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Google being jerks in order to dominate the internet

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mouser:
From https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/12/the-web-now-belongs-to-google-and-that-should-worry-us-all/

The company has "tried to push the Web into a Google-controlled proprietary direction to improve the performance of Google's online services when used in conjunction with Google's browser, consolidating Google's market positioning and putting everyone else at a disadvantage."

YouTube has been a particular source of problems. One example Peter provides has to do with a hidden, empty HTML element that was added to each YouTube video to disable Edge's hardware accelerated video decoding: "For no obvious reason, Google changed YouTube to add a hidden, empty HTML element that overlaid each video. This element disabled Edge's fastest, most efficient hardware accelerated video decoding. It hurt Edge's battery-life performance and took it below Chrome's. The change didn't improve Chrome's performance and didn't appear to serve any real purpose; it just hurt Edge, allowing Google to claim that Chrome's battery life was actually superior to Edge's. Microsoft asked Google if the company could remove the element, to no avail."
--- End quote ---

Slashdot's take: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/18/12/18/0849254/google-isnt-the-company-that-we-should-have-handed-the-web-over-to


https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/12/the-web-now-belongs-to-google-and-that-should-worry-us-all

wraith808:
That article makes me more paranoid about this notification from WinPatrol:

Google being jerks in order to dominate the internet

Why does Google Chrome need an elevation service?

IainB:
@mouser: Interesting article. Thanks for posting.   :Thmbsup:
Actually no surprises there though, as Google is an excellent near-perfect corporate psychopath, just like it should be.    :o

Dormouse:
Google seem to have acquired the Microsoft palybook

I'd checked on the elevation thing earlier. Seemed not to be maliciious, but also not necessary so I kept it blocked.

Deozaan:
I was a big advocate for Google products and services for many years among my peers and acquaintances. Over the past several years I've become increasingly uneasy about them and their practices, and in the past two years or so have been slowly migrating myself away from them and their services.

I no longer use Google (the search engine). I no longer use Chrome as my browser. I use Hangouts only insofar as it is required for Google Voice. I've pretty much entirely moved away from Gmail. I haven't exactly migrated away from Google Docs/Drive, but there are a lot of instances where I will just create a local (or cloud synced) Libre Office document instead. And I'm eagerly awaiting a viable YouTube contender to surface.

I don't think I'll be sad one bit if in 5 years or so I think of Google like I now think of MySpace, LiveJournal, or Yahoo!

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