It's OK for Apple to block Firefox, but wrong when Microsoft does it

A lot of people, including the author of this article, seem to think it's unfair that Mozilla is not giving equal complaint time to both platforms. That's the fundamental issue here.

Maybe, all things being equal, that would be a fair complaint but all things are not equal.

First of all, the limitations of iOS and app store are well known and retread at least once a month on HN since the site opened. Mozilla certainly did complain about iOS years ago and decided ultimately to abandon the platform. We're talking about Windows now because Windows 8 is due to be released.

Secondly, Firefox's primary platform is Windows and they already have working version of Firefox for Windows 8 with a Metro UI for x86. Only a minor technical limitation keeps them from releasing it for ARM -- that's not true of iOS.

Lastly, there is a still a chance Microsoft might cave on this issue. We know from years of experience that Apple won't.

Windows 8 is the natural successor to Win7 and XP. It's the next version of the most popular desktop OS in the world. As with Windows 7 and OSX, it should run whatever the hell the machine's owner wants it to.

iOS is a locked-down, consistent, homogeneous user experience on specialty devices that should not be and are not marketed as replacements for computers. Apple Store employees will specifically advise against purchasing an iPad as a primary computer.

If Apple tried to tell me what I can and cannot run on OSX, I'd be pissed. On mobile, I currently have a choice between superior UX (iOS) and freedom (Android), which are at this stage in the game somewhat mutually exclusive (part of the iPhone's appeal is that There Is One And Only One Right Way To Do It).

For the record, I run Android, but I still want to the option to select a higher quality product if I'm willing to sacrifice what Android does better (turn by turn directions and physical keyboard on the Droid 3).

You're being down voted because you didn't say anything. HN users hate that even more than complaining.

> FF's entire existence is based on a hate of Microsoft

As a student of history I'm sure you are aware that Mozilla (the name and the code base) predated Internet Explorer. I think you meant to say that Internet Explorer's only reason for existing was that Microsoft feared Netscape.

> that should not be and are not marketed as replacements for computers.

Interestingly several of my non-technical friends have taken on iPads as full time replacements for laptops. They only used them to read the news, facebook or watch netflix the iPad does literally everything that they previously had laptops for.

> If Apple tried to tell me what I can and cannot run on OSX, I'd be pissed.

I think the distinction that Microsoft is going for here is Win8 arm = tablets = iOS, Win8 x86 = laptops = OSX. By your argument there should be no problem with them locking it down then.