It would be nice if somebody made a user agent for the web.
You know, software that actually works on behalf, and in the interests, of the user, rather than the maker.
Chrome has been adware for years now. Edge was actually pretty good while it was a fairly vanilla Chromium fork, but it seems MS is intent on stuffing Copilot into it too.
https://www.w3.org/WAI/UA/work/wiki/Definition_of_User_Agent
Of the bigger browsers, I think Safari is probably the closest to that right now, for all its flaws. It may be that Waterfox or some other Firefox fork with the AI garbage ripped out of it is better, I haven't delved into that.
Anyway, I'm back, and this article by @annaecook is ringing bells.
https://annaecook.com/writing/2026/1/5/designing-accessibility-for-real-use-not-dashboards
This piece explores why accessibility and design so often break down when success is measured before it’s clearly defined. It looks at how score-driven metrics can distort decision-making, and why grounding success in real use, context, and human experience leads to better outcomes than dashboards a
Along with @PavelASamsonov's post, which Anna links to.
https://productpicnic.beehiiv.com/p/your-metrics-are-an-avoidance-strategy
David O'Brien
