🔗 22 services targeted by EU’s tough new DMA.

I get the App Store … but can someone explain Safari? I know it’s the default iOS Browser, but it takes 5 seconds to change it. What is the issue?

🔗 Q&A: DMA: Ensuring fair and open digital markets

@JohnPhilpin A critical component of all web browsers is the browser engine. That’s the part responsible for rendering the actual webpage, turning HTML code into text, images, buttons, and so on. For example, Firefox uses the Gecko engine, while Chrome and Edge both use Blink.

On iOS, the only browser engine allowed is WebKit (which powers Safari). So when you install, for example, Firefox on your iOS device, you won’t get Firefox with the Gecko engine; you get Firefox with the WebKit engine. Or, if you will, you get Safari with a different skin.

So even if it looks like you have a choice of browser on iOS, you really don’t. At least not when it comes to the engine. The core part is always WebKit – which Apple controls.

@sod aah Thankyou … that makes sense … and 🍎 I would assume worries about ‘security’ if any other engine would is allowed?

@JohnPhilpin Yep, and performance, battery consumption, etc. But, of course, in the end, it’s all about control.

@sod @johnPhilpin Apple needs to open up the browser engines but only for pure stand-alone web browsers - in-app should remain strictly controlled as there are more potential harm here (looking at meta products here hehe)

@rom I agree with you. Using WebKit for in-app browsing makes a lot of sense as the default. But I wouldn’t mind an “I’m an adult, let me do what I want” mode, similar to the “allow applications downloaded from…” setting on macOS.

I feel like that’s how computers and tools should be: safe and secure out of the box without restricting those who want to unlock the full potential of their devices.

@sod @rom @JohnPhilpin I would like to respectfully disagree. I feel that apple has done a good job with adherence to web standards. With the proliferation of sites that are developed in one browser and maybe tested in the later stages in another, I see this as a way to get web apps to have better interoperability.

We have a number of sites that claim “this site is better in our app”, I can see them stating “this is better with the X browser “. And they will use the argument that “those who know better should use it”. If given the option, developers usually take the path of least resistance. Why test in different browsers when you can make it work in the one that “everyone uses” and for the apps that have a wen component, embed the rendering engine the same way that you would embed google maps.

Just playing Devil’s Advocate.

@sod

> But I wouldn’t mind an “I’m an adult, let me do what I want” mode, similar to the “allow applications downloaded from…” setting on macOS.

As a cybersecurity professional and former president of the Princeton Macintosh Users’ Group let me add some perspective. Most users don’t know how to be adult. They will follow bad advice if it makes things easier. They will blame Apple when they stumble, fall and bruise their knees.

Case in point, the non-IT members of our group run everything under the default admin account. None of my advice could sway them. 🤷🏾‍♂️