Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Google Denies Altering YouTube Code To Break Microsoft Edge (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the setting-the-record-straight dept.

Earlier this week, a former Microsoft Edge intern alleged that Google deliberately introduced bogus changes to YouTube to break the functionality of the video portal when users on Edge and other browsers tried to access the website. Google today denied the allegation. From a report: Google disputes Bakita's claims, and says the YouTube blank div was merely a bug that was fixed after it was reported. "YouTube does not add code designed to defeat optimizations in other browsers, and works quickly to fix bugs when they're discovered," says a YouTube spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. "We regularly engage with other browser vendors through standards bodies, the Web Platform Tests project, the open-source Chromium project and more to improve browser interoperability." In a statement, Microsoft said, "Google has been a helpful partner and we look forward to the journey as we work on the future of Microsoft Edge."

7 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. we believe by zlives · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1. we believe google when they say that they didn't blank microsoft
    2. we believe microsoft that the blank div is the only reason edge was a massive fuckin piece of crap and failed.

    1. Re:we believe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I believe Microsoft suspected Google of playing dirty, because that's exactly what Microsoft would have done.

    2. Re:we believe by squiggleslash · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Nobody's accusing them of blanking Microsoft Edge. The conspiracy theory the former Edge engineer spouted is that Google defeated an Edge optimization by inserting a hidden HTML element on their YouTube pages.

      The problem with the theory is that to accept this, you have to pretty much accept that Microsoft optimized Edge to render YouTube really well, which means almost any changes would have broken the optimization, and moreover the intent of those optimizations was probably to cheat on benchmarks. If adding a DIV is enough to break an optimization, then that suggests Edge's performance on YouTube was out of whack with its normal performance and you'd expect slower performance on normal websites.

      So, it's kinda like Microsoft and Google running an race, Microsoft sneaking into a car and driving half way, only for the car to break down, and then complaining Google must have poured sugar in the gas tank.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    3. Re:we believe by hairyfeet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you believe either company isn't running on maximum nastiness setting these days? I have a bridge you might be interested in. From GOOG locking more and more of Android behind the Playwall and making what SHOULD be bog standard X86 laptops that are so locked down you have to jailbreak them (and still can't run any OS you want like on a standard X86 lappy) to MSFT using the poor Windows Home peasants as beta testers for their Enterprise customers? Frankly both companies have become so damn douchey they give Massengill a run for their money.

      I've said it before and I'll say it again, they should have broken up MSFT in 00 and they should break up GOOG now, you have too much power in too small a space and nothing good will come of it. We saw what it was like during the "Requires IE 6" days and its looking like its gonna get that way again with Chrome and it wasn't good then but will be even worse now with the push for SaaS.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    4. Re:we believe by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1, Insightful

      And what has that to do with an *empty* DIV disabling hardware acceleration of video decoding on Edge?

      A video is simply a byte stream, I put it through the decoding API and get frames to display. How the funk can an HTML element have any influence on the decoding happening behind the API? The API does not even know if it is called by a web browser, browser extension or VLC.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  2. When Asking Google .. by corezz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... does this reporter seriously think Google was ever going to say: "We sure did try to cripple Edge! Guilty as charged! Oh and bring on the anti-trust lawsuits because we don't give a fook."

  3. You ever notice by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Anytime a company gets caught doing something stupid these days that it's always a bug, glitch or software error ?
    " Oh, it was a bug. "

    It's like a perfect digital scapegoat where no one has to face any consequences.

    Oh the algorithm accidentally sold all of our stock at .1 instead of 100 dollars a share ?
    " Not our fault, the computer did it ! "

    Oh we accidentally shared all of your personal info online.
    " Bug "

    No matter how epic a problem that gets created, they always go to the same excuse.
    " Bug "