The Future of Browser Choice

New submitter plawson writes "CNET offers an in-depth discussion of the browser's future, making the case that 'new mobile devices threaten to stifle the competitive vigor of the market for Web browsers on PCs.' Given the vertical integration of many mobile systems, the article predicts that 'the only opportunity you'll get to truly change browsers is when your two-year smartphone contract expires.' The trade-offs are security and performance. Web pages that rely on JavaScript and JIT will be big losers. How important is browser choice on a smartphone or tablet compared with a PC?"

Comments

Chrome OS is also a huge problem

[Mr. Kalz]

This your-choice-of-your-browser problem isn't limited only to smart phones. It seems like Google is going full steam ahead on developing their ENTIRE OS around having a single browser that you cannot choose - Chrome.

While mobile devices like iPhone certainly have larger market penetration than Chrome OS, the restrictive way Google has chosen to take is clear.

Unlike Chromium OS, which can be compiled from the downloaded source code, Chrome OS only ships on specific hardware from Google's manufacturing partners. The user interface takes a minimalist approach, resembling that of the Google Chrome web browser. Since Google Chrome OS is aimed at users who spend most of their computer time on the Web, the only application on the device is a browser incorporating a media player and a file manager.

I think this is a much larger problem towards open systems. Not only is Google bundling their own browser (what Microsoft was accused of), it is the only browser you are allowed to use.

On top of that, other developers aren't allowed on the system - you cannot run non-google native programs at all. And how do you get work done? You're supposed to use Google's cloud-hosted "applications", that again put your data behind online services and gives Google freedom to end support any time they want (and of course, mine all your data and usage).

How do you play games? Oh, buy them via Google Play Store (or use data mining advertising supported versions) made with Google-owned PPAPI programming technique of course!

Internet connection goes down or is slow? Well, too bad. I mean, Diablo 3 works perfectly too!

Google is a far more serious threat to open computer systems than any other company, including Apple, Microsoft and IBM.

Re:Chrome OS is also a huge problem

[PCM2]

Jesus Christ, can the pro-Microsoft shilling get any more blatant?

Here is yet another brand-new poster with a userid in the two millions, getting first post, with only one comment to his record, and he chooses to slam ... holy fucking shit, ChromeOS?

Really? Of all the things Google is doing that you could choose to knock them for, fucking ChromeOS is destroying freedom and ending the world?

Seriously, holy sweet Jesus, this is just pathetic.

And FWIW, I have a Chromebook and I actually really dig it. No, it's not really great for everything, but as skeptical as I was at first, I ended up using it a lot more than I expected to.