All this applies to iOS and safari too

Google is also pushing Chrome on all their other apps. Google Maps keeps asksing me in what browser to open a link; putting Chrome first: I don’t have Chrome installed.

And that on top of the EEE-steps with all the non-standards they keep implementing.

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zerobees 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It doesn't. Apple has its share of anticompetitive behaviors, but Microsoft is uniquely bad. I recently went through both experiences and, at least for the US region, the number of weird pop-ups and nags you get on Windows as you try to change the search engine and install Chrome is absolutely bonkers. It almost feels like some sort of a malware situation.

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bruce511 2 hours ago | parent [-]

I'm no MS fanboy here, but I think Apple is worse.

Firstly Windows is arguably the most unrestrictive OS (certainly among the commercial options). You can install pretty much anything you like, from anywhere you like. Contrast to say Android or iOS it's a wild-west.

If one wants to get on the "browser freedom" train, Windows is a strange choice over say iOS.

I guess the browser change process is not universal even on Windows. I recently installed a new W11 laptop and both Chrome and FF installed fine with no drama. Sure Edge wants to be default, so does Chrome, so does FF. All nag a bit in the beginning.

Describing a browser change as "nearly impossible" seems a tad hyperbolic to me. It's really easy.

It's also a one-and-done task. Not really something to get all wound up about.

	▲	kstrauser an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Compare Windows to macOS instead of iOS and the equation changes significantly.

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josefrichter an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Not really. You can select any default browser on iOS, as far as I know.

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dotcoma 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Really? I Never got a weird message from Apple about other browsers being bad or potentially dangerous, and I tried Vivaldi, DDG, Brave, Firefox, Firefox Focus, and I currently have DDG set as my main browser.

And of course I can delete Safari from my iphone if I wanted to.

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darkwater 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Indeed, because you are actually still using Safari under the hood.

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dotcoma 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Does it count as Safari in stats? If it did, they’d have a 100% market share, wouldn’t they?

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slekker 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Not in the EU

	▲	microtonal an hour ago \| parent [-]
		AFAIK only on paper? At least, last time I checked, there were no non-WebKit browsers available yet (at least not Gecko or Blink).

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CamperBob2 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

You don't get that message from Apple, but the people who would otherwise offer you a meaningful choice of browsers do. They can only do what Apple permits them to do, which isn't much.

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dotcoma 2 hours ago | parent [-]

They need to get their browsers listed on AppStore, sure.

	▲	cyberax an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Apple prohibits JITs outside the EU, and this makes a modern browser a non-starter.
	▲	card_zero an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Or to put it another way, they can only do what Apple permits them to do.