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DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

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Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#941

Post by Ferret7446 »

paraknight wrote: post #938
rkharsan64 wrote: post #510

People here seem to be underestimating the advantages that Google gets just because of Chrome: - When you sign in to Google, you sign in browser-wide. Google now gets all of your browsing data, perfect for advertising. (If you ever doubt it, go check out Google Takeout. You'll be shocked at the amount of data you see there.) - They have special APIs and features that they get to use, and nobody else. Only because the…

The APIs thing: it's not just Chrome, but Chromium too. I first noticed this when trying to replicate some of the screen sharing UI (buttons to share different things) from Google Meet, only to find that no non-Google domains have access to those APIs in the Chromium source code. Made a huge deal about it but nobody seemed to care.

You could just edit the domain restriction out of the Chromium source, no?

Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#942

Post by Ferret7446 »

whiplash451 wrote: post #636
madeofpalk wrote: post #601

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree, but I'm also not sure what the alternative is. Who's going to buy Chrome that also doesn't suffer from the same anti-trust problems? Who would want to buy Chrome? Who would want to fund Chrome? What browser would Android ship? In one view I kind of like the idea that Google would have to shop around and 'buy' a browser for its OS (competition good!), but also that seems ridiculous and easy to fall r…

How about this: sell the browser to the entreprise [1] and use the profit to offer the browser to the public for free, which in turns helps you secure a user base. [1] https://www.island.io/

So the browser isn't open source then. Sounds like a net loss for the public good.

Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#943

Post by lakomen »

AlienRobot wrote: post #850
lakomen wrote: post #554

State owned web browser might be a thing. If it's in the interest of many the state should pay for it. I know what you're thinking, "but that's communism". Well, you can't clench and fart, how they say. This of course adds new problems, like backdooring by 3 letter agencies, corruption, abuse by politicians who exclude certain countries by agenda etc

No, I'm thinking why would I, a Brazilian, use a U.S. web browser.

Yes, you're not wrong, I didn't want to write international gremium , or UN, but the state owned implying owned by the public.

Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#944

Post by Ferret7446 »

zinekeller wrote: post #676
blcArmadillo wrote: post #647

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - AOSP (the open source counterpart of Android) is now unusable. It doesn't ship with most essential apps, including a Phone app. In previous versions of Android, all of these were a part of AOSP. This particular example is a bit misleading as those apps are still available; they're just unbundled from the system image: https://source.android.com/docs/automotive/unbundled_apps/re...

Your comment unfortunately implies that Google still maintains them, which is farthest from the truth (as this document shows, it is only maintained for automotive use - it is not usable on a regular phone).

Why is Google obligated to maintain them? It's open source so other people can and should do so.

Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#945

Post by Ferret7446 »

EMIRELADERO wrote: post #182
legitster wrote: post #153

I'm all for competition and increasing consumer choices, but the government is really not making a case that this is supposed to help consumers. The only reason I still use Chrome is because I already use other Google products and they integrate well together. There are many other better options out there otherwise, and they are all free. Breaking out Chrome from Google will not in any way benefit me as a consumer. >…

> It sounds like the end goal of this is to enrich other companies , not customers. In this case, the "customers" are other companies. Antitrust markets can be defined broadly or narrowly. In this case, the market was "general web search advertising" (among others). Who are the consumers in this market? People and companies that want their ads placed where (and to who) it matters.

So fuck all of the billions of users of Chrome I guess, and let the other advertising companies make some money.

I'm sure everyone will be thanking the DOJ for their poorer Web experience, knowing that their sacrifice is allowing other ad companies to earn their fair share.

Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#946

Post by Ferret7446 »

placardloop wrote: post #660
SpEd3Y wrote: post #417

Arguably out of the big 4 (Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon) Google gave the most back to humanity: Android, Chromium, Kubernetes, Google Office suite, the Go programming language, Tensor Flow, Alpha Fold (and Google DeepMind), donating to Linux, etc. All these are things everyone has access to precisely because Google is such a big player and can afford to lose money on innovation that fails. What did Microsoft and…

Google didn’t “give back” any of those things to humanity. Those are all products that Google is selling to you in exchange for your privacy so that they can make a profit. Don’t mistake Google for some benevolent entity that deserves special treatment for being “good”. If you want to go that path, then Apple also “gave” iPhones to humanity, as well as AirPods, iCloud, iTunes, and is a primary reason that mouse-based…

How is Google selling Go or Kubernetes in exchange for your privacy?

Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#948

Post by learningstud »

rkharsan64 wrote: post #510

People here seem to be underestimating the advantages that Google gets just because of Chrome: - When you sign in to Google, you sign in browser-wide. Google now gets all of your browsing data, perfect for advertising. (If you ever doubt it, go check out Google Takeout. You'll be shocked at the amount of data you see there.) - They have special APIs and features that they get to use, and nobody else. Only because the…

Yes, Google gains advantages through the Chrome browser so do we as consumers. The competition for Chrome should come from a better Browser not by being forced to sell it. DOJ is wasting time and taxes on this pointless verdict. Even more economic wastes are coming when the selling happens.

Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#949

Post by rldjbpin »

albeit n=1 sample size, but looking at firefox should give enough indication to what would become of chrome if it gets detached from google.

it is wishful thinking to assume that maintaining a dominant browser can be done if not through subsidizing through other means. as time has shown repeatedly that nobody wants to pay for this directly, it seems like any new ownership would resort to things that would ultimately ruin the browser for everyone.

maybe that is the goal all along, but it is hard to debate whether that is going to be a net positive.

Re: DOJ will push Google to sell off Chrome

#950

Post by niutech »

scarface_74 wrote: post #859
niutech wrote: post #555

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does splitting off Chrome as a separate company solve anything? They would still rely on Google for funding (like Mozilla) and being close friends they would do whatever Alphabet tells them to do. A better solution is to implement a bill like DMA in the EU to enforce competition among web browser vendors and fight monopolies.

Unless you own a Chromebook, if you have Chrome on your computer, you made a choice to download it. How would a browser choice screen help?

It's less about PC and more about Android, where Chrome is preinstalled.
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