4 ms·

I hope people can get a "Stop Using Chrome" movement going, like we did with Internet Explorer long ago.

by leereeves 1y ago

righthand 1y ago
Idk, isn't that how we got Chrome? Isn't this inviting someone else to be the new Internet abuse daddy?
- ljlolel 1y ago
  Sounds like something written by a Google employee. Mozilla is a non-profit
  - dc396 1y ago
    Might want to look at who provides most of the funds for Mozilla.
    - ljlolel 1y ago
      Not for long
- 0x_rs 1y ago
  No, that was Firefox. Chrome's spread was fueled by literal malware or spyware bundling it to get some of Google's sweet money and some of the most aggressive advertisement campaigns for any online product ever.
  - righthand 1y ago
    Was it Firefox? I remember Firefox existing at the time but I don't think it's ever really had dominant market share, perhaps when it was Netscape? I do remember the IE campaign went on quite a long time to where eventually Chrome showed up to the party and people shifted over as well as shifted their family and friends over. You don't see that kind of active effort for Firefox ever.
    - ndriscoll 1y ago
      According to Wikipedia, Firefox share peaked around 31%. It was very much taking over and gaining share from IE before chrome appeared. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers#Older_reports_(2000%E2%80%932019) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers#Ol...
      - ethagnawl 1y ago
        Yes, FF was revelatory (features and performance) and, relatively, very popular for a time. 31% was a massive share considering it was up against a browser that was the default for the vast majority of people using computers. Mozilla have had so many chances to position themselves as the privacy-preserving alternative in current years but just can't get out of its own way in any sense (e.g. corporate greed or being hostile towards users). There's still dim hope for FF and some of its forks, like Librewolf, but hopefully forward thinking projects like Servo and Ladybird can fill the void.
timewizard 1y ago
Chrome is fine. Letting an advertising company own it is not.
- duxup 1y ago
  I feel like that's like saying "it's fine, except for the bad part that you can't avoid" ;)
  - turtletontine 1y ago
    The future of Google as Chrome’s owner is genuinely in question now due to Google’s antitrust losses, in case you weren’t aware. There’s a few different cases, one recent one Google has lost and is now in the “remedy” phase. Meaning the court has officially decided Google did bad, and is now considering what to make Google do about it. And splitting up Google into separate Chrome, search, etc companies is completely on the table. Some reading: https://www.theverge.com/23869483/us-v-google-search-antitrust-case-updates https://www.theverge.com/23869483/us-v-google-search-antitru... https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/google-found-guilty-of-monopolization https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/google-found-guilty-of-mo...
    - duxup 1y ago
      I'm aware, but it doesn't change day to day choices for now. I'm also completely at a loss to imagine how chrome becomes someone else's play thing and is somehow less prone to serving advertisers.
  - timewizard 1y ago
    The DOJ could literally order their separation. So there's no part of this that's "unavoidable." Ask Ma Bell.
userbinator 1y ago
Maybe even a "start using Internet Explorer again" movement ;-) For all the hate it got, IE was nowhere near as privacy-invasive as any of the "modern" browsers now, even Firefox. If you configured it to open with a blank page, it would quietly do so and make zero unsolicited network requests.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  Well IE (Edge) is Chrome now under the covers.
  - _dabs 1y ago
    Your mixing things up Edge and IE are two completely different things

I hope people can get a "Stop Using Chrome" movement going, like we did with Internet Explorer long ago.

righthand 1y ago

Idk, isn't that how we got Chrome? Isn't this inviting someone else to be the new Internet abuse daddy?

ljlolel 1y ago
Sounds like something written by a Google employee. Mozilla is a non-profit
- dc396 1y ago
  Might want to look at who provides most of the funds for Mozilla.
  - ljlolel 1y ago
    Not for long
0x_rs 1y ago
No, that was Firefox. Chrome's spread was fueled by literal malware or spyware bundling it to get some of Google's sweet money and some of the most aggressive advertisement campaigns for any online product ever.
- righthand 1y ago
  Was it Firefox? I remember Firefox existing at the time but I don't think it's ever really had dominant market share, perhaps when it was Netscape? I do remember the IE campaign went on quite a long time to where eventually Chrome showed up to the party and people shifted over as well as shifted their family and friends over. You don't see that kind of active effort for Firefox ever.
  - ndriscoll 1y ago
    According to Wikipedia, Firefox share peaked around 31%. It was very much taking over and gaining share from IE before chrome appeared. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers#Older_reports_(2000%E2%80%932019) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_web_browsers#Ol...
    - ethagnawl 1y ago
      Yes, FF was revelatory (features and performance) and, relatively, very popular for a time. 31% was a massive share considering it was up against a browser that was the default for the vast majority of people using computers. Mozilla have had so many chances to position themselves as the privacy-preserving alternative in current years but just can't get out of its own way in any sense (e.g. corporate greed or being hostile towards users). There's still dim hope for FF and some of its forks, like Librewolf, but hopefully forward thinking projects like Servo and Ladybird can fill the void.

timewizard 1y ago

Chrome is fine. Letting an advertising company own it is not.

duxup 1y ago
I feel like that's like saying "it's fine, except for the bad part that you can't avoid" ;)
- turtletontine 1y ago
  The future of Google as Chrome’s owner is genuinely in question now due to Google’s antitrust losses, in case you weren’t aware. There’s a few different cases, one recent one Google has lost and is now in the “remedy” phase. Meaning the court has officially decided Google did bad, and is now considering what to make Google do about it. And splitting up Google into separate Chrome, search, etc companies is completely on the table. Some reading: https://www.theverge.com/23869483/us-v-google-search-antitrust-case-updates https://www.theverge.com/23869483/us-v-google-search-antitru... https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/google-found-guilty-of-monopolization https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/google-found-guilty-of-mo...
  - duxup 1y ago
    I'm aware, but it doesn't change day to day choices for now. I'm also completely at a loss to imagine how chrome becomes someone else's play thing and is somehow less prone to serving advertisers.
- timewizard 1y ago
  The DOJ could literally order their separation. So there's no part of this that's "unavoidable." Ask Ma Bell.

userbinator 1y ago

Maybe even a "start using Internet Explorer again" movement ;-) For all the hate it got, IE was nowhere near as privacy-invasive as any of the "modern" browsers now, even Firefox. If you configured it to open with a blank page, it would quietly do so and make zero unsolicited network requests.

SoftTalker 1y ago
Well IE (Edge) is Chrome now under the covers.
- _dabs 1y ago
  Your mixing things up Edge and IE are two completely different things