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A comment on Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web into a walled garden. Parent comment

Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by dadarecit on Sunday October 24, 2021 @03:52AM (#28975741)
The bulk of financial support Mozilla gets comes from Google, they stopped being a real competitor in the browser scene years ago. You don't really have a choice when it comes to modern web browsers, maybe Safari is the "safest" / most privacy-aware choice you can make assuming you already bought into the Apple ecosystem. What else is there, the crypto-mining scam that is Brave or the ProGaming WebBrowser / Chinese backdoor aka Opera?

But really, you're better off using something avangard that some nerd came up with during the weekend. At least these hobbiests' browsers can be trusted to be not be evil & greedy.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by vord1080 on Sunday October 24, 2021 @03:57AM (#28975765)
When did Firefox stop being competitive? They're keeping up with standards better than Apple (ElementInternals just shipped in v93) and it's fast. None of my 'normal' friends have complained about Firefox since switching to it.

Mozilla's relationship with Google also isn't set in stone. Yahoo was the main sponsor for a while.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by dadarecit on Sunday October 24, 2021 @04:01AM (#28975781)
I'm using firefox too, and yea it works great - but that doesn't mean its the "anti-chrome" / anti-google browser. The executives running Mozilla live in the shadow of Google's interests, and long ago have forgotten that their job is to make a damn good browser. Now they're too encumbered by the politics of the game, politics (and game) which Google are in full control of.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by vord1080 on Sunday October 24, 2021 @04:07AM (#28975816)
I haven't seen any real evidence that Mozilla has made any decisions designed to explicitly benefit Google. They've been pretty antagonistic actually. The foundation is investigating YouTube and the Mozilla employees I've spoken to seem to hate Google.

For better or for worse, I would still say it's the anti-chrome. Find me another crossplatform browser with a stack that's still as independent as Mozilla's. They have the engine, the add-on store, and everything in between.

I would be using Opera right now but they threw in the towel years ago. Now the brand is being milked by a private equity firm.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by vntok on Sunday October 24, 2021 @04:32AM (#28975937)
> I haven't seen any real evidence that Mozilla has made any decisions designed to explicitly benefit Google.

Mozilla literally makes Google the default search engine.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by vord1080 on Sunday October 24, 2021 @04:39AM (#28975976)
Well, yeah. I was talking about besides the actual terms of their agreement.
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by shreyshnaccount on Sunday October 24, 2021 @06:49AM (#28976657)
and how hard is it to change that? as hard as it is in edge?
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by vord1080 on Sunday October 24, 2021 @06:56AM (#28976695)
Firefox has pretty rich search settings, better than any other browser IMO. It's very easy to use different search engines for different things and changing the default is one click in about:preferences. As easy as it gets I think
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by pdpi on Sunday October 24, 2021 @05:16AM (#28976167)
That’s an arms length business arrangement though, rather than some undue influence
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by bawolff on Sunday October 24, 2021 @05:38AM (#28976279)
Its hard to be truly arms length with the person who gives you the majority of your money.
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by glenstein on Sunday October 24, 2021 @09:04AM (#28977522)
Well, at this point we've degraded into vague speculation, which isn't up to the standard that should be necessary to guide people's decisions.

If new scary stuff starts showing up in Firefox of source code where the auto sign you into google, or strangely start turning away from web standards and towards Google supported proprietary initiatives, or something like that, that would put some meat into the nothing burger.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by passivate on Sunday October 24, 2021 @11:54AM (#28979077)
If its hard, then they they must be commended for doing so.
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by prox on Sunday October 24, 2021 @03:55AM (#28975749)
If the market share wasn’t 3 percent, it would be less so.
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by vord1080 on Sunday October 24, 2021 @04:00AM (#28975778)
The marketshare on desktop is more like 8%, up to 60% depending on the country.
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by dadarecit on Sunday October 24, 2021 @03:56AM (#28975760)
wdym
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by prox on Sunday October 24, 2021 @03:58AM (#28975768)
Say Mozilla’s market share was 25, it wasn’t necessary to be beholden to Google.
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Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by dadarecit on Sunday October 24, 2021 @04:05AM (#28975804)
Of course, but that's not the reality. The reality is that Google have positioned Firefox as a "viable competition" while having them mostly under control. Can you trust Mozilla as an organization, when you know that it receives over 80% of its funding from Google?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Google had a plan called “Project NERA” to turn the web i... by shreyshnaccount on Sunday October 24, 2021 @06:52AM (#28976671)
is there any evidence, that Mozilla's decisions are explicitly made to favor Google? imo it's pretty alright for them to take some cash from Google and make it their default search, and give you the option to change that.
[ Parent | on HN ]