Google Chrome now works on iOS • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#31

Post by cema » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:34 PM UTC

mistercow wrote: post #12

nextstep wrote: post #10

But, Chrome on iOS will still be a "second class citizen" the way Opera mini and the other browsers on the AppStore. If you want to open a link in Chrome, you will need to copy/paste the URL, no "Open in Chrome" functionality like Safari has. For better or for worse, Apple has not opened up system-wide integration of third party apps, and I don't seem them allowing you to change your default browser anytime soon.

What's pretty nauseating about it is that it's exactly the kind of anti-competitive crap that Microsoft pulled in the first browser war, only more so.

More so. But Apple tends to get good grades on the perception front, which is no less important for the general public than the technical front.

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#32

Post by mbrubeck » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:35 PM UTC

cooldeal wrote: post #21

Zirro wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"they completely ignored Apple and made Firefox Sync which just syncs bookmarks etc." There was plenty of sounds from them at the time when they wanted to release a Firefox for iOS, but that was a few years ago by now and it didn't get picked up in the media like the Windows-complaints.

>There was plenty of sounds from them at the time when they wanted to release a Firefox for iOS Really? Care to link to some of them?

Here's one that I was personally involved in:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/will-firefox-mobile-ever-...

Honestly, we are just as upset about Apple's restrictions on iOS, but we the Windows 8 case may prove different because of Microsoft past agreements with the US DOJ. If the courts decide that agreement should apply to Windows desktop on ARM then that provides very different leverage than anyone has against Apple.

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#33

Post by Zirro » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:35 PM UTC

cooldeal wrote: post #21

Zirro wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"they completely ignored Apple and made Firefox Sync which just syncs bookmarks etc." There was plenty of sounds from them at the time when they wanted to release a Firefox for iOS, but that was a few years ago by now and it didn't get picked up in the media like the Windows-complaints.

>There was plenty of sounds from them at the time when they wanted to release a Firefox for iOS Really? Care to link to some of them?

I'm not one to be late on admitting I was wrong, and it seems I was here. After having searched for some, I realize that I must have mixed up criticism from Android-people with official Mozilla statements over the years. This is the closest I found:

http://www.quora.com/Will-Firefox-Mobile-ever-be-released-fo...

It's possible some of the blog entries/twitter posts I seem to remember have been lost over time, though. Excuse me, and feel free to downvote my original post. I should have done some searching myself before posting it.

EDIT: This is somewhat related, but more about pushing B2G as alternative than to improve the situation on iOS: http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/mozilla-fires-...

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#34

Post by thechut » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:36 PM UTC

nextstep wrote: post #10

But, Chrome on iOS will still be a "second class citizen" the way Opera mini and the other browsers on the AppStore. If you want to open a link in Chrome, you will need to copy/paste the URL, no "Open in Chrome" functionality like Safari has. For better or for worse, Apple has not opened up system-wide integration of third party apps, and I don't seem them allowing you to change your default browser anytime soon.

What a bunch of walled-garden bullshit. It's not even clear that having a full featured Chrome would hurt Apple in anyway

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#35

Post by cooldeal » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:39 PM UTC

mbrubeck wrote: post #32

cooldeal wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There was plenty of sounds from them at the time when they wanted to release a Firefox for iOS Really? Care to link to some of them?

Here's one that I was personally involved in: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/will-firefox-mobile-ever-... Honestly, we are just as upset about Apple's restrictions on iOS, but we the Windows 8 case may prove different because of Microsoft past agreements with the US DOJ. If the courts decide that agreement should apply to Windows desktop on ARM then that provides very different leverage than anyone has against Ap…

You're comparing a reply made to a Quora question by a Mozilla developer(sounds more like personal opinion) to a blog post about Windows RT on Mozilla's official site penned by their General Counsel? I don't see how they're remotely comparable.

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#36

Post by stcredzero » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:40 PM UTC

thechut wrote: post #34

nextstep wrote: post #10

But, Chrome on iOS will still be a "second class citizen" the way Opera mini and the other browsers on the AppStore. If you want to open a link in Chrome, you will need to copy/paste the URL, no "Open in Chrome" functionality like Safari has. For better or for worse, Apple has not opened up system-wide integration of third party apps, and I don't seem them allowing you to change your default browser anytime soon.

What a bunch of walled-garden bullshit. It's not even clear that having a full featured Chrome would hurt Apple in anyway

They want to keep the threat of making Bing the default search engine.

