If Fire Fox wants to stick a finger up at Apple, just write an app and release it in Cydia.
My first thought was that it's not worth the effort but my second thought is that it isn't such a bad idea. I bet I could be convinced it's actually a feasible idea that will make them money. Jailbreaking is pretty easy and I have to think that many that would want Firefox on iOS aren't going to be too turned off by jailbreaking to get it, especially if it included 3rd-part extensions for Firefox that aren't possible otherwise. If such an option existed I might jailbreak again just for that.
Frankly, Firefox was a great choice over IE but Safari (desktop and mobile) is sweet. My only complaint is that there isn't a Windoze version so that I can use it on my job-issued laptop, too.
I would presume so, if Wiki is any good: "Google Chrome OS is a Linux-based operating system designed by Google to work exclusively with web applications. Google announced the operating system on July 7, 2009 and made it an open source project, called Chromium OS, in November 2009."
Maybe but you can only cry Wolf so many times. Besides the situation is entirely different, Apple has not said you can't build your own browser for iOS they just have specific requirements on its interface to supplied libraries. I really don't see where this is a huge problem. This is especially the case with something like Firefox which never really stabilized as a browser.
It has been a long time since I looked at developer agreements with respect to iOS, but the last time I looked they had a requirement that you make use of the built in JavaScript interpreter. I don't see where this is a bad thing. Firefox demands sound a bit like demanding that Apple use an i86 processor instead of an ARM. I suspect there are a lot of die hardship working on Firefox that just don't want to give up on their aging code base.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eluard
Just a coincidence that this comes on the heels of the Microsoft fine from the EU? Maybe Mozilla is trying to provoke the EU to attack Apple…
When Microsoft controlled a humongous portion of the desktop OS market, they got in trouble for leveraging this position in their competition between their web browser and others. And that was just including the browser with the OS. You could still run any other web browser you wanted on your Windows PC, regardless of if it used the Trident engine or not. And you could make any of them your default browser.
So when you think about it, Apple is being even more abusive than Microsoft.
As iDevices get more popular and if Apple continues to expand their market share in these areas, it could -- nay it should be held up to the same standards for anti-competitive behavior.
It's not really the same thing.
Microsoft did not make the PCs, so they were competing in the market for PC operating systems.
Apple makes the whole device, so they are competing in the market for smart phones. They are not competing in the "browsers running on iOS" market because there isn't really any such thing, and as long as you stick to their rules you are free to build an alternative browser.
MS attempted to use IE to force competition out of the PC operating systems market.
Apple's decision to only allow Webkit browsers does not harm other competitors in the smartphone marketplace. In fact, you could argue that limiting choice actually disadvantages Apple in the face of the competition.
Moreover, Apple does not have a monopoly in the smartphone market, so the "anti-competitive" argument is unlikely to stick.
Apple's top priority is to maintain a uniform experience for its consumer customers. It is not going to risk that experience just to pander to Firefox and a relatively small group of vocal geeks.
The only monopoly left in the post PC world is search (google). Give Apple some time, and they can fix that problem too, like they did with maps, like they are doing with desktops, like they did with phones and tablets.
Now we are seeing products, complete integrated products (nexus, surface, macs, pixel, idevices) and those that create them have every right to choose what they allow and what they don't allow to be installed. If Apple or Microsoft thinks that Safari/IE provide the browsing experience they want on their devices, they have every right to ban other browsers if they want.
Don't like it? Buy another product.
Now... Search and how google uses that to "enforce" other devices/"choices"? That's a crime right there, not to mention the "dark" ads. Try and download (on windows) Ccleaner. They will bombard you with chrome... Now for the piracy:
- Download utorrent. Google sponsors them and they will try to install chrome.
- go to pirate bay. They will say your browser should be UPGRADED to chrome. Google pays.
- Go to MEGA. They will say only chrome is good enough. Google pays.
- Heck, even adobe.
I really believe Apple has a pair of aces for search. They will bring it to google and I'm not talking about using Bing as the default search engine, even if that is enough to hurt google (and maybe even a nice deal with microsoft). Such hypocrisy, they are bad.
Choice is bad. When will the world learn than? Dammit. Only one browser is good for you. You will use it or die.
