All four major web browsers are about to lose 80% of their funding (danfabulich.medium.com)

Article summary

The US Department of Justice may force Google to stop funding its competitors, including Mozilla and Apple, which could lead to a significant loss of funding for all major web browsers. Google currently pays over 80% of the development budget for Mozilla and Safari. This change could impact the development and maintenance of web browsers, potentially affecting the pace of innovation and bug fixing. The article suggests that the laws intended to foster competition may inadvertently destabilize the web.

Main themes

• web browser funding
• innovation and progress
• native apps vs web apps
• browser development and maintenance
• competition and antitrust laws
• web standards and complexity

What commenters say

• Some commenters argue that a slower pace of innovation in web browsers would be acceptable, as long as bug fixing and security updates continue.
• Others believe that the fast pace of innovation in web browsers has been beneficial and should continue.
• There is a disagreement about whether the web has become too complex and whether a simpler approach would be better.
• Some commenters think that native apps are superior to web apps and that the web should not try to compete with them.
• Others argue that the web is a valuable platform for app development and should continue to be supported and improved.
• A few commenters suggest that the funding model for web browsers is flawed and that alternative models should be explored.
• There is concern that the potential loss of funding for web browsers could lead to a decline in their quality and security.