Developers offering Mozilla-like experience will work on Firefox-like experience for iThings A software house offering a Mozilla-like experience has confirmed it will end its years-long standoff with Apple – and bring a Firefox-like browser to iPhones and iPads. "At Mozilla, we put our users first and want to provide an independent choice for them on any platform. We are in the early stages of experimenting with …
Ugh. I imagine market pressures are responsible for this, but c'mon, Gecko or GTFO. Mozilla without Gecko just makes me feel dirty. Wish they hadn't caved on this, or on VP8. Come on Mozzy, your principles are why I give you money.
Someone remind me again why Internet Explorer coming with Windows (and allowing alternatives) is antitrust bullshit, but this bullshit from Apple is totally OK? Deliberately gimping any other browser is fine?
"Someone remind me again why Internet Explorer coming with Windows (and allowing alternatives) is antitrust bullshit, but this bullshit from Apple is totally OK? Deliberately gimping any other browser is fine?"
I feel the same, I really do, but the reason is simple: Despite having a huge chunk of the market, Apple do not hold a majority - that would be Android, which actually does allow Gecko and always has. Though not at all a niche market, since they do not hold a majority, they aren't held to the same antitrust regulations as Microsoft with Windows on the desktop. That's also the same reason Microsoft isn't required to allow other browsers on Windows RT tablets - they don't hold the majority in tablet marketshare.
"Someone remind me again why Internet Explorer coming with Windows (and allowing alternatives) is antitrust bullshit, but this bullshit from Apple is totally OK? Deliberately gimping any other browser is fine?"
Perhaps it has to do with the main difference between MS and Apple, that one makes only software (mostly) and the other makes hardware with purpose-built software. It sorta makes sense that Apple would not want any uncouth un-vetted code crudding-up the innards of their boutique machines. At least it makes a good argument in court...
No it doesn't. The platform itself is perfectly capable of running browser apps with alternative engines, but Apple's policy is not to allow them just because and browser skins using Webkit have nobbled JavaScript again just because.
Meanwhile over in OS X land there's a perfectly fine Firefox and Apple's response has been to make Safari pop up annoying questions about setting itself as the default browser should you accidentally launch it, but only in the latest versions.
Both are minority platforms in their form factor.
What's the difference?
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"Someone remind me again why Internet Explorer coming with Windows (and allowing alternatives) is antitrust bullshit, but this bullshit from Apple is totally OK? Deliberately gimping any other browser is fine?"
The issue was not Internet Explorer itself, but some wacky APIs that came with Internet Explorer. Those wacky APIs causes non-microsoft software to crash on windows boxes. My solution to the issue at the time was to rip the guts out of IE4 and suddenly, all my problems were solved.
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