In this case, yes it is bad. The advantages of the current method are what makes Apple earn 15 billion net profit each month. Controlled and healthy environments that provide a much better product. In fact, it pisses me off that they sell so many devices, when much people have no idea about what they are buying. It cheapens the product. The iphone is a marvel, it shouldn't be sold to teenagers and persons that only buy it just because they can, without a rational reason... Ok, if we use this metric, no one would be buying a s3, but still...
Anyway, you can buy an Android phone if you want. There's a lot of companies there that need your help/money.
The concern is that Webkit is coming close to having a monopoly in the browser market. It effectively already does in the mobile and tablet space.
When one rendering engine has a monopoly, that engine becomes the standard, complete with its bugs and foibles. That isn't good for an open, progressive internet. Webkit may have fewer bugs than IE6, but web standards are evolving all the time and the risk is that the Webkit way becomes the only way.
Webkit is open, so who gives a damn? This is not the same situation as Explorer.
Why would I care that the slow, huge and bloated desktop browser Firefox isn't coming to my ios device (which already has a browser I like well enough, aside from regular crashes new to it since ios 6)? I'm not interested in further fragmentation of my user experience. It's bad enough that some of my apps are clearly android ports with miserable GUI behaviors (I'm looking at you, Verizon, OKC, State Farm and nextag). All I ask for is Apple to fix crashing in safari (and that web designers stop using infinite pages!!!). I don't want other browsers. I didn't buy an android phone for a reason. I'm ditching Windows for a reason. I don't use Linux. For a reason. While I'm readily acknowledging the frustration of getting data in and out of iPhone with iTunes, I'm otherwise quite comfortable with this walled garden thing and am happy to see some of these concepts moved to OS X. When the device behaves as a tool to get stuff, rather than as a platform for development, the users benefit. As techy as I used to be, I am not at all embarrassed to admit to considering myself a born again user.
When Microsoft controlled a humongous portion of the desktop OS market, they got in trouble for leveraging this position in their competition between their web browser and others. And that was just including the browser with the OS. You could still run any other web browser you wanted on your Windows PC, regardless of if it used the Trident engine or not. And you could make any of them your default browser.
So when you think about it, Apple is being even more abusive than Microsoft.
As iDevices get more popular and if Apple continues to expand their market share in these areas, it could -- nay it should be held up to the same standards for anti-competitive behavior.
As Rayz already posted, there is no comparison between MS and Apple in this regard.
@nagromme In practice, they banned third party browsers, by making it impossible to make a complete browser. You can make something that looks, feels, sounds like a browser. It is not one. Rest of your post is extremely interesting
What i'm most concerned with is that Apple seems to be Internet-Explorer-Six-ing the iPhone, and since Apple has much better UI/design/usability capabilities than Microsoft ever had, nobody cares about the issue...
Comments
My first thought was that it's not worth the effort but my second thought is that it isn't such a bad idea. I bet I could be convinced it's actually a feasible idea that will make them money. Jailbreaking is pretty easy and I have to think that many that would want Firefox on iOS aren't going to be too turned off by jailbreaking to get it, especially if it included 3rd-part extensions for Firefox that aren't possible otherwise. If such an option existed I might jailbreak again just for that.
He has them listed over at his GeoCities webpage and on his LiveJournal account.
Just a coincidence that this comes on the heels of the Microsoft fine from the EU? Maybe Mozilla is trying to provoke the EU to attack Apple…
Cydia has standards too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dminnici
If Fire Fox wants to stick a finger up at Apple, just write an app and release it in Cydia.
Edited for a stupid autocorrect!
There is, but they don't update it anymore
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1531?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
40MB .exe
Eat that Mozzarella!
I would presume so, if Wiki is any good:
"Google Chrome OS is a Linux-based operating system designed by Google to work exclusively with web applications. Google announced the operating system on July 7, 2009 and made it an open source project, called Chromium OS, in November 2009."
Showing your age. Oops.
Maybe but you can only cry Wolf so many times. Besides the situation is entirely different, Apple has not said you can't build your own browser for iOS they just have specific requirements on its interface to supplied libraries. I really don't see where this is a huge problem. This is especially the case with something like Firefox which never really stabilized as a browser.
It has been a long time since I looked at developer agreements with respect to iOS, but the last time I looked they had a requirement that you make use of the built in JavaScript interpreter. I don't see where this is a bad thing. Firefox demands sound a bit like demanding that Apple use an i86 processor instead of an ARM. I suspect there are a lot of die hardship working on Firefox that just don't want to give up on their aging code base.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eluard
Just a coincidence that this comes on the heels of the Microsoft fine from the EU? Maybe Mozilla is trying to provoke the EU to attack Apple…
Quote:
Originally Posted by SeaFox
Maybe, maybe not.
