98% of people want a browser choice screen | Hacker News Reader

98% of people want a browser choice screen

blog.mozilla.org

41 pointsskilled23 comments

Two things: Firstly that 98% number seems so absurdly high that I think it just doesn't look credible. Secondly, doesn't this same logic apply to a search engine choice screen, and given that firefox can implement that today with no dependence on anyone else surely they should get on and do it?

What people do in a controlled environment is usually not what they actually do "in the field".

If you ask "do you want 5 flavors of coke or 3?" people will say of course 5 is better. It's not necessary true in real world.

I am sure that over 50% of users doesn't even know what a browser is. Even with tech people I would expect few % to not care about such screen at all.

Nowadays with all the browsers being nearly the same (tabbed, extensions, etc) and nearly all of them being chrome-based, browser choice really doesn't matter that much. It's really more about personal preference more than quality.

All I want is the lack of a browser nag. Windows keeps throwing up UI telling me I'm not using Edge. Fuck off Windows.

This could use pictures of said screens. Really a lot more info about their methodologies too.

I can't tell if people want choice screens or they say they want them in response to whatever survey they were presented.

By the way, is the term "choice screen" a well established thing? It does seem very clear what it is but I'd expect some explanation or again.. pictures.

Yes and legally mandated please. It worked in Europe and is desperately needed in the US. Ideally with more information about each and a randomized presentation order.

I am generally a Mozilla defender but that 98% figure is not credible at all IMO.

"Study shows that everyone wants the government to force UI changes into operating systems that might marginally benefit our product"

I used to have Firefox to test local website projects. But I could not get the browser to stop asking me to install the latest of approx 6 daily updates. So I removed it. And I really like the Firefox webinspector. But I think that 98% of people knowing which browser they want sounds about right.

Tbh the browser and search wars feel over and we should figure out how we want to handle the future with legislation. I don’t think more choice screens are a good solution (re the cookies choice screen is really annoying). I also don’t have a solution so I guess I’m just complaining?

Yeah so they can install Chrome without having to open up Edge/Safari to download it.

... so they can choose google again. This non-action only distracts from monopoly issues

Firefox got a foothold during the ballot era after the rules against Microsoft for IE bundling. Ballots work, especially if they're randomized.

I sure as hell don't want that choice screen every damned time I open my browser, if that's what they're suggesting.

A 'select browser' option in the OS menu would be plenty, and it's essentially what we have today.

Yeah, every couple of weeks Gmail asks me what browser I want to use, even though I tick “don’t ask me”. I wonder, if I selected Chrome, would it continue to pester me? Or does it only pester me because I’m not using Chrome? In any case, this is frustrating enough, let alone every time I click a link. Just let me set a default, permanently.

It's not. From the article:

> They want to see more information, a wide selection of browsers and the option to select their default browser while setting up their devices.

Emphasis mine.

I don't really see what's complicated about installing a browser and setting it as the default the way we've all been doing it for the past 20+ years?

Windows nags you about 4 times with dark patterns to swerve you off that path.

Microsoft is the complication. Windows won't respect your default browser choice and will forcibly open Edge in some situations. It will also take any opportunity to nag you into changing your default browser to Edge.

Does it though? I use Windows and this has not been my experience for many years. There was a time, quite some time ago, when resetting the default browser was pretty common.

Do you know of a reproducible way to trigger either of your examples on Windows?

Click any link on the lock screen or in the system settings menu.

I don't have any links on my lock screen, but some settings links do open in Edge; others open in my chosen default browser. This inconsistency should be fixed, but I'm not sure what a browser choice screen does to fix this issue.

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