[gruez]

In what world is a browser worth $500? For comparison, a complete operating system (eg. windows) has cost around $200, and this was applicable even in windows 98 days, before microsoft was trying to monetize it using ads/telemetry.

[etothepii]

When buying software the cost is heavily impacted by the number of users that benefit. Windows is used by >100m users, a new browser is probably doing well if it's used by >100. Of course the price is different.

[xrisk]

Probably more like $5000. Have you considered how insanely complicated browsers are? It’s a miracle they’re free.

[gruez]

Well the reality is that there are two browser engines that are free and open source. If they built their own that was better than the incumbents (eg. from performance/privacy point of view), then I might consider it. But I'm not paying $5000 for a chrome reskin, just like I won't pay $5000 for a debian reskin.

[xrisk]

I’m saying it’s a miracle that Chrome/FF is free.

[djrogers]

3 - Chromium/Blink, Webkit, and Firefox.

[bdcravens]

Not a miracle. Just Google.