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Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

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Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#141

Post by wsgeorge »

maxloh wrote: post #47
topshelf wrote: post #2

Disappointing to see such a 180 on 'don't be evil'. I'm recommending Mozilla Firefox to all friends and family.

Unfortunately Firefox doesn't have a good UI/UX after all. The last time I checked, multiple profiles support is somehow half-baked.

Not sure why you're getting downvoted, but this is a big deal IMO. We're here because Chrome has been the better product for a long time. Firefox not doing things people want well enough will hurt its adoption, which will impact its capacity to influence the Web.

Add to Mozilla's perceived not-very-good management and you have a death spiral on your hands, and more power to Google and Apple to shape the Web towards their interests.

FWIW, first-class profiles support matters a lot: https://medium.com/sort-of-like-a-tech-diary/profiles-the-on...

Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#142

Post by fsniper »

ep103 wrote: post #34

And also, to switch back to Firefox

I suppose this is more important.

When the usage metrics drop for Chrome based browsers they would need to start respecting other users, instead of just ignoring them.

Currently they can just ignore the users and continue as they do. As the rest would not hint a dent on their bottom line.

Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#143

Post by bee_rider »

unmole wrote: post #88
ep103 wrote: post #34

And also, to switch back to Firefox

And what happens when website owners decide supporting Firefox is not worth it?

It will be annoying if bank sites and other companies that are hard to avoid drop Firefox support (I mean I can switch banks I guess but it is a long term customer relationship, I don’t really want to).

Most websites aren’t bank websites. If a website doesn’t support Firefox, leave. If a website doesn’t support good old HTML, it is probably made by some kind of dummy who is trying to replace lack of content with glitz, this sort of person shouldn’t be listened to.

Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#144

Post by jsjohnst »

px43 wrote: post #92
troupo wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That "incentive" for Google is "80% of our revenue comes from ads". Google's open source projects are open in name only.

> Google's open source projects are open in name only. The link at the top of the page is pointing to the GitHub repo, where you can see literally over a million contributions from thousands of people working at hundreds of companies: https://github.com/chromium/chromium/commits/main I've worked on both Chrome and Android (Chromium and AOSP) professionally, and never worked at Google.

You and GP both can be right depending on definition used for “open source”.

Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#145

Post by marcinzm »

scarface_74 wrote: post #94
alistairSH wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google broke itself up in 2015. What are you even asking for here? No, it didn't, it restructured itself into Alphabet, with many subsidiaries. But, all the core businesses are still under that umbrella organization, with most web-related businesses remaining inside the current Google entity. A forced divestment of the browser business might help. Same for the productivity products.

What browser “business”? Chrome makes no money. Don’t you think they are going to fund themselves the same way that Firefox does - via Google ads? No one has paid for a browser in almost 3 decades and even then few did.

I don't think you understand what a business is. Google pays Firefox a lot of money to be the default search which means there is a lot of money in browsers. Google Search conceptually pays Google Chrome to be the default Search engine on Chrome. Except since they're both under the same company they will never take an outside offer which is why it's a monopoly. No different from any other vertically integrated company.

Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#147

Post by lcnPylGDnU4H9OF »

px43 wrote: post #92
troupo wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That "incentive" for Google is "80% of our revenue comes from ads". Google's open source projects are open in name only.

> Google's open source projects are open in name only. The link at the top of the page is pointing to the GitHub repo, where you can see literally over a million contributions from thousands of people working at hundreds of companies: https://github.com/chromium/chromium/commits/main I've worked on both Chrome and Android (Chromium and AOSP) professionally, and never worked at Google.

There is the OSS vs FOSS distinction which may have been unwittingly invoked. Certainly there is nothing “free” about Chromium except its price. Google is not about to switch to a fork for Chrome and any changes to Chromium which are not approved by Google are unlikely to be in any release builds.

Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#148

Post by idlewords »

scarface_74 wrote: post #59
mozball wrote: post #26

If this isn't the straw that breaks the camel's back, there is never going to be one. Google needs to be broken up. They own the browser market. They own the web (through Adwords). They own Search. They own mobile. They own most of the video sharing market with 2.5 billion monthly annual users. They own a good chunk of email with 1.2 billion monthly annual users. They have amassed an incomprehensible amount of power…

[flagged]

You may not use Gmail, but every email you send and receive goes through Google infrastructure.

Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#149

Post by ChatGTP »

PedroBatista wrote: post #75
ep103 wrote: post #34

And also, to switch back to Firefox

Who has been mismanaged for at least a decade and depends on Google to pay their bills.. I'm a FF user since the early 00's and Firefox will mostly not go away because Google has an interest in using it against monopoly accusations but the reality is bleak.. And the reality is these people ( Google in this case ) are so far removed from any moral compass about the Web ( at least what most people here think of "the We…

Who has been mismanaged for at least a decade and depends on Google to pay their bills..

I don't see how this matters, it's an open source project, if people find enough value, it will be forked and improved by community or a new organization will form around it. This is the beauty of open source, you must embrace.

Re: Google is already pushing WEI into Chromium

#150

Post by thesuperbigfrog »

kalleboo wrote: post #62
leesalminen wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But why do they care so much about this? Is it only for DRM on media playback?

The stated reason is to stop bots from being counted as ad views and make sure that all ad views are done by actual humans. This is likely even honest reasoning from the people developing it. The same technology could easily be applied to simply blocking anyone who isn't verified (in the name of stopping spam, DDoS, bank security, you name it), meaning anyone not using an approved install of Windows/macOS/Android/iOS…

>> The same technology could easily be applied to simply blocking anyone who isn't verified

Sounds like a great way to enforce censorship:

- websites can deny access to unverified web browsers / web clients

- WEI-enforcing web browsers / web clients can refuse to go to unverified websites (not a stated goal, but it is a logical next step to boost website adoption of WEI APIs once a critical mass of clients is reached)

Google wants to build a wall around the Web and have their own walled garden:

https://youtu.be/Ag1AKIl_2GM?t=57

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