5 ms·

Software bugs have nothing to do with an organisations intentions.

by cpressland 5y ago

admax88qqq 5y ago
If they let other browers engines on iOS people could choose more privacy focused browsers.
- jimbob45 5y ago
  I’m amazed Meta/Instagram is getting investigated for antitrust while Apple is getting away with what got MS pegged in 98. It’s easy to assume regulatory capture but I wonder if Apple is effectively untouchable by whichever party is incumbent. Apple represents such a huge chunk of the US economy that penalties would likely rock the market. Market instability has ruined the careers of many politicians over the years.
  - echelon 5y ago
    Apple and Google are the most deserving of being split up [1], but you won't see it happen. Do you know how many congresspersons likely hold Apple stock? Meanwhile Facebook is used as a platform to criticize politicians on both sides of the aisle. They all hate it. [1] As I most recently articulated here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29908253 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29908253
  - petmon 5y ago
    The case against MS was abusive licensing practices. MS blocked OEMs from choosing their own default browser, and charged OEMs a license fee even if the computers weren't running Windows. That doesn't apply to Apple which does not license their OS. Android and ChromeOS both technically allow other browser engines, but in practice non-Chromium browsers are a rounding error on those platforms. You can technically allow other browser engines, but that does not create a robust browser market.
    - arvinsim 5y ago
      All of that is just conjecture until Apple actually allows different browser engines.
- nuker 5y ago
  Nope. People will install Chrome, Google will make sure nothing else works with it. And all other browsers die.
  - smoldesu 5y ago
    Well, forcing Safari onto users is a pretty terrible "solution" (and an abandoned cause on desktop). If Apple is going to fold halfway, they may as well just put their cards on the table. The web is already lost to Google: some 60% of all web traffic comes from Google Chrome, and that's not even counting the people using browsers based on Blink. If Apple, with 200 billion dollars in liquid cash, cannot create a browser that's good enough on it's own merits to compete with Chrome, then the battle is over. There was no war.
    - nuker 5y ago
      > If Apple, … cannot create a browser that's good enough on it's own merits to compete with Chrome, then the battle is over. It can? Half of mobile users use Safari on iOS today. Im using Safari on Mac, no other browsers needed.
      - smoldesu 5y ago
        > Half of mobile users use Safari on iOS today Correction, all of mobile users use Safari on iOS today. Webkit is your only option, everything else is just the same browser with a new interface added to it. Maybe if there were actually multiple browsers to choose from on iOS, we could make that distinction and know for sure. Until then, I think it absolutely holds true.
        nuker 5y ago
        > Correction, all of mobile users use Safari on iOS today. Some mobile users have Android, so correction incorrect, but real bad phrasing on me :)
        5y ago
- JimDabell 5y ago
  Safari is a privacy focused browser. Privacy focused browsers have security vulnerabilities too.
smoldesu 5y ago
It's a pretty nice canary for their black-box coal mine though. If we had any better way to understand Apples internal intentions, we'd be using it.

Software bugs have nothing to do with an organisations intentions.

admax88qqq 5y ago

If they let other browers engines on iOS people could choose more privacy focused browsers.

jimbob45 5y ago
I’m amazed Meta/Instagram is getting investigated for antitrust while Apple is getting away with what got MS pegged in 98. It’s easy to assume regulatory capture but I wonder if Apple is effectively untouchable by whichever party is incumbent. Apple represents such a huge chunk of the US economy that penalties would likely rock the market. Market instability has ruined the careers of many politicians over the years.
- echelon 5y ago
  Apple and Google are the most deserving of being split up [1], but you won't see it happen. Do you know how many congresspersons likely hold Apple stock? Meanwhile Facebook is used as a platform to criticize politicians on both sides of the aisle. They all hate it. [1] As I most recently articulated here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29908253 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29908253
- petmon 5y ago
  The case against MS was abusive licensing practices. MS blocked OEMs from choosing their own default browser, and charged OEMs a license fee even if the computers weren't running Windows. That doesn't apply to Apple which does not license their OS. Android and ChromeOS both technically allow other browser engines, but in practice non-Chromium browsers are a rounding error on those platforms. You can technically allow other browser engines, but that does not create a robust browser market.
  - arvinsim 5y ago
    All of that is just conjecture until Apple actually allows different browser engines.
nuker 5y ago
Nope. People will install Chrome, Google will make sure nothing else works with it. And all other browsers die.
- smoldesu 5y ago
  Well, forcing Safari onto users is a pretty terrible "solution" (and an abandoned cause on desktop). If Apple is going to fold halfway, they may as well just put their cards on the table. The web is already lost to Google: some 60% of all web traffic comes from Google Chrome, and that's not even counting the people using browsers based on Blink. If Apple, with 200 billion dollars in liquid cash, cannot create a browser that's good enough on it's own merits to compete with Chrome, then the battle is over. There was no war.
  - nuker 5y ago
    > If Apple, … cannot create a browser that's good enough on it's own merits to compete with Chrome, then the battle is over. It can? Half of mobile users use Safari on iOS today. Im using Safari on Mac, no other browsers needed.
    - smoldesu 5y ago
      > Half of mobile users use Safari on iOS today Correction, all of mobile users use Safari on iOS today. Webkit is your only option, everything else is just the same browser with a new interface added to it. Maybe if there were actually multiple browsers to choose from on iOS, we could make that distinction and know for sure. Until then, I think it absolutely holds true.
      - nuker 5y ago
        > Correction, all of mobile users use Safari on iOS today. Some mobile users have Android, so correction incorrect, but real bad phrasing on me :)
        5y ago
JimDabell 5y ago
Safari is a privacy focused browser. Privacy focused browsers have security vulnerabilities too.

smoldesu 5y ago

It's a pretty nice canary for their black-box coal mine though. If we had any better way to understand Apples internal intentions, we'd be using it.