3 ms·

On many real world AndroidTV devices (I've tested a couple dozen) you definitely do NOT get Chrome updated properly even though it's supposed to. Android is th

On many real world AndroidTV devices (I've tested a couple dozen) you definitely do NOT get Chrome updated properly even though it's supposed to. Android is the Wild West, with all the good and bad that follows. Manufacturers are often not implementing things properly. Problem is that these devices are all over Amazon and people buy them and expect them to work. We try to steer people to good quality devices such as the Nvidia Shield but you can only do so much. Keep in mind that GeckoView may not be used to build a browser. Rather it's often an engine used to drive an application built with web technologies. So a developers requirements for updates are different than an interactive browser of arbitrary web content. The story is the same on the desktop with Electron. When you deploy an electron app the browser underneath it is locked in conjunction with the version of Electron. It's still up to the app developer to be responsible and follow issues and update as required. But that's a lot less often than when you have a browser of arbitrary web content.

preston_mil 6y ago
>On many real world AndroidTV devices i gathered from your comment about large amts of devices still on 50 D: I know it won't be used for external web content, but all it takes is an escape or malicious frame/xss, and boom, mass RCE. I don't like electron for the same reason. I'm not saying that it's a wasteland out there, it's just one element that concerns me, is all.
- OkGoDoIt 6y ago
  Still, at least this provides another option. Lesser of two evils and all that. Maybe if android was less of a mess this would be a less desirable option, but frankly I’m pretty happy there’s an alternate option regardless of whether it’s better or worse
agi0 6y ago
> Keep in mind that GeckoView may not be used to build a browser. Rather it's often an engine used to drive an application built with web technologies. So a developers requirements for updates are different than an interactive browser of arbitrary web content. It most certainly can :) the new Firefox for Android uses GeckoView.
- poutine 6y ago
  Yep, of course. To clarify: when I said “may not” I meant in the sense “might not” rather than it isn’t permitted.

preston_mil 6y ago

>On many real world AndroidTV devices i gathered from your comment about large amts of devices still on 50 D: I know it won't be used for external web content, but all it takes is an escape or malicious frame/xss, and boom, mass RCE. I don't like electron for the same reason. I'm not saying that it's a wasteland out there, it's just one element that concerns me, is all.

OkGoDoIt 6y ago
Still, at least this provides another option. Lesser of two evils and all that. Maybe if android was less of a mess this would be a less desirable option, but frankly I’m pretty happy there’s an alternate option regardless of whether it’s better or worse

agi0 6y ago

> Keep in mind that GeckoView may not be used to build a browser. Rather it's often an engine used to drive an application built with web technologies. So a developers requirements for updates are different than an interactive browser of arbitrary web content. It most certainly can :) the new Firefox for Android uses GeckoView.

poutine 6y ago
Yep, of course. To clarify: when I said “may not” I meant in the sense “might not” rather than it isn’t permitted.