The inherent problem with creating a new browser/platform is getting people to create addons/extensions for it.

If you don’t think Google could do this, think again. Google has an iron grip on the Chromium project.

From the beginning of its time with Google, Android was touted as THE open-source phone operating system. The Android Open Source Project was used by several projects to create their own version of Android.

Then at a certain point, Google introduced an app called Google Play Services. This app is not open source and contains all of the stuff you need to access Google’s services.

  • zeroaesthetic@lemmy.ml
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    4 years ago

    Years ago, I would have recommended Firefox as a good alternative option. However, in the last couple of years, the Mozilla Foundation has been speaking more and more favorably of censorship.

    🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

    • AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.mlM
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      4 years ago

      This is a problem I see in privacy circles a lot. Yes, Mozilla definitely has a lot of problems, but people immediately start saying that it’s just as bad as Google and/or that you should use a Firefox version that’s entirely forked and not dependent on the upstream Mozilla repo or something.

      IMO, at most use Fennec F-droid and IceCat (which still rely on the upstream Mozilla code) if you can’t stand Mozilla, but to say that they’re just as bad as Google is just wrong.

      • AlmaemberTheGreat@lemmy.ml
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        4 years ago

        They are not close to Google but they are still doing pretty shady shit:

        • That “fake news detection” or whatever feature
        • Google Safe Browsing
        • Integrating Widevine etc.
        • JohnBlood@lemmy.ml
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          4 years ago

          I mentioned Widevine in the article. They came out and said they don’t support open source.

          • datendefekt@lemmy.ml
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            4 years ago

            I’m a bit on the fence regarding WideVine. It is important to keep everything open, but broad adoption is also important. Not implementing DRM would make Firefox unusable for many users.

      • Echedenyan@lemmy.ml
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        4 years ago

        You can use Pale Moon or Basilisk based browsers that are developed independently. Only in security backports things from Mozilla Firefox but it is not dependent on it and it is only to make implementation faster.

    • Nevar@lemmy.ml
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      4 years ago

      Pretty much any american foundation has been capture by this cultural revolution occurring in the USA. It’s not very close but there are some parallels to the Chinese cultural revolution, where a country cuts off its nose in spite of its face. IMO the European software foundations are less affected by sociopolitical upheaval happening in the states. KDE, Debian, and other European based FOSS programs haven’t had to jump through the same hoops. I hope KDE Falkon gets a resurgence because of this.

          • zeroaesthetic@lemmy.ml
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            4 years ago

            That still has nothing to do with the comment I left that you replied to. Find somewhere else to soapbox.

            • Nevar@lemmy.ml
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              4 years ago

              Sorry bud, I can soapbox anywhere I want on Lemmy, just like you friend! If you don’t like what I have to say you can down vote me, but telling me to go away is immature.

              If you don’t see the connection to what I’m saying to what you wrote then that’s your lack of understanding, not mine or others.

                • Nevar@lemmy.ml
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                  4 years ago

                  Certainly your right to roll your eyes, much like I’m rolling my eyes at your response 😉

  • ufra@lemmy.ml
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    4 years ago

    There have been a few good articles posted here about this in the past. I will try to dig some up from desktop.

    A lot of attention is being paid to the sync feature, which I would just assume have removed entirely. A bigger issue imo, is this “Google has an iron grip on the Chromium project” because if they defund mozilla and break chromium, the internet quickly becomes a chrome and safari garden with all the tracking (cookie-less or otherwise). This is another reason to start using gemini and keep a close eye on google’s centralisation tactics.

    edit: here is one past post with commentary: Chromium maintainer for Fedora has disabled Sync and Google Sign-In support right now https://lemmy.ml/post/49089 , https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2021-48866282e5

    • Adda@lemmy.ml
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      4 years ago

      I am afraid that Gemini is not the answer in this case. Gemini is not supposed to replace the Web, it is supposed to coexist along the Web, meant for different use cases. One couldn’t host Lemmy on Gemini for example. If we want to find an alternative, we would need to look elsewhere, as far as I know.

        • Adda@lemmy.ml
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          4 years ago

          I agree. This is exactly what was missing in my reply and I should have thought about that. Having an option to escape walled gardens is just as important, even if for example Gemini is not sufficient to replace the modern Web entirely.

          You could mirror lemmy on gemini

          Ye, but not communicate easily, allow multiple users to post etc. In general, if I am not mistaken, the problem with Gemini would be its passive, read-only nature from the point of view of a capsule’s visitor (not creator).

        • fatboy@lemmy.ml
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          4 years ago

          Yeah, I saw that. I don’t understand their argument that you wasting ad payer’s money on fake clicks? who fucking cares? ads shouldn’t exist

      • Echedenyan@lemmy.ml
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        4 years ago

        UXP devs are painful interacting with people but they had already set option to this and the OpenBSD maintainer didn’t care.

        The branding is only added using a build flag and not by default and using it you ensure the browser is compiled as desired by the devs in a way they wouldn’t forbid you for distributing I with the branding.

      • fatboy@lemmy.ml
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        4 years ago

        Yup, they are pedantic as fuck sometimes. they mean well though.