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I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

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Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#431

Post by intelVISA »

fragmede wrote: post #354
intelVISA wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An unfortunately large subset of too-comfortable tech workers have decreed the right way is to: never reinvent the wheel, always import, and avoid 'the hard stuff'. The sad bit? They're well compensated for this learned inability, so arguably they made the truly smart choice here. To the blessed few who reject this apathy and continue building new innovations? I salute you o7

An unfortunately large subset of tech workers have decreed the right way is to always reinvent the wheel, never import, and avoid 'reading documentation'. The worst bit? They're very well compensated for it, so arguably they made the true smart choice here. To the blessed few who reject NIH syndrome and use existing solutions? I salute you!

You got me this time, fragmede. :)

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#432

Post by hutzlibu »

kelnos wrote: post #417
Scubabear68 wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fundamental problem I have with the GPL, and I think is echoed elsewhere here, is that the GPL is not about my code. It is trying to force my will on other people’s code. It is inherently less free because it is trying to exert dominance over things I do not own and have never been involved in. In theory, a 10 liner GPL Python script could infect an org with 20 millions lines of closed source code and try to dict…

Unfortunately you've fallen victim to years of anti-GPL propaganda and FUD. A 10-liner GPL Python script is not going to "infect" an org with 20 million lines of closed source code. Suggesting that it's possible, even "in theory", is absurd. Yes, you need to be careful when you integrate GPL and LGPL code into your proprietary code base, and in some cases you just cannot do it. But so what? You are not entitled to us…

"Yes, you need to be careful when you integrate GPL and LGPL code into your proprietary code base, and in some cases you just cannot do it. But so what? You are not entitled to use of that code. If you can't use it because of its license, then that's life: move on and find something else that you can use, or write it yourself."

Yeah, apparently people moved on and the GPL is loosing significance.

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#433

Post by thiht »

grishka wrote: post #181
ilaksh wrote: post #24

"Writing a browser" (from scratch) at this point basically means you are implementing a type of portable operating-system-in-a-box (the web platform) and that it will be compatible with whatever Google decides to add to theirs. The browser is so comprehensive in functionality and APIs, and such a challenge to keep up with Google's constant churn of new features and total dominance, that not even Microsoft could do it…

> The browser is so comprehensive in functionality and APIs Not really. If you limit your scope by saying that you're building a hypertext document viewer , it suddenly becomes approachable. A lot of the functionality is all that PWA stuff no one asked for and no one is using for anything good anyway. WebSQL? IndexedDB? Service workers? WebGL? WebGPU? WebBluetooth? WebRTC? Just act like it all doesn't exist. 99% of a…

> no one asked for and no one is using for anything good anyway

Speak for yourself. This is a crappy attitude honestly, you might want to keep an open mind on things you don’t have an interest in

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#434

Post by MisterKent »

hutzlibu wrote: post #430
grishka wrote: post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I despise cross-platform GUIs as a concept, but if you must make one, there's plenty of options usable from most languages. Java has Swing, C++ has Qt, there's things like Flutter and WxWidgets and a dozen different GUI libraries for Rust. Heck, you can even build GUIs in Python with tkinter. Every single one of these options is much better suited for an app than the web stack. My main gripe with using the web stack…

"but you can't write your own layout algorithm." Of course you can - in javascript. What is stopping you? (except that you don't like it) You can also ditch the DOM alltogether and only use the canvas/webgl and maybe your language of choice via emscripten and wasm, if you really cannot stand js/ts. The web as a plattform is very, very powerful. The app you make, you can ship by simply sending a link. And people can j…

Forget all of that. If you can run actual video games in a browser at 120fps, you can definitely achieve pretty much any UI/ux you can dream. Obviously, within resource constraints. But I don't think there's many UIs you can build that are reasonable and slow on the web but fast in Java swing (or whatever other UI framework you're using)

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#435

Post by jackthetab »

slashdev wrote: post #117
jaytaph wrote: post #59

OP here. Thanks for the pos/neg/neutral comments everybody. Some remarks: Yes, there are a lot of browsers out there where I can contribute to which would be more efficient. But that would result in just a few browsers instead of a lot of browsers. I'm all for the last one, as this would give people options. This IS a pet project. I never told anyone otherwise. I would start writing it even when I wasn't fed up with…

If you’re doing it as a learning experience, then more power to you. But be honest with yourself about your motivations. As someone who usually takes on too much, and makes similar rationalizations, the road can be fun but it’s not going to a destination where you finish something. Don’t repeat my mistakes, examine the whys carefully.

