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> I can't use any browser but Safari on what is supposedly my phone. You can use one of a number of browsers on you phone. The browser developers are the ones

> I can't use any browser but Safari on what is supposedly my phone. You can use one of a number of browsers on you phone. The browser developers are the ones who are constrained, having to use the WebKit rendering engine—but then, it’s not their phone.

43920 7y ago
Does the distinction actually matter though? By constraining what developers can provide, you're automatically constraining what users can use, so I don't see how it makes a difference.
- millstone 7y ago
  Non-WebKit based iOS browsers are zero, and non-Chromium based Android browsers rounds to zero. So I don't think the distinction is very important, if it exists. It's silly to cast the mobile browser wars in abstract terms, as if JoesOwnWebBrowser is going to be a thing tomorrow. It's Google and Apple, full stop. Google is leveraging their titanic web properties and mobile ecosystem control to push Chrome. Apple is using their control over the iOS ecosystem to retain Safari. The choice is whether the mobile web has two relevant players, or one.
  - jeswin 7y ago
    There are other browsers with significant market share on Android, such as UC Browser. The reason they have chosen Chromium as the base is because it is easier for them to build on it, and not because Google enforced it as a policy on Android. That's an important distinction. Apple's monopolistic practices prevent better software from succeeding on phones, and I'm disappointed that Apple's anti competitive behavior is excused. Note: UC Browser is a huge privacy threat and please ask friends and family to uninstall it. But the point still stands.
    - millstone 7y ago
      I honestly can't tell if "Android enables better software like UC Browser which is terrible and please ask your friends and family to uninstall it" is satire or in earnest.
      - jeswin 7y ago
        That's not what I implied. What's important is the possibility of something better having a shot at success. One could argue that a browser based on Chromium rather than Webkit, could work better for their needs on iOS. Unfortunately that can't happen on iOS. And here's a real world example: even if v8 was a better runtime for React Native it still wouldn't be allowed into iOS.
- mcphage 7y ago
  > Does the distinction actually matter though? I think so, yeah. Or at least, the idea that the rendering engine is all that matters for a browser is not something I’d just accept without explanation.
lsaferite 7y ago
> but then, it’s not their phone And apparently it's not your phone either.
the_gipsy 7y ago
This is simply not true. Other browsers on iOS are nothing but wrappers around a worse webview than Safari. Perpetually missing web features (PN) so that you are forced to make an app, for obvious reasons.

43920 7y ago

Does the distinction actually matter though? By constraining what developers can provide, you're automatically constraining what users can use, so I don't see how it makes a difference.

millstone 7y ago
Non-WebKit based iOS browsers are zero, and non-Chromium based Android browsers rounds to zero. So I don't think the distinction is very important, if it exists. It's silly to cast the mobile browser wars in abstract terms, as if JoesOwnWebBrowser is going to be a thing tomorrow. It's Google and Apple, full stop. Google is leveraging their titanic web properties and mobile ecosystem control to push Chrome. Apple is using their control over the iOS ecosystem to retain Safari. The choice is whether the mobile web has two relevant players, or one.
- jeswin 7y ago
  There are other browsers with significant market share on Android, such as UC Browser. The reason they have chosen Chromium as the base is because it is easier for them to build on it, and not because Google enforced it as a policy on Android. That's an important distinction. Apple's monopolistic practices prevent better software from succeeding on phones, and I'm disappointed that Apple's anti competitive behavior is excused. Note: UC Browser is a huge privacy threat and please ask friends and family to uninstall it. But the point still stands.
  - millstone 7y ago
    I honestly can't tell if "Android enables better software like UC Browser which is terrible and please ask your friends and family to uninstall it" is satire or in earnest.
    - jeswin 7y ago
      That's not what I implied. What's important is the possibility of something better having a shot at success. One could argue that a browser based on Chromium rather than Webkit, could work better for their needs on iOS. Unfortunately that can't happen on iOS. And here's a real world example: even if v8 was a better runtime for React Native it still wouldn't be allowed into iOS.
mcphage 7y ago
> Does the distinction actually matter though? I think so, yeah. Or at least, the idea that the rendering engine is all that matters for a browser is not something I’d just accept without explanation.

lsaferite 7y ago

> but then, it’s not their phone And apparently it's not your phone either.

the_gipsy 7y ago

This is simply not true. Other browsers on iOS are nothing but wrappers around a worse webview than Safari. Perpetually missing web features (PN) so that you are forced to make an app, for obvious reasons.