3 ms·

The web is the only free platform we have. Everything done to bring it inline with proprietary apps is a good thing in my eyes. - web dev that prefers native a

by dntrkv 4y ago

The web is the only free platform we have. Everything done to bring it inline with proprietary apps is a good thing in my eyes. - web dev that prefers native apps most of the time

dijit 4y ago
I’m sure you didn’t intend to, but you’ve dismissed the work of F-droid and all of Linux. What you might intend to say is that it’s the only cross platform application distribution and execution environment that is free. But how free is it when one company controls 80%+ of the browser market and has the muscle to force standards?
- tomComb 4y ago
  You lament Google's dominance of the web platform while listing F-droid? Google's dominance is unfortunate, but their support for the web has been vital in keeping it (sort of) competitive with the proprietary platforms, including their own. Google does this for financial reasons, of course, but it is still a good thing. And the web is still the only major client platform we have. We can still successfully object when Google promotes changes that are not in the platform's interest. Look how often Mozilla has thwarted Google proposals for the web, like their vision of webasm or web components.
  - dijit 4y ago
    > You lament Google's dominance of the web platform while listing F-droid? pardon my ignorance, I don't personally use an Android phone, my understanding was that f-droid was essentially a FOSS app-store, built in order to solve distribution for non-playstore .apk's. I thought it wasn't a store that was in any way controversial on the android ecosystem.
    - tomComb 4y ago
      Yes, that is all correct. It is a good thing, but it is not a platform, it is an App Store for a mostly open source but still proprietary platform owned by Google.
kllrnohj 4y ago
How do you figure? The web platform is more or less controlled by the duopoly of Apple & Google, the two dominant browser developers. Toss in Firefox for the outliers and that's the entirety of the platform as is able to exist - the web is too complicated for anyone else to join (case in point, see previously major players, like Microsoft, giving up at it). If you just mean distribution then that's also not true. Android, Windows, MacOS (although this is eroding), and Linux all have open publishing of native applications.

by dntrkv 4y ago

The web is the only free platform we have. Everything done to bring it inline with proprietary apps is a good thing in my eyes. - web dev that prefers native apps most of the time

dijit 4y ago

I’m sure you didn’t intend to, but you’ve dismissed the work of F-droid and all of Linux. What you might intend to say is that it’s the only cross platform application distribution and execution environment that is free. But how free is it when one company controls 80%+ of the browser market and has the muscle to force standards?

tomComb 4y ago
You lament Google's dominance of the web platform while listing F-droid? Google's dominance is unfortunate, but their support for the web has been vital in keeping it (sort of) competitive with the proprietary platforms, including their own. Google does this for financial reasons, of course, but it is still a good thing. And the web is still the only major client platform we have. We can still successfully object when Google promotes changes that are not in the platform's interest. Look how often Mozilla has thwarted Google proposals for the web, like their vision of webasm or web components.
- dijit 4y ago
  > You lament Google's dominance of the web platform while listing F-droid? pardon my ignorance, I don't personally use an Android phone, my understanding was that f-droid was essentially a FOSS app-store, built in order to solve distribution for non-playstore .apk's. I thought it wasn't a store that was in any way controversial on the android ecosystem.
  - tomComb 4y ago
    Yes, that is all correct. It is a good thing, but it is not a platform, it is an App Store for a mostly open source but still proprietary platform owned by Google.

kllrnohj 4y ago

How do you figure? The web platform is more or less controlled by the duopoly of Apple & Google, the two dominant browser developers. Toss in Firefox for the outliers and that's the entirety of the platform as is able to exist - the web is too complicated for anyone else to join (case in point, see previously major players, like Microsoft, giving up at it). If you just mean distribution then that's also not true. Android, Windows, MacOS (although this is eroding), and Linux all have open publishing of native applications.