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Everything being seamless is great for usability. But they also place you at great risk. For example if Google disable your account you lose all access. Simi

Everything being seamless is great for usability. But they also place you at great risk. For example if Google disable your account you lose all access. Similarly you are at their mercy for what happens in the future (eg cancelling services, requiring you to use others in certain ways, platform support). It also means that you aren't using best of breed for various parts of the solution. For some it may not matter (maybe you don't care about photos, or files, or calendars, or address books or mobile apps or group chat). As an end user it is in your best long term interests to have open solutions. That means protocols with multiple implementations of the client and server ends. It means identity, authorization and exposure under your control. And it also means freedom for others to write new clients and servers.

VikingCoder 13y ago
> It also means that you aren't using best of breed for various parts of the solution. This author admits Chrome is better. Google cannot disable his access to Chrome. If it's cancelled, then IT IS open source, and someone can run with it and make a new project (much like Cyanogen). If in the future it requires you to use other products in certain ways, then it IS open source. There is literally no reason to not use Chrome, other than spite. If someone else prefers another browser, that's fine. But none of the stated rationale explain why the author abandoned it. "in the interest of free as in freedom software". Can you make any sense of that?
- rogerbinns 13y ago
  > Google cannot disable his access to Chrome They can disable access to some of the functionality - for example bookmarks, password sync, what tabs you had open etc. Suddenly having a "naked" browser without any of that could be disconcerting and problematic. My bigger point was that if you use Google (or anyone else) for 15 different things then all 15 won't be best of breed. (Obviously some could be.) Putting all your eggs in one basket means getting less than the best for some of those 15, likely the majority. Using open solutions means you can use the best for you. > ... free as in freedom ... It was as a contrast to "open". For example it is possible to have open protocols, but implementing them requires licensing fees, or dealing with patents, or paying for certification. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html and apply it to software running on either end of open protocols.

VikingCoder 13y ago

> It also means that you aren't using best of breed for various parts of the solution. This author admits Chrome is better. Google cannot disable his access to Chrome. If it's cancelled, then IT IS open source, and someone can run with it and make a new project (much like Cyanogen). If in the future it requires you to use other products in certain ways, then it IS open source. There is literally no reason to not use Chrome, other than spite. If someone else prefers another browser, that's fine. But none of the stated rationale explain why the author abandoned it. "in the interest of free as in freedom software". Can you make any sense of that?

rogerbinns 13y ago
> Google cannot disable his access to Chrome They can disable access to some of the functionality - for example bookmarks, password sync, what tabs you had open etc. Suddenly having a "naked" browser without any of that could be disconcerting and problematic. My bigger point was that if you use Google (or anyone else) for 15 different things then all 15 won't be best of breed. (Obviously some could be.) Putting all your eggs in one basket means getting less than the best for some of those 15, likely the majority. Using open solutions means you can use the best for you. > ... free as in freedom ... It was as a contrast to "open". For example it is possible to have open protocols, but implementing them requires licensing fees, or dealing with patents, or paying for certification. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html and apply it to software running on either end of open protocols.