this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2024
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At this point I think it is just a matter of time until Google (most likely due to their near monopoly with Chrome), will push for some new standard that they own and control and must be used everywhere. For some handwaving combination of security and protect the kids, etc. And google are in a great position to make it happen, don't support it? Oh noes, your site is no longer listed in google searches.
And that will be the end of the open web, you can only use one browser that totally controls what you can and cannot do. Ad blocking is just the start, saving websites or images? Nah. We don't allow that. Copy the url? No, you need to use this share button that has embedded tracking links in it, etc.
Chrome has 65% market share (according to Statcounter), far from a near monopoly. Even if you add Edge (which you shouldn't because Microsoft could fork Blink at any time), you only get 70% for their web engine. Around 2003 or 2004, IE had like 95% market share (and many websites required Flash Player) and we now know that that was eventually defeated.
I am all for worrying about the decline of good things, but your scenario isn't something I'm worrying that much about.
I don't know where you are getting those numbers from. Most put chrome in around 78%, edge at 10% and then everything else. And all chrome re-skins are just that, google still controls it. There is a reason one of the biggest software companies in the world just gave up their own browser engine and runs a competitor's with some face paint.
Google are in a far better position to push something like this through than Microsoft ever where, due to their near monopoly on searches. Any site not using it would be more or less dead. Just going from number 1 to 2 on a google search can mean a huge drop in traffic, and then imagine not even being on it at all.
As I said I got these numbers from https://gs.statcounter.com/