Browser Neutrality
We all knew it might be coming, right?
I love the promise of this new browser.
Yes, the browser is indeed my desktop these days. Or is it my operating system? Whatever. It’s the computing environment where I spend most of my time, and I couldn’t wait for the browser vendors to fully realize that and provide me with a platform that understands and supports this.
I just wish it wasn’t Google who’d provide this.
Oh, I am sure they will do an amazing job. No one really groks browsers like Google. There is just one thing I am worried about:
We have an entire industry flourishing because creating good content is suddenly a viable way to generate revenues, because good content creates advertising opportunities. And the technology that started this revolution is obviously Google’s AdSense – we create the content and the advertising space, and they fill up the space with relevant ads.
But if Google controls the browser – the frame around my content – do they really need me to provide the space?
Oh, I don’t think they’ll be as blant as to create a “AdSense Sidebar” in the browser. But when you control the browser there are many subtle opportunities to skip that annoying rev-share thing and keep all that revenue to yourself.
So, is it time to update the definition of Net Neutrality to cover browsers as well?
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