[OT] Free software versus software idea patents

[Chris Angelico]

On Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 12:09 PM, Steven D'Aprano
<steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info> wrote:
> Personally, I think it is *good* that there is a plurality of browsers in
> the market. In my perfect world, no single browser should capture more
> than 20% share of users.

In *MY* perfect world, choice of browser should be completely up to
the user, and web developers should not have to care. You code to the
standard, safe in the knowledge that all your users are going to have
standards-compliant browsers, and you don't care whether some of them
are on Chrome, some on Firefox, some on IE, some on Opera, and some on
TwoCansPieceString. And users know that they can choose whatever
browser gives them the features they want, without having to worry
about whether other sites will fail. We're getting close to that, but
we're not yet there.

> That doesn't explain Javascript or Flash. Both are popular *despite*
> being unreliable and inefficient. The Flash plugin is widely regarded as
> a steaming heap of unreliable crap even on Windows. Its reputation on
> Linux is even worse.

I've tried my hand at writing Flash code. If its next version requires
that developers stab themselves with rusty forks and code using their
own blood, I think it'd be an improvement over the current one. And
from the other end... leaving Flash sites up in my browser is one of
the best ways to destroy my battery life. It sucks... power.

Chris Angelico