Chrome-derived browsers threaten to fork from Google, refuse to eliminate ad-blocker features

boing
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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/06/11/browser-wars.html

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Hopefully Microsoft will threaten this as well, it would be a good move to differentiate Edge.

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More forking and diversity would be great for the ecosystem. We’ve already seen Chrome and Chromium as the winner of the second browser war. Having almost every browser out there being based on Chromium has given Google way too much power. I’m hoping that this API change is one step too far.

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As a Brave user, I’m pleased to hear this. I was concerned when the news broke about Google’s intentions. I hope they can hold out.

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Google can’t have it both ways.

Firefox is a great browser.

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After Mozilla fucked up their own certificate scheme and broke all Firefox extensions a month ago, plenty of people saw what the web looked like without an ad-blocker again for the first time in years or decades. It’s an astounding level of garbage.

Google going this route will end Chrome hegemony, whether they can push it onto derivative browsers or not. People will find something else, because the un-ad-blocked web is simply not useable. Google’s top shareholders should give un-ad-blocked browsing a try for five minutes to see what their company is about to do to itself.

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Well if Google wanted to get me to stop using Chrome.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Will try out Brave when I get home.

Note to Google: I don’t have any brand affinity with browsers. A browser is a tool. I will use the best available tool for the job.

ETA: I’ve started removing Chrome from my work servers. When you uninstall, you get to fill out a questionnaire. When I selected adware as my reason for uninstalling a textbox is presented where you can tell Google how you feel about this choice of theirs.

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Since the great Firefox Quantum extension meltdown, I have been using Waterfox. Couldn’t be happier with it.

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Liked this before I even read the 2nd paragraph!

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Chrome’s free/open derivative, Chromium, is the basis for many other browsers

Minor note: I believe the derivative is Chrome, not the other way around.

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That is correct. Chrome is downstream of Chromium.

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Brave’s built-in adblocker seems to be pretty effective at cleaning up Boing Boing’s page.

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Chrome also creates the WEBP filetype for images which is only recognizable by Chrome.

It’s safe. Firefox is back.

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I never used Chrome because I don’t know how much of my activities it may or may not be reporting back to Google.

I’ve been on Firefox ever since it came out, and never had a compelling reason to switch. I even use Firefox for Android (which also supports uBlock Origin).

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So much this.

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The pre-chromium version of Edge is actually surprisingly good, but MS threw in the towel when confronted by too many customers who want 100% chrome compatibilty.

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The main problem with Edge is that it shares settings with IE. My browser is Firefox, but I use IE in embedded controls with Javascript switched off. Not a problem until Google Drive tries to launch a configuration dialog using Javascript in Edge.

Meh. It’s time I switched to embedded Chromium, and cut another anchor to Windows.

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I’ve been half-assedly switching to Firefox lately. This will speed up the process.

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Unless I’m misunderstanding you, Firefox, Edge and Opera support WebP images too:

https://developers.google.com/speed/webp/#webp_support

Also, +1 for Firefox (and Brave) from me.