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Show HN: Javelin Browser

javelinbrowser.com

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Re: Show HN: Javelin Browser

#21

Post by benologist »

nubela wrote: post #10
phpnode wrote: post #9

I think you're making a mistake by offering this for free. The kind of people who care enough about their web experience to install a new browser are the kind of people who won't mind parting with a few £$€ to do so. To be profitable, free apps must target the broader market, but this is a relatively niche product. I don't think you'll get enough IAP fast enough to be sustainable.

Why do you think Javelin is not suited for the broad market?

Apathy is probably your biggest enemy. Look at the struggles Firefox and Opera went to even with the random browser choice stuff in Windows in Europe, which made no significant difference to their market share.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BrowserChoice.eu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers#His...

Re: Show HN: Javelin Browser

#22

Post by icambron »

nubela wrote: post #7
N0RMAN wrote: post #4

Why do you offer it for free?

There is a Pro upgrade as an IAP. There's also an in-built proxy/vpn service in the browser. This is how I see myself growing Javelin down the road with the browser as the razor, and value-added services as the blade.

I obviously haven't thought about this as long as you have, but offhand I think that model is a mistake. Only a small subset of people (and perhaps a bunch of companies) want things like proxy support or VPNs or other extra services. Most people just want to browse the web, so you're limiting your market a lot.

(I do think you could make value-added browser services a business, but you'd have to go to enterprises to do it.)

Re: Show HN: Javelin Browser

#24

Post by nubela »

fooqux wrote: post #16

I've been using your browser for a couple months now (I think I saw it mentioned on Android Police if you're curious) and I've been liking it. It looks slick, and works exactly how I think it should. The one problem I have with it is one I'd like other opinions on, both for my curiosity and your benefit. Frankly, it's not my daily driver because I don't know who you are and don't trust you. Using a (no offense) no-na…

I'm also the developer of http://getgom.com (VPN as a Chrome extension using SPDY SSL proxies), and as a fellow Singaporean when our government openly does surveilance, I __completely__ understand where you are coming from. To be fair, I'm not sure how I can solve his problem though.

Open sourcing could be a plausible answer. But fighting Google Play clones and what-not is really time-consuming and as an indie dev, my time can be better spent.

What do you suggest?

Re: Show HN: Javelin Browser

#25

Post by nubela »

Miraries wrote: post #18

Any particular reason it's not compatible with OnePlus One and Nexus 10 on Google Play? I get it if tablets aren't supported. I could get the apk but I was wondering... If testing is the reason, I can help.

I have no idea to be honest, Google Play does that sometimes.

Re: Show HN: Javelin Browser

#27

Post by nubela »

andybak wrote: post #23
nubela wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AOSP webview

So this will automatically be Chrom(ium) on newer versions of Android?

Yeap, it is already Chromium WebView since 4.4 :) But the performance lags behind bleeding edge Chrome since Google gives its own Chrome a more advanced version of Chromium WebView.

Re: Show HN: Javelin Browser

#28

Post by this_user »

Why would I want to use a browser made by a group that is seemingly mostly preoccupied with design judging from your website? You don't even disclose who is really behind this project. Especially browser security is more important than ever. When using one made by Google or Mozilla I can be sure that they do take security seriously, have the necessary experience, technical know-how and manpower to deal with vulnerabilities in a timely manner.

Re: Show HN: Javelin Browser

#30

Post by fooqux »

nubela wrote: post #24
fooqux wrote: post #16

I've been using your browser for a couple months now (I think I saw it mentioned on Android Police if you're curious) and I've been liking it. It looks slick, and works exactly how I think it should. The one problem I have with it is one I'd like other opinions on, both for my curiosity and your benefit. Frankly, it's not my daily driver because I don't know who you are and don't trust you. Using a (no offense) no-na…

I'm also the developer of http://getgom.com (VPN as a Chrome extension using SPDY SSL proxies), and as a fellow Singaporean when our government openly does surveilance, I __completely__ understand where you are coming from. To be fair, I'm not sure how I can solve his problem though. Open sourcing could be a plausible answer. But fighting Google Play clones and what-not is really time-consuming and as an indie dev, m…

I don't really have a great answer myself, personally. That's partly why I made my post to begin with.

However, one thing that I think would greatly help is a privacy notice of some sort detailing exactly what is tracked and how it's used. I don't see one on either the Play store page, nor in the app itself (your site seems to be loading slowly at the moment, or I'd look there too). While it may not completely remove my fears, it would at least serve as a good baseline and would make me feel a little better.

EDIT: Tried your site again, and found your privacy policy. I must say, I do like the way it is written as well as the content. Still, I would encourage maybe a link in the app, at least.

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