

The Browser Cold War - mrsebastian
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/109127-the-browser-cold-war

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RyanMcGreal
If the browsers are going to battle each other by parsing javascript faster,
rendering styles more correctly and driving adoption of the newest version,
the 'collateral damage' will be a better web for everyone.

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mmahemoff
Yes, but only if they don't try to compete on exclusive APIs. Compatible
standards are key for all these browsers to stay relevant and a viable
alternative to native apps.

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billybob
True, but as long as no browser is really dominant, few sites will be coded to
use browser-specific APIs. You don't want to cut out 2/3 of your users, after
all.

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crikli
Off-topic: I would like to find the person that made the decision to implement
that POS "mobile friendly" theme and beat them to death with a shovel. These
themes are crap on both my iPad and my Touchpad running Android.

~~~
billybob
"A graphic designer was violently murdered today by someone who had used her
web site. The killer reportedly said that he 'didn't like the layout' and that
this alone was enough to prompt him to bludgeon the designer to death. She
leaves behind a husband and two children."

~~~
crikli
Well that just makes me sound like a psychopath.

Oh, wait, my original post did that.

Carry on.

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zipdog
"the only way to gain ground is through propaganda, FUD, and sleazy
underhanded maneuvers"

Really? Browsers don't have to be neutral platforms that simply server a
site's content to the best of their ability. FF long ago showed that with
extentions. RockMelt did a good job of reimagining the browser experience from
scratch. What about a browser that analysed your link history to recommend
content? I think we're just scratching the surface for what browsers can be
like. The machine OS might be pretty much done for a lot of people - its just
a platform to host the browser. But with the browsers as the new OS, the
ability to provide additional features* in a coherent, tailored and fast way
will make a huge difference.

*features that enhance, not just features for features' sake

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DanBC
I loathe this chart. I find it impenetrable and hard to understand. Am I
right, or is it useful and good?

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mrsebastian
Seems understandable enough, if you click to zoom in.

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eiji
I find it interesting that Safari is not picking up with all the success they
have recently.

And these plots should start to show more clearly what's going on in the
mobile and desktop browser-space. I assume this plot (page 2) does not show
mobile at all.

~~~
mrsebastian
It's irritating -- there's surprisingly little data on how Mobile factors into
the worldwide browser market share. NetMarketShare breaks it down by Desktop
and Mobile/Tablet [1] -- but it's impossible to see them both on the same
graph.

StatCounter has a bit more info [2], though.

[1] <http://www.netmarketshare.com/>

[2] [http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_vs_desktop-ww-
monthly-2010...](http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_vs_desktop-ww-
monthly-201011-201111)

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billybob
I don't think "Cold War" is a good description. They are actively fighting for
market share, not sitting still, threatening to fight.

