More on Chrome updates and headers (2018)

https://unsearcher.org/more-on-chrome-updates-and-headers

by Ratanay • 7 years ago

44 28 7 years ago

srbby3• 7 years ago

As, the Verge already explained, Chrome is turning into the new IE6 (in case you wonder, that’s not a compliment). Not only is Google making some services running faster on Chrome, the browser also sends information only to Google.

Did Microsoft make their services run faster on IE6? Did IE6 send information only to Microsoft?

The_rationalist• 7 years ago

the browser also sends information only to Google It's trivial to replace chrome by chromium tough

Ratanay• 7 years ago

The x-client-data header is also sent by Chromium.

542458• 7 years ago

Yeah, that’s kinda weirdly explained - IIRC MS had OS features that were only available to IE (I don’t remember whether those features were performance-related), while Google has browser features that are only available to Google properties.

pcr910303• 7 years ago

Did Microsoft make their services run faster on IE6? Did IE6 send information only to Microsoft?

The web is the new OS. Microsoft made use of certain private Windows APIs to win the browser war (by providing features exclusive to IE). I think it’s a pretty apt analogy.

JimDabell• 7 years ago

Did Microsoft make their services run faster on IE6?

Yes. Internet Explorer used to send out-of-spec TCP packets during the initial handshake that IIS would respond to also in an out of spec way. This had the effect of speeding up subsequent requests, but only in the case of IE talking to IIS.

muststopmyths2• 7 years ago

I presume you are referring to this sort of thing: http://grotto11.com/blog/slash.html?+1039831658

It is perfectly within spec to send data on a half-closed TCP connection, from the other end. That is exactly what the shutdown(SD_SEND) socket call is for. It signals the stack to send a FIN so that the other side can send data but knows to not expect more.

They were probably implementing a version of HTTP 1.1 (before it became a formalized standard) that did not break existing clients (or servers) but speeded up theirs.

BTW, I find it hard to believe IIS was sending more data after sending a FIN. Let's just say I worked in the vicinity of the Windows networking org in those days.

I know it's not a popular history to believe among the SV crowd, but Microsoft in those days would bend over backwards for ISVs (Independent Software Vendors, or companies that wrote software for Windows) if they just whispered "your products are using undocumented APIs that I don't have access to". Regardless of whether that claim was true or not, they would work overtime to dispel the notion.

The were just getting put under the anti-trust microscope, with a consent decree signed in 1994 and a bigger suit was obviously coming soon.

Of course, when google does something similar with QUIC/SPDY, it's the second coming of Christ. Definitely not a way to boost their browser/core business.

edit:typos

sys_647384• 7 years ago

Isn't this comment really tied to a particular version of Chrome though? Even Microsoft couldn't push later versions of IE due to IE6 domination.

est• 7 years ago

Did Microsoft make their services run faster on IE6?

Yes, the pillar of Web 2.0, the AJAX, was implemented in IE5.5 first with XMLHTTPReques.

_jomo• 7 years ago

I keep wondering why people who seemingly care about their privacy continue to use Google products/services, doing all their online activity while logged in to their Google account.

zamadatix• 7 years ago

The opportunity cost of privacy on the web is greater than your average person is willing to pay.

srbby3• 7 years ago

Because Chrome is the fastest browser[] and Google services are usually the best.

[]Perhaps that will change once they nerf ad blockers.

seieste• 7 years ago

Chrome is the fastest browser for YouTube because Google intentionally made it slow on other browsers. So, sometimes this speed is just the result of monopolistic actions.

sys_647384• 7 years ago

Younger people growing up are used to living in the shadow of an ad company. Ad company keeps pushing the envelope on privacy but those who most vocalize opposition are getting older. Cycle repeats until ad companies win.

matz1• 7 years ago

Sure, only if ad blocking community stop fighting.

muststopmyths2• 7 years ago

As much as I want to use Firefox more, it doesn't "just work", unlike Chrome.

Every other update it destroys my containers and I have to recreate them. Or it will just stop responding to keyboard input after an update. I have to go in and disable all add-ons, restart and enable them. I get it, add-ons are hard.

I'm just afraid that if I start syncing my bookmarks etc that I do with Chrome, Firefox will destroy them someday and I'll be left spending half a day recovering.

I do want to use it more, but I also need it to just work every time.

Errsher• 7 years ago

Have you ever filed a bug report for the issues you've come across?

gruez• 7 years ago

Every other update it destroys my containers and I have to recreate them.

I've used containers since Firefox 52 and this never happened to me.

caspper69• 7 years ago

I have actually been running the Edge beta for about a month. It's pretty good. I've noticed that since I no longer use Chrome, a lot of the ad-tracking related items have gotten much more generic over time (such as the news articles on my phone on the chrome homepage).

I at least I feel like I'm being tracked a little less by a single entity.

CharlesW• 7 years ago

Is there such a thing as "CleanChrome", meaning the good technical bits without this kind of Google business-driven terribleness?

As background, I feel like I've given Firefox enough chances, and am not interested in Brave given their history of anti-creator choices. (I'd consider Safari, but its extensions model seems too limited for "Tabs Outliner"-style extensions.)

rasz• 7 years ago

Vivaldi if you are willing to live with UI coded in Javascript (slow).

hackerbrother• 7 years ago

edge, right?

JetSpiegel• 7 years ago

It's the circle of life.

More on Chrome updates and headers (2018)

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