The browser's resized future in a fragmented www world

Re: TBL is MS!

>DRM is anti-freedom, anti-openness, anti-user. It should not be encouraged.

You've confused the current flawed and propriety implementations of DRM with the concept itself.

All T-B-L suggested was that if DRM is to be used, it should be cross-platform and sensibly implemented. Then content creators will have the freedom to choose whether to implement it, and users will be free to engage with it or not. The user may choose not to, in which case the content creator can choose to reassess their business model. Choice and freedom.

Most users are quite happy to pay for a DVD or Blu-ray. Most people consider their Netflix subscription to be fairly priced. If there is a legitimate way to watch paid-for protected content on a portable, off-line device, most users wouldn't have a problem with that either, as long as it is reliable, easy and device-agnostic. User friendly.

Re: TBL is MS!

I think his attitude is let’s have the least evil form of DRM and seems to be a pragmatic compromise in the face of corporate power. Ideally I’d get rid of DRM as it only reduces the experience for honest customers but that isn’t going to happen (unless people make it ‘happen’).

Re: re - "Fragmentation is hurting the PC and the browser, yes"

@DanDanDan

Saying "the iOS Browser" could mean Opera, Chrome or Safari (all 3 available on iOS), use you big boy words and call it "Safari for iOS" if you really want to be clear. But you don't want to be clear, or provide a valid argument, you just want to write uninformed uncited crap just to get a reaction from people like me.

Re: browser restrictions

Only if your Microsoft. If you Apple you're a saint company working hard to light the dark, poor souls of users, and thereby it's allowed anything, including a closed store which can refuse applications competiting with its own (think what would have happened if Microsoft refused OpenOffice to run on Windows...) , keeping API restricted to its very own apps (MS was forced to open its Windows API....) - of course for "security reason", not to keep competition away (after all the NSA spies on your for your security too, right?), ask a 30% fee on every app you sell, keep its browser locked down (Microsoft was fined even if you could install and use whatever browser you liked, just because IE was preinstalled!) and so on. It's the classic streotype, if you look ugly you're surealy bad, if you look handsome you can't be bad, you're surely good... and that's how conmen work.

Re: browser restrictions

*How* does iOS stop non-Safari applications accessing the rendering engine. If an application calls render_page("I am Safari, honest guv", *page_to_render) how does the renderer know that this isn't Safari making exactly the same call?

I think you missed the original point that was probably being made.

But it's funny how someone's throw-away comment ends up being responded to by someone throwing dirt at a competitor of a company who they're a loving customer of.

So when Google and Facebook sucked-up my personal contact details through ingesting the contact databases of colleagues I know, was that because I personally failed to get out my wallet?

No, because your collegues put your personal contact details on their Google/Facebook accounts?

Reality check: Google and Facebook aren't going to call you!

When Google photograph my garden because of the height of the camera in their Google maps car, is that because I personally am failing to get out my wallet?

Who cares? Anyone can do that! If you have a problem with that then report it to google, or call the police, build a bigger wall, or stop gardening in your Y-fronts.

You've ignored the advantages of the service that they provide (for £0), such as viewing properties, working out how to get to an interview, confirming the sea-front view of the hotel you're about to book, historical records, etc...

I guess you've never used streetview, then.

But... GASP! HORRORS! Everyone in the world can look at the outside of your house!! Instead of the public peaking their head over your fence to check you out... they can see the dog shit in your garden from the comfort of their homes!!

Reality check: Nobody cares about you! Not even Google.

When they slurped wi-fi data and then lied to government by claiming it was not a management sanctioned activity, when it was, was that also because I personally failed to get out my wallet.

That was unlawful - not defending law breaking, but they've captured information that your wireless router is freely broadcasting... so fucking what?

Reality check: Who really gives a shit what your SSID is?

When Google produce a maps app with no option to pay and which doesn't function well unless you log in, and then link my movements and build a personal profile about my person and do their level best to link it all with web site browsing data from entirely different contexts, is that because I am failing to get out my wallet?

It's your choice to use such an app. Google gather your "web site browsing data" in order to accurately predict the type of adverts you might be interested in.

I guess you've never advertised a product, and wasted £1000's due to lack of targeting. And as a consumer, isn't it a good thing to be shown adverts of products that you might actually be interested in?

And what about store loyalty cards? Many of us use them.. we get free stuff in return for the shops knowing our favourite flavour of milk shake. But that's ok.. it's not Google.

Reality check: Google don't personally give a shit about your favourite sites - People make products, and they need to advertise them efficiently.

When I run a commercially valuable project in competition with a Google service and then find for practical reasons, I have to give-up and allow correspondence with contractors, suppliers etc who are using Google mail accounts (or spend my time "King Canute" like, policing all correspondence and insisting Google Mail users use an alternative) and Google are entirely able and free to read about the internal status of my project, is that also because I have failed to open my wallet?

That's one of the disadvantages of using 3rd party email services. ANYONE can read the data on their own servers, not just Google - you didn't know that?

Nobody at Google is interested in reading your emails! They get millions of emails each day, they can't hire that many people to read through everyone's emails.. or is it just yours they're interested in?

Reality check: A computer reads your emails and advertises products related to that. It's a fucking machine!

Your assertion is a an ignorant simplification that wholly ignores the dynamic whereby the end user is finding it more and more difficult to exercise choice, and is being parcelled up to be sold as food at the Google trade restaurant.

We're all victims of that - long before Google was around.

I'm out to defend Google, I don't like or hate them. I think you all need to get a bit of perspective.

So CompanyA competes with the company that you've committed to, and love ... So Fucking What? Get a grip of reality!