Mozilla, like Google, is looking ahead to the end of Apple's WebKit rule
(2023/02/07)
- Reference: 1675758607
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/02/07/mozilla_google_apple_webkit/
- Source link:
Mozilla is planning for the day when Apple will no longer require its competitors to use the WebKit browser engine in iOS.
Mozilla conducted similar experiments that never went anywhere years ago but in [1]October 2022 posted an issue in the GitHub repository housing the code for the iOS version of Firefox that includes a reference to [2]GeckoView , a wrapper for Firefox's Gecko rendering engine.
Under the current Apple App Store Guidelines, iOS browser apps must use WebKit. So a Firefox build incorporating Gecko rather than WebKit currently cannot be distributed through the iOS App Store.
[3]
[4]As we reported last week , Mozilla is not alone in anticipating an iOS App Store regime that tolerates browser competition. Google has begun work on a Blink-based version of Chrome for iOS.
[5]
[6]
The major browser makers – Apple, Google, and Mozilla – each have their own browser rendering engines. Apple's Safari is based on [7]WebKit ; Google's Chrome and its open source Chromium foundation is based on [8]Blink ( [9]forked from WebKit a decade ago); and Mozilla's Firefox is based on [10]Gecko .
Microsoft developed its own Trident rendering engine in the outdated Internet Explorer and a Trident fork called EdgeHTML in legacy versions of Edge but has relied on Blink since rebasing its Edge browser on Chromium code.
[11]
Browser rendering engines render text and images on screen. When browser engineers add new features or support new APIs, they often do so through rendering engine code additions, as can be seen from various [12]Blink enhancements .
Sometimes Apple, Google, and Firefox agree on new features and work together and fix the issue, as with [13]popover menus . Other times, the browser makers disagree and sulk as their codebases diverge.
Safari developed a reputation for [14]lagging behind Chrome and Firefox . Apple, however, appears to be aware of the risk posed by regulators and has added more staff to the WebKit team to [15]close the capabilities gap.
[16]Google works on Blink-based iOS browser contrary to Apple's WebKit rule
[17]Apple sued for promising privacy, failing at it
[18]Google, Mozilla to collaborate with Apple on fresh Webkit browser benchmark
[19]UK competition watchdog investigates Apple and Google 'stranglehold' over the mobile market
If Apple does allow other browser engines within iOS ecosystem, Google and Mozilla will be able to compete with Safari through technical differentiation that's already evident in the desktop versions of these browsers.
Open Web Advocacy, a developer lobbying group, last year issued a [20]Walled Gardens report elaborating on [21]the consequences of Apple's WebKit requirement . It described Apple's restrictions as anticompetitive self-preferencing.
[22]
"Apple is preventing the interoperable, standards-based web from becoming a viable alternative to the native proprietary ecosystems on offer from Apple and Google," the group's report argues.
"In the absence of competition, the poor state of Apple’s own browser and integration of webapps has the effect of pushing developers and users towards the gated ecosystem of the App Store."
While the requested Firefox for iOS settings page for toggling GeckoView could be for internal browser testing, it appears to be something more. The brief public discussion of the GitHub issue suggests Mozilla has anticipated that Apple's rules may change – something sought by Mozilla and others through ongoing regulatory lobbying.
Asked on December 12 by an open source contributor what release this is for, Laurie Marceau, senior software Developer at Mozilla, answered that it's "for a secondary project not in this repository."
The open source contributor then [23]replies , "Thanks, can't wait until [the] EU clarifies [the] situation and we can have proper Gecko Firefox on iOS."
Marceau responds with a thumbs-up emoji. We asked Marceau to elaborate but we've not heard back. Mozilla did not immediately respond but said it might have something to say later. We will update this story if so.
On December 13 last year, [24]it was reported that Apple was preparing to allow third-party app stores in iOS 17 – expected in Q3 2023 – to comply with the European Digital Markets Act. Those rules – and related concerns raised by other regulators – look likely to force Apple to drop its iOS WebKit requirement.
Apple, however, has made no public commitment to that effect and did not respond to The Register 's request for comment.
This is not the first time Mozilla has prepared a Gecko-based version of Firefox for iOS. Ted Mielczarek, a former platform engineer at Mozilla, [25]noted via Twitter that he has twice before been involved in Gecko ports to iOS, in 2010 and 2015.
Mozilla never forced the issue by asking a court to force Apple to distribute Gecko-based Firefox on iOS – a costly battle it might not win. But recently it [26]showed public concern about the anticompetitive consequences of Apple's WebKit rule in a September 2022 [27]report titled "Five Walled Gardens: Why Browsers are Essential to the Internet and How Operating Systems Are Holding Them Back."
