Comment by eitland | Hacker News Reader

Comment by eitland | Hacker News Reader

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I've nothing against Chrome developers, but if you think honestly about the web and Google, would it not be true that:

- after Chrome was introduced, the web has gone from a healthy and steadily improving ecosystem to a monoculture?

- cross browser compatibility has gone from steadily increasing as IE was replaced by other browsers to declining as people are testing only in Chrome

- if Chrome "wins" it will it not be a matter of months before Google "unfortunately" have to cripple the extensions API?

- do you really think that the development of new features in Chrome will continue at its current speed if Chrome "wins" or do you think it will be put on hold like IE6? (Remember, Google unlike Microsoft is famous for killing projects people love.)

You don't have to answer me, but think about it.

You are probably good people with good intentions, but isn't it a fair chance that you are getting used by management to do something you'd rather not have on your resume: killing the free and open web?

> - cross browser compatibility has gone from steadily increasing as IE was replaced by other browsers to declining as people are testing only in Chrome

The irony of highlighting this is that the subject for this story is a cross-browser test suite and the issue was that Chrome, Firefox, and Safari were more compatible than the published numbers suggested.

There will always be cross browser bugs and so developers will always need to test everywhere, but the more mainstream features have compatibility rates like this in the first place the less often "works only in browser x" happens by accident.

Good catch. That said I'm just trying to reach out to the Web and Chrome Developer relations lead, and this seemed like as good a chance as I'd get.

Heh - It's hard to answer these questions when they are posited as loaded questions so clearly :D

I don't think it's about Google or Chrome winning. I believe Google is pretty clear that a healthy and open web where anyone is able to freely publish, monetize and consume content, as well as build and use apps is important for it's business and success. I think Google has a part to play in the success of the web, I think I can help be a force for good in the success of the web, however we're just parts of the ecosystem whole and the web will be around still long after Google.

I don't believe new features in Chrome will ever stop because we still believe the web should be able to do everything that other platforms can do and we want to keep offering that to people.

> I believe Google is pretty clear that a healthy and open web where anyone is able to freely publish, monetize and consume content, as well as build and use apps is important for its business and success.

This is the funniest thing I've read in a long time on HN. Coming from a Chrome DevRel I can't understand if it's irony, because you can't possibly believe this.

Google is an online advertising company. 80% of Google's money comes from online advertising. An open web where everyone can do what they please is an existential threat to the company you work for. And for the past many, many years Google has done a lot of things to tighten its control over the web.

I mean, with all the recent news about AMP from just last week, how can you possibly say that "Google wants everyone to publish and monetise freely".

> I think I can help be a force for good in the success of the web, however we're just parts of the ecosystem whole

There's no "ecosystem whole", and Google is doing everything in its power to make sure that there's even less of an ecosystem.

I know we're not going to agree. I know Google is advertising as major source of revenue. I also believe that it can only successful advertise through its search because the web is open and needs to stay that way.

The existence of AMP alone (and what Google did with it) invalidates your statements entirely.

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