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The problem isn't building a publicly-funded browser, it's building a publicly-funded browser that's good and that can keep up with the demands of the platform

The problem isn't building a publicly-funded browser, it's building a publicly-funded browser that's good and that can keep up with the demands of the platform - which means taking risks, also when it comes to security and privacy. A publicly-funded equivalent of MSIE 6, heroically made 100% secure and private, would be a disaster for the web. And that's a pretty likely outcome if it's designed by a government committee and prioritizes safety above all.

throwaway81523 2y ago
The "demands of the platform" drive expanding capabilities of the browser, which in turn drive increasing commands of the platform. A vicious spiral. Magically getting everyone to switch to a less powerful browser would necessarily beat back the demands of the platform. That would be a wonderful thing, not a disaster.
- mulmen 2y ago
  [flagged]
ndriscoll 2y ago
On the other hand, a publicly funded equivalent of Firefox 3.5 or maybe SeaMonkey with incremental improvements over time (e.g. adding things like form validation and pie charts and bar charts and line charts to html, and not adding USB or GPU or ad tracking or attestation support) would be amazing for the web.
account42 2y ago
> A publicly-funded equivalent of MSIE 6, heroically made 100% secure and private, would be a disaster for the web Hard disagree. The web was a much better place when IE6 was still relevant enough to reign in web developers.