Ben AdidaWhat if Firefox became the best Fediverse client? Could be very powerful and timely.
http://benlog.com/2022/12/28/firefox-should-become-the-best-freaking-fediverse-app/
Builds on ideas from @luis_in_brief
Brian Smith@ben @luis_in_brief Which of those capabilities should be built into the browser and NOT feasible for an extension to implement? I’d argue that an extension should be able to do all of that, and then there’s no advantage to having the browser do it itself. Also users shouldn’t have to use a different browser to get the best Fediverse experience; imagine substituting “Microsoft Edge” or “Safari” for “Firefox” in your post.
I'm a batteries-included kinda person. Sure, make the functionality pluggable so an extension can take it over. But build it in by default. "Go install an extension" is hostile to less techy users.
As for other browsers becoming great fediverse clients... That's great! I got no issue with it. Let's compete on that front.
Rob C@ben @briansmith @luis_in_brief make it a web app.
Firefox should have finished their PWA desktop integration and they could ship a client.
@robcee @briansmith @luis_in_brief did you read my original post and all the features I'm hoping we could get out of this? Even a great PWA couldn't do it. It has to be the user agent / a powerful extension to the user agent.
Luis Villa@ben @robcee @briansmith yeah, websites are now in many ways just a thing people get to from their social networks. So you want the two deeply integrated.
@luis_in_brief @ben @briansmith ok, I have now, (sorry for jumping on).
I think a web-first experience is still going to be preferrable. There are some useful Bookmarklets for interacting with remote instances. An Add-on could do a lot.
My point still stands: If Mozilla had shipped a “Gecko-shell” like Chrome’s Electron, they could build it in an app. Including a social media network in a browser that isn’t just an extension would feel, kind of gross. IMO.
@luis_in_brief @ben @briansmith I mean, I don’t wanna poo poo your blog post. It’s a cool idea. Hard sell tho.
@robcee @luis_in_brief @briansmith poo-poo away, it's a discussion :)
What I'm describing is bigger than a dedicated app for tooting. It's social integrated into the web browser experience. I just don't think it can be done as a pure Web app.
Mikka, MDWith Mastodon only one, and arguably the most limited, of Fediverse implementations, Tumblr coming 'round the bend, Flickr hopefully as well, and the anticipated changes in Instagram's Terms of Service probably giving rise to a move to Pixelfed... would a "Mastodon Client" in a web browser really hit the spot?
That's not decentralization, that's recentralization inside a new regime, especially if Firefox only knows how to read and speak that Regime's language.
@mikka @robcee @luis_in_brief @briansmith maybe Firefox can be a client for those other fediverse apps, too. Maybe there's a client API that can be built to hook in different Fediverse clients, letting them render in web content while extending the browser's APIs to facilitate the social web.
I think it starts by trying with one that's having a breakout moment, and generalizing from there.