Google's decision to deprecate JPEG-XL emphasizes the need for
browser choice and free formats
by Greg Farough, Apr 12, 2023
- https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/googles-decision-to-deprecate-jpeg-xl-emphasizes-the-need-for-browser-choice-and-free-formats

"Whether it's through the millions of dollars Google has funneled
into development and advertising or the "convenience" that it
offers users in exchange for freedom, the fact remains that Google
Chrome is the arbiter of web standards. Firefox, through ethical
distributions like GNU IceCat and Abrowser, can weaken that
stranglehold. Google's deprecation of the JPEG-XL image format in
February in favor of its own patented AVIF format might not end the
web in the grand scheme of things, but it does highlight, once
again, the disturbing amount of control it has over the platform
generally.

Part of Google's official rationale for the deprecation is the
following line: "There is not enough interest from the entire
ecosystem to continue experimenting with JPEG-XL." Putting aside
the problematic aspects of the term "ecosystem," let us remark that
it's easy to gauge the response of the "entire ecosystem" when you
yourself are by far the largest and most dangerous predator in said
"ecosystem." In relation to Google's overwhelming power, the
average web user might as well be a microbe. In supposedly gauging
what the "ecosystem" wants, all Google is really doing is asking
itself what Google wants. If we take their contribution in turning
the web into the "WWWorst App Store" seriously, then we understand
what Google really wants. Google wants to do what's best for its
own predatory interests, not what's best for the web." ...

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Am 21.04.2023 schrieb [email protected]d (Computer Nerd Kev):

"Whether it's through the millions of dollars Google has funneled
into development and advertising or the "convenience" that it
offers users in exchange for freedom, the fact remains that Google
Chrome is the arbiter of web standards. Firefox, through ethical
distributions like GNU IceCat and Abrowser, can weaken that
stranglehold.

Mozilla is going the same way as Google - they implement all what
Google wants to have and removed ability to customize the browser.

Remember XUL, Stratum etc.

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Marco Moock <[email protected]> writes:

Am 21.04.2023 schrieb [email protected]d (Computer Nerd Kev):

"Whether it's through the millions of dollars Google has funneled
into development and advertising or the "convenience" that it
offers users in exchange for freedom, the fact remains that Google
Chrome is the arbiter of web standards. Firefox, through ethical
distributions like GNU IceCat and Abrowser, can weaken that
stranglehold.

Mozilla is going the same way as Google - they implement all what
Google wants to have and removed ability to customize the browser.

Mozilla's Seamonkey still retains on-screen menus w/ options to enable
or disable cookies, images, scripts, popup windows etc.

I haven't paid attention to tectonic changes w/ Google as I don't use
any of thier services except web search. Given that, Seamonkey works
for me and I'm a crank old geezer.

Remember XUL, Stratum etc.

--
Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada

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On 21/04/2023 21:39, Mike Spencer wrote:

Marco Moock <[email protected]> writes:

Am 21.04.2023 schrieb [email protected]d (Computer Nerd Kev):

"Whether it's through the millions of dollars Google has funneled
into development and advertising or the "convenience" that it
offers users in exchange for freedom, the fact remains that Google
Chrome is the arbiter of web standards. Firefox, through ethical
distributions like GNU IceCat and Abrowser, can weaken that
stranglehold.

Mozilla is going the same way as Google - they implement all what
Google wants to have and removed ability to customize the browser.

Mozilla's Seamonkey still retains on-screen menus w/ options to enable
or disable cookies, images, scripts, popup windows etc.

I haven't paid attention to tectonic changes w/ Google as I don't use
any of thier services except web search. Given that, Seamonkey works
for me and I'm a crank old geezer.

Remember XUL, Stratum etc.

Wow, thanks for the heads up regarding Seamonkey!

I'm not a fan of Edge or Chrome. Whetre I am forced to use them, I have
DDG privacy essentials, Privacy badger, Ghostery, uBlock origin and
Disconnect plug ins all running. This does break some sites like eBay
which will work in Firefox with exactly the same 5 plug ins (and all
three work with my private DNS server which rejects well over 50% of all
DNS lookups.....

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Am 21.04.2023 um 17:39:05 Uhr schrieb Mike Spencer:

Mozilla's Seamonkey still retains on-screen menus w/ options to enable
or disable cookies, images, scripts, popup windows etc.

Mozilla wants to get rid of Seamonkey.
I am surprised that it still has its name "Mozilla Seamonkey".

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Mike Spencer wrote:

Marco Moock <[email protected]> writes:

Am 21.04.2023 schrieb [email protected]d (Computer
Nerd Kev):

"Whether it's through the millions of dollars Google has
funneled
into development and advertising or the "convenience"
that it offers users in exchange for freedom, the fact
remains that Google Chrome is the arbiter of web
standards. Firefox, through ethical distributions like
GNU IceCat and Abrowser, can weaken that stranglehold.

Mozilla is going the same way as Google - they implement
all what Google wants to have and removed ability to
customize the browser.

Mozilla's Seamonkey still retains on-screen menus w/
options to enable or disable cookies, images, scripts,
popup windows etc.

I haven't paid attention to tectonic changes w/ Google as
I don't use
any of thier services except web search. Given that,
Seamonkey works for me and I'm a crank old geezer.

Remember XUL, Stratum etc.

I'm a SeaMonkey user too. I have several (Linux) versions
and profiles that I can mix and match depending on how I
need to approach various websites.

The one thing newer versions have taken away though is the
option to screen and block cookies and domains interactively
as the page loads. The settings now are basically accept
all or reject all with exceptions for session cookies or
third party cookies. I prefer more control, so I use several
older versions that allow that unless I want to reject all
cookies.

I'm NOT a Google user, not even their search engine, and
I try to avoid or block whatever Googlish things they're
trying to push out, especially Chrome. I don't like that
one megacompany seems to have taken over making decisions
about standards for the whole Internet with no controls or
input from neutral, knowledgeable sources.

Nyssa, who also avoids Microsoft and commercial social
media providers too

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