receiving large donations from Google" strikes me as ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, your logic is correct. But, in order for politicians to play the game they need large donors like Google. So, if they don't take money from Google they'll just take it from someone else with an agenda. The real solution is to vote for candidates pushing for campaign finance reform (reading Lawrence Lessig may be insightful)

Re: Google May Be Stealing Mobile Traffic

#199
I work for several large newspaper publishers. We have been getting pushed to get all of our content optimized for the AMP experience as to not get left behind. As stated by others though this is good for the end consumer, not so much for the newspaper industry itself.

One of the biggest gripes is getting our paywall model onto the AMP sites, as we have very little input as to how that is done. It also takes ages to hear back about requests/suggestions with little feedback as to why they think its a bad idea.

Re: Google May Be Stealing Mobile Traffic

#200
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure non tech users don't even know what AMP is for.

They don't have to though. If there's a symbol and sites with that symbol are faster, they'll learn to look for the symbol, perhaps not even consciously.

But obviously this is only the case if they are faster. If people start saying "we don't like this AMP thing, we'll make our pages fast on our own" then it won't be a symbol associated with things being faster, it will just be "some irrelevant google thing". But if people notice that everytime they click on one of those amp things it loads fast and all other stuff loads slow they'll of course remember that.
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