When Microsoft controlled a humongous portion of the desktop OS market, they got in trouble for leveraging this position in their competition between their web browser and others. And that was just including the browser with the OS. You could still run any other web browser you wanted on your Windows PC, regardless of if it used the Trident engine or not. And you could make any of them your default browser.
So when you think about it, Apple is being even more abusive than Microsoft.
As iDevices get more popular and if Apple continues to expand their market share in these areas, it could -- nay it should be held up to the same standards for anti-competitive behavior.
It's not really the same thing.
Microsoft did not make the PCs, so they were competing in the market for PC operating systems.
Apple makes the whole device, so they are competing in the market for smart phones. They are not competing in the "browsers running on iOS" market because there isn't really any such thing, and as long as you stick to their rules you are free to build an alternative browser.
MS attempted to use IE to force competition out of the PC operating systems market.
Apple's decision to only allow Webkit browsers does not harm other competitors in the smartphone marketplace. In fact, you could argue that limiting choice actually disadvantages Apple in the face of the competition.
Moreover, Apple does not have a monopoly in the smartphone market, so the "anti-competitive" argument is unlikely to stick.
Apple's top priority is to maintain a uniform experience for its consumer customers. It is not going to risk that experience just to pander to Firefox and a relatively small group of vocal geeks.
Wow, there's a lot of grouchy people in this thread. Lighten up, people.
The only monopoly left in the post PC world is search (google). Give Apple some time, and they can fix that problem too, like they did with maps, like they are doing with desktops, like they did with phones and tablets.
Now we are seeing products, complete integrated products (nexus, surface, macs, pixel, idevices) and those that create them have every right to choose what they allow and what they don't allow to be installed. If Apple or Microsoft thinks that Safari/IE provide the browsing experience they want on their devices, they have every right to ban other browsers if they want.
Don't like it? Buy another product.
Now... Search and how google uses that to "enforce" other devices/"choices"? That's a crime right there, not to mention the "dark" ads. Try and download (on windows) Ccleaner. They will bombard you with chrome... Now for the piracy:
- Download utorrent. Google sponsors them and they will try to install chrome.
- go to pirate bay. They will say your browser should be UPGRADED to chrome. Google pays.
- Go to MEGA. They will say only chrome is good enough. Google pays.
- Heck, even adobe.
I really believe Apple has a pair of aces for search. They will bring it to google and I'm not talking about using Bing as the default search engine, even if that is enough to hurt google (and maybe even a nice deal with microsoft). Such hypocrisy, they are bad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonie Goo Goo
Choice is bad. When will the world learn than? Dammit. Only one browser is good for you. You will use it or die.
In this case, yes it is bad. The advantages of the current method are what makes Apple earn 15 billion net profit each month. Controlled and healthy environments that provide a much better product. In fact, it pisses me off that they sell so many devices, when much people have no idea about what they are buying. It cheapens the product. The iphone is a marvel, it shouldn't be sold to teenagers and persons that only buy it just because they can, without a rational reason... Ok, if we use this metric, no one would be buying a s3, but still...
Anyway, you can buy an Android phone if you want. There's a lot of companies there that need your help/money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Euphonious
The concern is that Webkit is coming close to having a monopoly in the browser market. It effectively already does in the mobile and tablet space.
When one rendering engine has a monopoly, that engine becomes the standard, complete with its bugs and foibles. That isn't good for an open, progressive internet. Webkit may have fewer bugs than IE6, but web standards are evolving all the time and the risk is that the Webkit way becomes the only way.
Webkit is open, so who gives a damn? This is not the same situation as Explorer.
What I really want from a mobile browser is the ability to block ads.
Turn of JavaScript in Settings and browse for a day. See if you're missing out much, perhaps a viable option...
@Goonie: please become a Goner.
As Rayz already posted, there is no comparison between MS and Apple in this regard.
I wonder how long till Google pull the plug on Mozilla?
Rest of your post is extremely interesting
What i'm most concerned with is that Apple seems to be Internet-Explorer-Six-ing the iPhone, and since Apple has much better UI/design/usability capabilities than Microsoft ever had, nobody cares about the issue...
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymouse
I wonder how long till Google pull the plug on Mozilla?
That would be a sad day, in my humble opinion.