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submitted 9 months ago by joojmachine@lemmy.ml to c/firefox@lemmy.ml
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[-] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 141 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Apple isn't that much of an asshole, it only does all the dick moves it is legally allowed to.

[-] pensivepangolin@lemmy.world 69 points 9 months ago

No their ads told me they’re the heroic guardians of my privacy.

[-] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 45 points 9 months ago

I think they're probably better on privacy than default out of the box Android phones loaded up with Google adware, but that's such an incredibly low bar.

[-] independantiste@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 months ago

The only way they are better, is the fact there is only one party having access to the data, aka only Apple. On Android you have google + the manufacturer, and in some cases more than those two

[-] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 4 points 9 months ago

Which is obviously true, just like everything else you read on the web. If someone wrote it on the web, it has to be true. It’s we well known fact, that it physically impossible for it to be otherwise.

[-] Maeve@kbin.social 52 points 9 months ago

Looking forward to the day I have the cash for Fairphone or some other alt to Android/iOS

[-] cyborganism@lemmy.ca 26 points 9 months ago

Oh I didn't know about fair phone. Thank you for making me aware of this project.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Do your own research but I've heard they've gotten better.

[-] Maeve@kbin.social 6 points 9 months ago

Very welcome, my friend.

[-] Undertaker@feddit.de 4 points 9 months ago

Be aware that their hardware has cross gen problems and their support is very bad. /e/os has implemented tracking id into their update service. They are calling cleanapk, they update OS and Webview extremly slow resulting in a very insecure OS.

[-] torbjoern@feddit.de 3 points 9 months ago

they update OS and Webview extremly slow resulting in a very insecure OS.

I've recently got monthly updates. The last one from 2024-01-09 containing Android security patches until 12/2023.

[-] gjkroese@mastodon.social 0 points 9 months ago

@torbjoern @Undertaker 💡migrate to #grapheneos on a #degoogled #pixel and enjoy lightning fast ⚡ OS updates for #android14 whilst using an excellent piece of mobile hardware without #tracking

[-] torbjoern@feddit.de 9 points 9 months ago

Yeah, well, I'm not gonna give up my potentially long-living #Fairphone (due to excellent repairability) for a Pixel crafted from rare-earth minerals of dubious origin, just because you're #shilling it.

[-] torbjoern@feddit.de 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I can recommend flashing /e/OS to de-google the Fairphone. Running smoothly on my FP3 since 2021.

[-] biddy@feddit.nl 49 points 9 months ago

Yes, they are also as painful as possible for every other browser. That's the point.

[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 27 points 9 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Apple’s new rules in the European Union mean browsers like Firefox can finally use their own engines on iOS.

Although this may seem like a welcome change, Mozilla spokesperson Damiano DeMonte tells The Verge it’s “extremely disappointed” with the way things turned out.

“We are still reviewing the technical details but are extremely disappointed with Apple’s proposed plan to restrict the newly-announced BrowserEngineKit to EU-specific apps,” DeMonte says.

In iOS 17.4, Apple will no longer force browsers in the EU to use WebKit, the underlying engine that powers Safari.

“Apple’s proposals fail to give consumers viable choices by making it as painful as possible for others to provide competitive alternatives to Safari,” DeMonte adds.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called the new terms a “horror show,” while Spotify said the changes are a “farce.” Apple’s guidelines are still pending approval by the EU Commission.


The original article contains 285 words, the summary contains 142 words. Saved 50%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[-] arquebus_x@kbin.social 15 points 9 months ago

Wow, right up front, they're being disingenuous:

“The effect of this would be to force an independent browser like Firefox to build and maintain two separate browser implementations — a burden Apple themselves will not have to bear.”

...No? Apple won't bear that burden because they're going to keep using WebKit. Firefox can keep using WebKit. Not using WebKit is a choice, with pros and cons.

[-] PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.com 70 points 9 months ago

But then you read on and it says Apple is allowing the kit to not be used in the EU only. Outside of the EU, presumably, Firefox will still have to use the Webkit or whatever. So, while Apple uses its own engine in both the EU and the US on its phones, Firefox will be able to use its own engine in the EU, too, but will have to continue using Webkit in the US and other markets outside of the EU.

I'm not sure what disingenuous about that.

[-] reddig33@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It’s disingenuous to act like this is some huge burden. You ship two browsers — one for the EU and one for other markets. Firefox already ships on a number of different platforms. Adding one branch isn’t going to kill them.

Or if it’s such a pain, you don’t bother and just ship the WebKit version everywhere.

[-] KLISHDFSDF@lemmy.ml 66 points 9 months ago

It’s disingenuous to act like this is some huge burden.

Having to double your software engineers, UI/UX designers, QA engineers, DevOps, and localization/accessibility specialists to handle a second browser is a HUGE burden for a non-profit.

If you don't care about quality, security, or user experience, sure you can just pass a "does it compile" test and push to prod. You'll quickly find that nobody wants to use this under resourced browser.

Or if it’s such a pain, you don’t bother and just ship the WebKit version everywhere.

This is exactly what Apple wants. They don't want to give people a real choice because they're scared of real competition.

[-] InfiniWheel@lemmy.one 13 points 9 months ago

Tbf, it would be a completely new & different browser from the ground up since they would have to make it from Gecko and such. And they are already struggling with their Android browser already.

But yeah, they could keep the WebKit version everywhere.

[-] reddig33@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Would it be completely new and different? The only thing that changes is the rendering engine. The UI/windowing stays the same as the other iOS app. And the rendering engine has already been built for MacOS, so it’s not like they have to start from scratch — it’s the same base platform.

[-] TheAgeOfSuperboredom@lemmy.ca 19 points 9 months ago

Lol just a different rendering engine. So easy!

[-] the_q@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

Lol look at your downvotes!

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 6 points 9 months ago

Well maybe Apple shouldn't be so hostile to other browsers. Honestly I don't see why Firefox would bother will web kit. If they might as well not make a iversion.

[-] CMDR_Horn@lemmy.ml 12 points 9 months ago

Wonder if you could get an eu iPhone in the us, or use a vpn, or something else…

[-] lurker8008@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Probably ok with VPN if you never allow the phone to detect its location (gps and cell towers) cause Apple would know immediately.

But that begs the question of what happen to EU users traveling outside the EU region?

[-] fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Features are locked to the region the phone was designed for so nothing software will work.

[-] lurker8008@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

So theoretically importing a European iPhone can unlock features?

[-] InFerNo@lemmy.ml 2 points 9 months ago

Otherwise a European traveler would suddenly have his apps stop working outside EU

[-] fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

Yes. The region the iphone ins manufactured for determines it's features it gets.

[-] fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Yes you can. I imported my iPhone 15 from Canada because I wanted the physical sim car slot. It costs a pretty penny but if it’s what you value then it’s worth it.

I just bought mine on eBay and it showed up in like 3 days.

this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2024
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