>There isn't any real browser competition when the only difference is in what the UI around the actual web browser is.
I am not suggesting that people only make UI changes. I am suggesting that there is value in reusing work that already exists.
>The browser experience is what actually renders the web page, not the menu system around it.
Chromiums renderer is going to be fine for most people looking to build a browser. People building a browser should focus onan building what makes their browser unique. Not every browser is setting off to create a new rendel engine.
>We wouldn't need standards at all if everyone used the same browser engine.
There still would be a need for cross industry collaboration on how to move the web forward. If Clang was the only C++ compiler there still is a benefit on having the standards process and working groups figuring out how to evolve the language.
>Whoever owns the engine, likely Google, would make the engine however they choose and could change core fundamentals of how the web itself works.
This is a problem with browser marketshare and not browser engine marketshare.
>and if they were the only browser engine they could easily get away with closed sourcing chromium and only shipping binaries so the feature can't be disabled or removed.
Other browsers can work together on developing on top of the last public release of chromium. This is still less work than all of these browser developers independently creating their own browser engines.
I am not suggesting that people only make UI changes. I am suggesting that there is value in reusing work that already exists.
>The browser experience is what actually renders the web page, not the menu system around it.
Chromiums renderer is going to be fine for most people looking to build a browser. People building a browser should focus onan building what makes their browser unique. Not every browser is setting off to create a new rendel engine.
>We wouldn't need standards at all if everyone used the same browser engine.
There still would be a need for cross industry collaboration on how to move the web forward. If Clang was the only C++ compiler there still is a benefit on having the standards process and working groups figuring out how to evolve the language.
>Whoever owns the engine, likely Google, would make the engine however they choose and could change core fundamentals of how the web itself works.
This is a problem with browser marketshare and not browser engine marketshare.
>and if they were the only browser engine they could easily get away with closed sourcing chromium and only shipping binaries so the feature can't be disabled or removed.
Other browsers can work together on developing on top of the last public release of chromium. This is still less work than all of these browser developers independently creating their own browser engines.