5 ms·

Unlike iOS where basic features like the web browser require system updates, Android is modular and updates get pushed through other channels independently of t

• ericmay 5y ago
  Which is ok, and if you don’t use Safari then you don’t have to worry about this.
  • howinteresting 5y ago
    I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic here--all iOS browsers are custom skins on top of Safari. Yes I'm aware of WKWebView and how it's not the same as Safari. I'm using the classic meaning of browser skins, dating back to browsers like Maxthon which were wrappers over Trident in exactly the same way.
    • ericmay 5y ago
      No I'm not being sarcastic - I think calling the apps a skin on top of Safari is a bit of an over-simplification. Most features that users notice happen at this skin layer, not the rendering layer. It's peak HN to really be caring about this especially as Apple offers (as far as I know) no performance difference across browsers using Webkit or w/e. You could actually just say that Safari itself is a skin too, just the default one that comes with iOS. It's similar to complaining about other basic features of iOS IMO (like complaining there's a default settings app or that iOS just works a certain way).
      • howinteresting 5y ago
        What about security updates or new HTML features? Chrome or Firefox on Android get security updates for many years after official system updates end. The same is not true for Apple.
        • ericmay 5y ago
          Don't think most users know or care about security or HTML features so while certainly it's a difference it's unlikely to be important for most users. Think of Safari as a skin that's unbundled from the engine. While Chrome or Firefox are reliant on Apple to update the engine, so is Safari, but neither are reliant on Apple for other functionality that they want to implement that users can take advantage of. IMO it's modular enough.
          • Phrodo_00 5y ago
            User might not care about web engine updates, but it's definitely important, especially because of security.
      • Descon 5y ago
        Still waiting on that PWA support...
  • Sargos 5y ago
    I'm not sure what you mean by not worrying about iOS needing OS updates for browser upgrades as the Safari engine is the only web browser engine allowed on iOS and third party browsers like Chrome are just skins on top of Safari and not real counterparts to their desktop cousins. Upgrading the OS is the only way to get new web functionality and bug fixes.
    • ericmay 5y ago
      Web browsers have to use the Safari engine but that doesn't mean they don't also separately update the browsers and add functionality. I.e. you mostly get modularity by not using Safari even if you have to rely on the underlying Safari engine being updated. Most of the features users notice are updated by the app provider anyway.
    • fulafel 5y ago
      Does the browsee limitation come from loading non reviewed code and interpreting it? Are other browsers allowed if they don't implement JavaScript?
      • Sargos 5y ago
        I think that would be allowed, yes. It would be a rather useless web browser though so that's probably why nobody has tried before.