Infrequently Noted

Progress Delayed Is Progress Denied

April 30, 2021

Apple's iOS browser (Safari) and engine (WebKit) are uniquely under-powered. Consistent delays in the delivery of important features ensure the web can never be a credible alternative to its proprietary tools and App Store. This is a bold assertion, and proving it requires examining the record from multiple directions.

Hobson's Browser

July 15, 2021

Mobile OSes and their most successful apps have drained browser choice of meaning for more than a decade. The situation today is a complex web of intent-subverting cul de sacs that lead users to confusion and loss of control over data. Web developers, meanwhile, face higher costs and reduced ability to escape walled gardens. It's time for the charade to end.

iOS Engine Choice In Depth

August 31, 2021

A deep dive into the arguments offered by Apple and others to defend a lack of browser engine choice on iOS. Instead of raising the security floor, Apple has set a cap whilst breeding a monoculture that ensures all iOS browsers are vulnerable to identical attacks, no matter whose icon is on the home screen.

A Week to Define the Web for Decades

January 31, 2022

Minimum Standards for iOS Browser Competition

February 7, 2022

Apple has demonstrated shameless contempt in ignoring the spirit of pro-competition regulation. The web could serve as a counterbalance to this sort of gameplaying, but only if broad, effective, and widely adopted rules are put in place.