5 ms·

> I just hope that MS doesn't add in too many platform-specific pieces that would encourage vendor lock-in. That's Microsoft's main strategy though. Example: U

> I just hope that MS doesn't add in too many platform-specific pieces that would encourage vendor lock-in. That's Microsoft's main strategy though. Example: Users can't even install Firefox or Chrome on Windows 10 S. Microsoft announced: "Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate HTML and JavaScript engines provided by the Windows Platform." I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised to see similar things happening to their cloud platform as soon as they are able to do them without users' noticing.

Kipters 9y ago
That's a different product, with different goals. You're right about 10 S, but it's kinda unrelated to Azure.
- JoshMnem 9y ago
  I've lived through the experience of using non-MS products since the early 2000s, and all of those things are related. It has been one of their core strategies and still is, though the techniques are shifting.
lewisl9029 9y ago
> "Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate HTML and JavaScript engines provided by the Windows Platform." This seems like a thing that platform owners are doing more and more (iOS has a similar clause, and ChromeOS, well, uses Chrome). Is this just purely a move to stifle competition from web apps that could threaten control of the platform? Or perhaps I am missing some nuance behind these kinds of decisions? I'm honestly struggling to find any room to give them benefit of the doubt here.
- JoshMnem 9y ago
  > This seems like a thing that platform owners are doing more and more (iOS has a similar clause, and ChromeOS, well, uses Chrome). Shame on all of them. If it continues, the next generation will not know what it's like to have technology freedom like we currently do (in the US, for the most part).
- jgowdy 9y ago
  A JavaScript JIT requires memory that is writable and executable. W^X is a security feature and required for the security model of walled gardens. Otherwise you could pull down unapproved code and make the walled garden useless. They don’t want shitty JavaScript interpreters making their platform look bad, so they force you to use their system JavaScript engine.
  - JoshMnem 9y ago
    Yeah, the excuse for taking away freedoms usually is "security". Walled gardens are one of the problems. They should be rendered useless. It's a company that caused many people to suffer through Internet Explorer for 20 years. I don't think that security[1] or making the platform look bad[1] is the primary motivation with blocking competing browsers. MS saw that other companies got away with it using different tactics, so they just changed their approach. [1] http://www.debugcomputer.net/uploads/images/ie%201.jpg http://www.debugcomputer.net/uploads/images/ie%201.jpg

Kipters 9y ago

That's a different product, with different goals. You're right about 10 S, but it's kinda unrelated to Azure.

JoshMnem 9y ago
I've lived through the experience of using non-MS products since the early 2000s, and all of those things are related. It has been one of their core strategies and still is, though the techniques are shifting.

lewisl9029 9y ago

> "Apps that browse the web must use the appropriate HTML and JavaScript engines provided by the Windows Platform." This seems like a thing that platform owners are doing more and more (iOS has a similar clause, and ChromeOS, well, uses Chrome). Is this just purely a move to stifle competition from web apps that could threaten control of the platform? Or perhaps I am missing some nuance behind these kinds of decisions? I'm honestly struggling to find any room to give them benefit of the doubt here.

JoshMnem 9y ago
> This seems like a thing that platform owners are doing more and more (iOS has a similar clause, and ChromeOS, well, uses Chrome). Shame on all of them. If it continues, the next generation will not know what it's like to have technology freedom like we currently do (in the US, for the most part).
jgowdy 9y ago
A JavaScript JIT requires memory that is writable and executable. W^X is a security feature and required for the security model of walled gardens. Otherwise you could pull down unapproved code and make the walled garden useless. They don’t want shitty JavaScript interpreters making their platform look bad, so they force you to use their system JavaScript engine.
- JoshMnem 9y ago
  Yeah, the excuse for taking away freedoms usually is "security". Walled gardens are one of the problems. They should be rendered useless. It's a company that caused many people to suffer through Internet Explorer for 20 years. I don't think that security[1] or making the platform look bad[1] is the primary motivation with blocking competing browsers. MS saw that other companies got away with it using different tactics, so they just changed their approach. [1] http://www.debugcomputer.net/uploads/images/ie%201.jpg http://www.debugcomputer.net/uploads/images/ie%201.jpg