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Comment by PaulHoule | Hacker News Reader

If the EU wanted to make a difference on privacy, fully funding the Firefox browser would be an inexpensive way for Europe to "buy in" to big tech and maintain some alternative to Google for a web browser engine -- think of Airbus buying the A220 from Bombardier and Montréal.

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I'd never thought of this but it strikes me as a really interesting idea. It's really important to retain a well funded, OSS, citizen-oriented browser since the web is a crucial technology now. A foundation funded by the EU (without a political link) would be a great idea -- hopefully lots of other institutions would also provide funding but you'd need a big hitter as well.

Anyone that uses Electron apps contributes to Chrome adoption.

Mozilla had an alternative to Electron and they dropped it before Electron was born even. Who do we have to blame if not them? Their priorities have always been wrong.

Any developers using it, yes that also includes the likes of VSCode.

The priorities of anyone that uses Electron are the ones that are wrong, picking developer comfort instead of what is good for users or the Web.

Use a daemon with local browser or the OS webwidgets.

Yes it is more work that coding against Chrome APIs, but that is the whole point if one cares about the Web in general, otherwise those developers could just update their CVs to ChromeOS developer.

That doesn't make any sense. Using an electron app isn't the same as someone accessing web sites with chrome.

Sure it does, using Electron is picking the easy way of coding against Chrome specific APIs, instead of what Web is capable of across all browsers.

What you're saying is not wrong, but that's only about developers. Users have no say in the stack used in an app, so using that app in today's landscape of walled Gardens makes no difference in terms of chrome's dominance.

That app only exists because those developers decided to support Google's agenda.

Programs built on electron are using chrome is an isolated way, they aren't skewing the percentage of people who access web sites with chrome.

They are increasing the amount of Chrome deployments and developers using Chrome only APIs.

Is there an alternative to Electron that uses Gecko instead of Blink/WebKit?

Yes, the right way to do it, PWAs or OS Web widgets.

a lot of gvts, could easily and should fund Firefox. However, the current Mozilla foundation administration is corrupt and overpaid. Losing market share the were they did would cause a CEO to lose his job in 5 months. Hell, a lot of folks on HN could easily be stewards of Firefox and do a better job than the bozos running mozilla.

It’s a good idea but the problem is the skill build-up. Mozilla development and HQ would have to be relocated to EU shores.

The big monopolies where there are increasingly no viable non-us alternatives are mobile os and browser engines.

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