If the EU Digital Markets act has the effect that has been predicted, there will be fewer walled gardens by the end of the year. But based on past experience don't hold your breath. ®
Get our [28]Tech Resources
[1] https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/firefox-ios/issues/12210
[2] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/GeckoView
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/03/googles_chromium_ios/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://webkit.org/
[8] https://www.chromium.org/blink/
[9] https://blog.chromium.org/2013/04/blink-rendering-engine-for-chromium.html
[10] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Gecko:Home_Page
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.chromium.org/blink/launching-features/
[13] https://github.com/whatwg/html/pull/8221
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/29/apple_web_developers/
[15] https://wpt.fyi/interop-2023?stable
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/03/googles_chromium_ios/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/28/apple_sued_privacy/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/19/apple_google_mozilla_announce_browser/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/23/cma_apple_google_investigation/
[20] https://open-web-advocacy.org/walled-gardens-report/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/28/apple_apps_challenge/
[22] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[23] https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/firefox-ios/issues/12210#issuecomment-1346708449
[24] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/14/apple_eu_third_party_ios/
[25] https://twitter.com/TedMielczarek/status/1176864567118483457
[26] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/23/browsers_mozilla_microsoft_google/
[27] https://research.mozilla.org/browser-competition/
[28] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Mozilla conducted similar experiments that never went anywhere years ago but in [1]October 2022 posted an issue in the GitHub repository housing the code for the iOS version of Firefox that includes a reference to [2]GeckoView , a wrapper for Firefox's Gecko rendering engine.
Under the current Apple App Store Guidelines, iOS browser apps must use WebKit. So a Firefox build incorporating Gecko rather than WebKit currently cannot be distributed through the iOS App Store.
[3]
[4]As we reported last week , Mozilla is not alone in anticipating an iOS App Store regime that tolerates browser competition. Google has begun work on a Blink-based version of Chrome for iOS.
[5]
[6]
The major browser makers – Apple, Google, and Mozilla – each have their own browser rendering engines. Apple's Safari is based on [7]WebKit ; Google's Chrome and its open source Chromium foundation is based on [8]Blink ( [9]forked from WebKit a decade ago); and Mozilla's Firefox is based on [10]Gecko .
Microsoft developed its own Trident rendering engine in the outdated Internet Explorer and a Trident fork called EdgeHTML in legacy versions of Edge but has relied on Blink since rebasing its Edge browser on Chromium code.
[11]
Browser rendering engines render text and images on screen. When browser engineers add new features or support new APIs, they often do so through rendering engine code additions, as can be seen from various [12]Blink enhancements .
Sometimes Apple, Google, and Firefox agree on new features and work together and fix the issue, as with [13]popover menus . Other times, the browser makers disagree and sulk as their codebases diverge.
Safari developed a reputation for [14]lagging behind Chrome and Firefox . Apple, however, appears to be aware of the risk posed by regulators and has added more staff to the WebKit team to [15]close the capabilities gap.
[16]Google works on Blink-based iOS browser contrary to Apple's WebKit rule
[17]Apple sued for promising privacy, failing at it
[18]Google, Mozilla to collaborate with Apple on fresh Webkit browser benchmark
[19]UK competition watchdog investigates Apple and Google 'stranglehold' over the mobile market
If Apple does allow other browser engines within iOS ecosystem, Google and Mozilla will be able to compete with Safari through technical differentiation that's already evident in the desktop versions of these browsers.
Open Web Advocacy, a developer lobbying group, last year issued a [20]Walled Gardens report elaborating on [21]the consequences of Apple's WebKit requirement . It described Apple's restrictions as anticompetitive self-preferencing.
[22]
"Apple is preventing the interoperable, standards-based web from becoming a viable alternative to the native proprietary ecosystems on offer from Apple and Google," the group's report argues.
"In the absence of competition, the poor state of Apple’s own browser and integration of webapps has the effect of pushing developers and users towards the gated ecosystem of the App Store."
While the requested Firefox for iOS settings page for toggling GeckoView could be for internal browser testing, it appears to be something more. The brief public discussion of the GitHub issue suggests Mozilla has anticipated that Apple's rules may change – something sought by Mozilla and others through ongoing regulatory lobbying.
Asked on December 12 by an open source contributor what release this is for, Laurie Marceau, senior software Developer at Mozilla, answered that it's "for a secondary project not in this repository."
