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by szasamasa 849 days ago
why is a browser more overbloated than windows?

it was meant to run applications, that is why V8 is developed and optimized like hell, that is why we have webassembly to port c++ programs (try stockfish on lichess, it is webassembly)

originally, the browser was not meant to run applications, modern browsers are... strong indicator for this is chromium V8 performance and webassembly and the evolving js language with modules and node.js on server side

jvm introduced a competition to c++ and java is still top language, a browser is a kind of a jvm... you can use kotlin and other languages to compile to jvm and you can use js and webassembly to write apps on browsers

my point is, this is the best platform to introduce competition to native apps on walled gardens

the walled garden is not the os or browser but the company behind a closed os platform or closed single browser

on iOS, you had both: closed OS and closed single webkit browser engine

on every other os platforms you have true browser choice... since chromium is open source, you can create not just your toy browser but one of the most powerful ones... you can download the source code and if it goes in a restrictive direction, everybody can fork the web standard friendly versions

it is open and powerful, that is why most companies give a shit about browsers but it is not difficult for the EU for example to hire great browser engineers and create a beautiful stron free browser from an appropriate chromium version if things turned bad

whereas there are only 2 mobile operating systems that really work, from 2 giant US companies

where it is much more difficult to introduce competition is creating alternative mobile OSs... and then what, developers should create apps for this additional one two with another codebase?

browsers are the perfect level to introduce competition, in a way blink, webkit and gecko are all open source and chromium has a stron focus on improving web capabilities, pushed by 2 giants too (Google, Microsoft)