Why does he have to finish anything? TFA even says "I don't expect to finish."

The Mona Lisa is unfinished and Leo spent 16 years on it.

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#436

Post by rakoo »

bigstrat2003 wrote: post #313
rileymat2 wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it strikes me a bit like, this will be hyperbole, complaining about forbidding slavery reduces freedom because you are not allowed to have slaves.

The difference is that nobody is harmed in the scenario where someone makes a closed source product with permissively licensed code. The original project is still there and still just as usable. Everyone still has the same freedoms as they did previously.

Yes, if you jeep your code closes then society is losing because everyone relies on you for everything. It's not about being usable, it's about being in control.

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#437

Post by AndrewKemendo »

hinkley wrote: post #385
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #381

> I’m not an idyllic person. I’m not an activist fighting for a better world or anything. Genuinely, why not? What’s wrong with being an activist fighting for a better world? I see your kind of disclaimer all the time and I’m baffled that anyone would actively reject this nearly universally accepted pro-social perspective. Someone help me here Is the risk of being seen as Naiive really so strong as to overtake the hi…

Do something badly enough and you can create more harm than good. Negative confirmation bias being a big one. Do a half-assed job of trying to change someone's mind and they become even more recalcitrant. I long ago realized I'm not the person who should be leading a group or a club. I respect people who can, and I support them as best I can. It's important work, but it's not for me. Which sucks when the club doesn't…

>I long ago realized I'm not the person who should be leading a group or a club. I respect people who can, and I support them as best I can. It's important work, but it's not for me. Which sucks when the club doesn't exist (I'm currently trying to encourage a couple of people to start one and it's not going well)

That's a perspective I didn't have before so thank you!

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#438

Post by jongjong »

saalweachter wrote: post #204
School-Cotton wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fundamental point blockchain fans miss is that most people don’t mind having centralized trusted entities. The fact that humans can intervene to change the owner of a domain name is a feature, not a bug, at least in non-authoritarian countries.

You also need some way to, you know, recover control of a domain after you lose your private key.

IMO, not being able to recover a lost private key is an acceptable tradeoff for fully owning your own domain in perpetuity. If we encounter a de-globalization event and international law starts to break apart, we would see a lot of value in not being beholden to foreign entities operating under foreign laws.

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#439

Post by slashdev »

jackthetab wrote: post #435
slashdev wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you’re doing it as a learning experience, then more power to you. But be honest with yourself about your motivations. As someone who usually takes on too much, and makes similar rationalizations, the road can be fun but it’s not going to a destination where you finish something. Don’t repeat my mistakes, examine the whys carefully.

Why does he have to finish anything? TFA even says "I don't expect to finish." The Mona Lisa is unfinished and Leo spent 16 years on it.

He doesn’t, if he’s honestly ok with that.

But you only have so much time, why not pick a goal that is achievable? Seems like a waste.

Re: I'm fed up with it, so I'm writing a browser

#440

Post by School-Cotton »

jongjong wrote: post #438
saalweachter wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You also need some way to, you know, recover control of a domain after you lose your private key.

IMO, not being able to recover a lost private key is an acceptable tradeoff for fully owning your own domain in perpetuity. If we encounter a de-globalization event and international law starts to break apart, we would see a lot of value in not being beholden to foreign entities operating under foreign laws.

> IMO, not being able to recover a lost private key is an acceptable tradeoff for fully owning your own domain in perpetuity

You can hold that opinion and others like it, but the vast majority of other people don’t, which is why the only applications of blockchains that have ever become mainstream are (1) buying things that are illegal, and (2) speculating on token prices.

> If we encounter a de-globalization event and international law starts to break apart, we would see a lot of value in not being beholden to foreign entities operating under foreign laws.

If this prepper fantasy comes to pass I am going to have bigger things to worry about than a foreign country stealing my domain names.

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