The open source contributor then [23]replies , "Thanks, can't wait until [the] EU clarifies [the] situation and we can have proper Gecko Firefox on iOS."
Marceau responds with a thumbs-up emoji. We asked Marceau to elaborate but we've not heard back. Mozilla did not immediately respond but said it might have something to say later. We will update this story if so.
On December 13 last year, [24]it was reported that Apple was preparing to allow third-party app stores in iOS 17 – expected in Q3 2023 – to comply with the European Digital Markets Act. Those rules – and related concerns raised by other regulators – look likely to force Apple to drop its iOS WebKit requirement.
Apple, however, has made no public commitment to that effect and did not respond to The Register 's request for comment.
This is not the first time Mozilla has prepared a Gecko-based version of Firefox for iOS. Ted Mielczarek, a former platform engineer at Mozilla, [25]noted via Twitter that he has twice before been involved in Gecko ports to iOS, in 2010 and 2015.
Mozilla never forced the issue by asking a court to force Apple to distribute Gecko-based Firefox on iOS – a costly battle it might not win. But recently it [26]showed public concern about the anticompetitive consequences of Apple's WebKit rule in a September 2022 [27]report titled "Five Walled Gardens: Why Browsers are Essential to the Internet and How Operating Systems Are Holding Them Back."
If the EU Digital Markets act has the effect that has been predicted, there will be fewer walled gardens by the end of the year. But based on past experience don't hold your breath. ®
Get our [28]Tech Resources
[1] https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/firefox-ios/issues/12210
[2] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/GeckoView
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/03/googles_chromium_ios/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://webkit.org/
[8] https://www.chromium.org/blink/
[9] https://blog.chromium.org/2013/04/blink-rendering-engine-for-chromium.html
[10] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Gecko:Home_Page
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.chromium.org/blink/launching-features/
[13] https://github.com/whatwg/html/pull/8221
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/29/apple_web_developers/
[15] https://wpt.fyi/interop-2023?stable
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/03/googles_chromium_ios/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/28/apple_sued_privacy/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/19/apple_google_mozilla_announce_browser/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/23/cma_apple_google_investigation/
[20] https://open-web-advocacy.org/walled-gardens-report/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/28/apple_apps_challenge/
[22] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/devops&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y@IvTbchDLNZkdGV@Lp82gAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[23] https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/firefox-ios/issues/12210#issuecomment-1346708449
[24] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/14/apple_eu_third_party_ios/
[25] https://twitter.com/TedMielczarek/status/1176864567118483457
[26] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/23/browsers_mozilla_microsoft_google/
[27] https://research.mozilla.org/browser-competition/
[28] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Mozilla is dead
RyokuMas
Being independent of Google is a pretty strong argument IMHO
Re: Mozilla is dead
Dan 55
Menu > Settings > Accessibility.
Behold, zoom.
If you want reflow, try Reader mode.
Will I then be able to disable the sponsored search engines?
Czrly
Will I then be able to disable the sponsored search engines?
In its current state, iOS Firefox will automatically enable sponsored links on the home page – to Amazon and other evil actors – and require to you manually turn those of and it will also include sponsored search engine plugins to those same evil actors that I can't find a way to disable. These buttons appear when you activate the search/address bar and, as I said, I can't find a way to turn those off.
Firstly, enabling and supporting evil actors like Amazon should not be done. Secondly, why can't I turn those OFF?
Until Mozilla allow me full control of and confidence in my browser, once again – or, even better, just not include those traps and parasites at all, ever – I honestly do not care what rendering or HTML engine is running behind the scenes. Frankly, Mozilla also have bigger problems, elsewhere, including the state of Desktop and ESR Firefox.
The end of the rule of Apple's WebKit is great but it is not the end of the problems browser users (that's everyone) face, today. In fact, I would even doubt it is the most significant!
Re: Will I then be able to disable the sponsored search engines?
mark l 2
Without being a iOS device owner I don't know how the current iOS version of FF works, but I believe its just a wrapper on top of Safari with a few Mozilla extra setting such as syncing your bookmarks and history and better privacy handling cookies and trackers. But it doesn't seem to support extensions, which means no Ublock Origin which is one of the best reasons to be using FF on mobile over Chrome.
Hopefully if they do get a native FF port for iOS that will support extensions such as Ublock Origin and I can then recommend to my iPhone owning friends and family to install FF and stop using Safari.
Mozilla is dead
No idea why anyone listens to Mozilla any more. Their mobile browser is useless as it doesn't do zoom and reflow rendering.