6 ms·

> rapidly becoming Always has been. Google was creating cartels like the "Open Handset Alliance" literally decades ago. Via their control of Chrome and Searc

> rapidly becoming Always has been. Google was creating cartels like the "Open Handset Alliance" literally decades ago. Via their control of Chrome and Search which are both monopolies, Google holds absolute authority on how websites are rendered and if websites can be found.

parineum 5mo ago
> Chrome and Search which are both monopolies I'm on Firefox and use DuckDuckGo.
- ToValueFunfetti 5mo ago
  You'd be better off mentioning Safari (17% of users vs. Chrome's 68% and Firefox's 2.2%) and Bing (10% vs Google's 85% and DDG's 1.7%). But nice to know there are two of us!
newphone733 5mo ago
They lost their search monopoly when LLMs came.
- imglorp 5mo ago
  Lost? No, they shoveled search into the furnace day after day as they prioritized sewage like paid results, link farms, and blog spam while burying the actual result far below, if returned at all. LLM showed up and gave you the direct answer you wanted in <1s; you don't even have to read the shitty troll result page.
vel0city 5mo ago
It cracks me up when people say Chrome is a monopoly, because a massive amount of computing devices do not even ship with Chrome. Windows computers, Macbooks, and iPhones require users go search out and install Chrome on their own out of their own volition, shipping with entirely functional and decent browsers out of the box that they have lots of patterns to push. Even many Android phones ship with browsers other than Chrome as a default still from what I understand. How is Chrome, of all things, a monopoly? Have words just entirely lost all meaning and now monopoly just means "things which are popular that I dislike"?
- wil421 5mo ago
  I’m constantly badgered by google apps on my iPhone to use Chrome. In fact I’m not able to just click a link and open my default browser, I have to see the big chrome logo and a smaller link to choose my default browser.
  - vel0city 5mo ago
    > by google apps on my iPhone Ever thought about just not using those apps if you want to avoid the Google ecosystem? Too bad there's just absolutely no mapping application available on iPhone but Google Maps. Too bad there's no way to send an email on an iPhone outside of Gmail. What's that? A user has to once again go out of their way to install those apps as well? Well isn't that strange. I thought Google was a monopoly on iPhones.
- traderj0e 5mo ago
  and even the iPhone Chrome doesn't use the Chromium engine, it's Safari under the hood
- MSFT_Edging 5mo ago
  Chrome is a monopoly by extending the internet in ways that force users into chrome. Due to market share and Google's prevalence, they have the sway to introduce things that cannot meaningfully be avoided without extreme siloing.
  - vel0city 5mo ago
    Outside of WebUSB I personally haven't meaningfully been impacted in any ways. Can you share which ways this is? Note, this is separate from a "so many things are just Chromium", which I agree is an issue, but isn't the same as a "Google Chrome is a monopoly". Because in the end there are still many non-Chrome browsers which support WebUSB which do not end up with a lot of the downsides of Chrome specifically about Google harvesting your data and what not.
    - CursedSilicon 5mo ago
Melatonic 5mo ago
Huge fan of Kagi so far - especially SmallWeb if you do want to find websites that probably would not hit the top of Google search results
- ocdtrekkie 5mo ago
  I am a Kagi early adopter. ;) But the reality is what can be on the web is dictated by Google Search, because nothing survives if you can't find it on Google.

parineum 5mo ago

> Chrome and Search which are both monopolies I'm on Firefox and use DuckDuckGo.

ToValueFunfetti 5mo ago
You'd be better off mentioning Safari (17% of users vs. Chrome's 68% and Firefox's 2.2%) and Bing (10% vs Google's 85% and DDG's 1.7%). But nice to know there are two of us!

newphone733 5mo ago

They lost their search monopoly when LLMs came.

imglorp 5mo ago
Lost? No, they shoveled search into the furnace day after day as they prioritized sewage like paid results, link farms, and blog spam while burying the actual result far below, if returned at all. LLM showed up and gave you the direct answer you wanted in <1s; you don't even have to read the shitty troll result page.

vel0city 5mo ago

It cracks me up when people say Chrome is a monopoly, because a massive amount of computing devices do not even ship with Chrome. Windows computers, Macbooks, and iPhones require users go search out and install Chrome on their own out of their own volition, shipping with entirely functional and decent browsers out of the box that they have lots of patterns to push. Even many Android phones ship with browsers other than Chrome as a default still from what I understand. How is Chrome, of all things, a monopoly? Have words just entirely lost all meaning and now monopoly just means "things which are popular that I dislike"?

wil421 5mo ago
I’m constantly badgered by google apps on my iPhone to use Chrome. In fact I’m not able to just click a link and open my default browser, I have to see the big chrome logo and a smaller link to choose my default browser.
- vel0city 5mo ago
  > by google apps on my iPhone Ever thought about just not using those apps if you want to avoid the Google ecosystem? Too bad there's just absolutely no mapping application available on iPhone but Google Maps. Too bad there's no way to send an email on an iPhone outside of Gmail. What's that? A user has to once again go out of their way to install those apps as well? Well isn't that strange. I thought Google was a monopoly on iPhones.
traderj0e 5mo ago
and even the iPhone Chrome doesn't use the Chromium engine, it's Safari under the hood
MSFT_Edging 5mo ago
Chrome is a monopoly by extending the internet in ways that force users into chrome. Due to market share and Google's prevalence, they have the sway to introduce things that cannot meaningfully be avoided without extreme siloing.
- vel0city 5mo ago
  Outside of WebUSB I personally haven't meaningfully been impacted in any ways. Can you share which ways this is? Note, this is separate from a "so many things are just Chromium", which I agree is an issue, but isn't the same as a "Google Chrome is a monopoly". Because in the end there are still many non-Chrome browsers which support WebUSB which do not end up with a lot of the downsides of Chrome specifically about Google harvesting your data and what not.
  - CursedSilicon 5mo ago

Melatonic 5mo ago

Huge fan of Kagi so far - especially SmallWeb if you do want to find websites that probably would not hit the top of Google search results

ocdtrekkie 5mo ago
I am a Kagi early adopter. ;) But the reality is what can be on the web is dictated by Google Search, because nothing survives if you can't find it on Google.