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#37

Post by grhino » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:41 PM UTC

cooldeal wrote: post #21

Zirro wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"they completely ignored Apple and made Firefox Sync which just syncs bookmarks etc." There was plenty of sounds from them at the time when they wanted to release a Firefox for iOS, but that was a few years ago by now and it didn't get picked up in the media like the Windows-complaints.

>There was plenty of sounds from them at the time when they wanted to release a Firefox for iOS Really? Care to link to some of them?

https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9188721/Mozilla_Forg...

http://blog.mozilla.org/mobile/2010/09/28/firefox-home-looki...

I have not heard them use the monopoly complaints against Apple. I'm sure Mozilla is worried about Apple, but is using a different strategy since an argument that Apple is abusing monopoly is weak or underdeveloped.

Mozilla might believe that Apple is a better actor in the open web space than Microsoft.

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#38

Post by recoiledsnake » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:43 PM UTC

thechut wrote: post #34

nextstep wrote: post #10

But, Chrome on iOS will still be a "second class citizen" the way Opera mini and the other browsers on the AppStore. If you want to open a link in Chrome, you will need to copy/paste the URL, no "Open in Chrome" functionality like Safari has. For better or for worse, Apple has not opened up system-wide integration of third party apps, and I don't seem them allowing you to change your default browser anytime soon.

What a bunch of walled-garden bullshit. It's not even clear that having a full featured Chrome would hurt Apple in anyway

>It's not even clear that having a full featured Chrome would hurt Apple in anyway

Perhaps this is how Apple sees it:

The browser might create a SDK that makes web apps work more like native apps thus resulting in reducing Apple's control over apps. Also, look at things like NaCl and how plugins like Flash might be enabled by browsers with rendering engines.

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#39

Post by mbrubeck » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:44 PM UTC

cooldeal wrote: post #35

mbrubeck wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's one that I was personally involved in: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/will-firefox-mobile-ever-... Honestly, we are just as upset about Apple's restrictions on iOS, but we the Windows 8 case may prove different because of Microsoft past agreements with the US DOJ. If the courts decide that agreement should apply to Windows desktop on ARM then that provides very different leverage than anyone has against Ap…

You're comparing a reply made to a Quora question by a Mozilla developer(sounds more like personal opinion) to a blog post about Windows RT on Mozilla's official site penned by their General Counsel? I don't see how they're remotely comparable.

Note: I am that Mozilla developer, which is why I remembered that press coverage in particular. For a less personal example, see comments to the press in 2009 by John Lilly (then CEO of Mozilla Corporation):

"Given the choice, would we work on a platform where the sole company controlling it makes us unwelcome, or would we work on a platform, like Linux, where we are welcome? The answer is going to be easy for us." ... The danger of a gatekeeper like Apple on the iPhone is that innovation is stifled, Lilly argued. "These vertical silos don't enable innovation," he said. [1]

Our general counsel gets involved where there is a legal case to be made or legal questions to be answered. There's no current legal case against Apple; I'm not a lawyer so I have no idea if a legal complaint would make sense. But in the meantime, we have no real ability to change Apple's actions.

I think we would complain more loudly or frequently in the press if we thought it would get picked up and have some positive outcome. My personal experience is that, after four years with no change in the situation, people either agree with us already or they think we're just whining. And Apple itself has never really cared when third parties complain about this policy. I'll add that there's not total agreement within Mozilla about this. Some people think we should stay aggressive in these political battles regardless of outcome; others think it's better not to "go negative" and that we should focus more energy and attention on the platforms where we are able to carry out our mission.

[1]: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9128119/Mozilla_backs...

(That story was mainly about Mozilla/EFF testimony in 2009 in favor of the DMCA jailbreaking exemption, which Apple lobbied against. These exemptions must be renewed every 3 years, so Mozilla mobile developer Brad Lassey just presented at the Library of Congress last month in favor of renewal -- but the press did not even report on this year's hearings, which perhaps shows how people lose interest once something is "old news.")

Re: Google Chrome now works on iOS

#40

Post by benatkin » Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 6:44 PM UTC

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #30

recoiledsnake wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no WebGL and other HTML5 features that Chrome has. Also, not only there is no V8 JS Engine support, but I suspect that Apple's NitroJS engine won't work in Chrome because it probably uses UIWebView to render sites.

Yeah, no WebGL's a bummer. But at least it is close to the same engine.

Come on. It's close to the same engine in the same way Desktop Safari is close to the same engine in Desktop Chrome. You upgrade one, the other remains the same.