We're on the brink of another world browser war

Summary

The Code Report discusses the importance of a diverse web browser market for the health of the internet. It highlights the dominance of Google-backed browsers and the emerging open-source alternatives like Verso, Blitz, and Ladybird. The video emphasizes the ambitious Ladybird browser, created by Andreas Kling, which aims to be entirely independent and funded by sponsorships and donations. It also mentions Convex, a Firebase alternative for app developers, and underscores the complexity and importance of browser development in maintaining internet freedom.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The worldwide web is a critical part of human civilization, offering freedom of expression and impacting society significantly.
• 🌌 John Perry Barlow's 'Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace' highlights the creation of a world where individuals can express their beliefs freely.
• 💻 Major web browsers like Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox, controlled by Google, dominate the market, raising concerns about potential monopolistic control.
• 🛡️ The importance of browser diversity is emphasized to prevent a single entity from controlling the internet's openness and freedom.
• 🔥 Browser 'wars' are ongoing, with new and innovative browsers like Arc and Firefox introducing new features to compete in the market.
• 🌟 Verso and Blitz are two open-source browsers gaining attention, built in Rust and offering a fresh approach to web browsing.
• 🚀 Ladybird, an ambitious open-source browser, is being developed independently without relying on other browsers' code, aiming to decentralize browser technology.
• 🤝 Ladybird's development is a collaborative effort, with contributions from over a thousand contributors and is managed by a nonprofit organization.
• 💡 The project is funded by sponsorships and donations, ensuring that the browser remains free from commercial incentives and focused on user needs.
• 📅 The first alpha version of Ladybird is not expected until 2026, indicating the complexity and time-consuming nature of building a web browser from scratch.
• 🛠️ Developers can access and contribute to Ladybird's code on GitHub, showcasing the open and collaborative nature of the project.

Q & A

What is the significance of the worldwide web in today's human civilization?

The worldwide web is considered a critical pillar of human civilization, enabling freedom of expression, impacting governance, creating wealth, and allowing content to reach a global audience, as illustrated by the example of a popular cat video.

What is the potential risk to the openness of the internet mentioned in the script?

The script highlights the risk of a monopoly on web browsers, with the majority of market share controlled by technologies or funding from a single entity, Google, which could theoretically be misused to control or censor online content.

What is the importance of having multiple web browsers in the market?

Multiple web browsers are important for maintaining a diverse and competitive internet ecosystem, preventing a single entity from controlling the internet and ensuring freedom of expression and access to information.

What is the significance of the browser 'Ladybird' in the script?

Ladybird is a futuristic open-source browser that aims to be independent from other browsers. It is significant because it is an attempt to diversify browser options and reduce reliance on a single company's technology.

Who is Andreas Gal and what did he create?

Andreas Gal is a software engineer who created Serenity OS, an operating system that includes a web browser, after being unemployed and having time to work on a personal project.

What is Serenity OS and how is it related to the Ladybird browser?

Serenity OS is an operating system created by Andreas Gal, which includes a web browser engine that later became the Ladybird browser, an independent, cross-platform project.

What is the role of the nonprofit formed by Andreas Gal and a GitHub co-founder?

The nonprofit was formed to manage the Ladybird browser project, ensuring it remains free from commercial incentives, funded by sponsorships and donations, and committed to open-source principles.

What is the current status of the Ladybird browser's development?

As of the script's date, the first alpha version for Linux and Mac OS is not expected until summer 2026, with the Windows version expected even later.

Why is building a web browser from scratch considered complex and challenging?

Building a web browser from scratch is complex due to the need to adhere to the constantly evolving W3C specifications, which contain millions of words and require the integration of various technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and video rendering.

What is Convex and how does it relate to the script's discussion on open-source tools?

Convex is an open-source alternative to Firebase, offering backend services like database queries, server functions, and file storage in TypeScript. It is mentioned in the script as an example of a successful open-source project.

What is the script's perspective on the importance of open-source projects like Ladybird and Convex?

The script views open-source projects as crucial for maintaining a diverse and open internet, challenging the consolidation of power and providing alternatives to proprietary technologies.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Importance of Open Internet and Browser Diversity

This paragraph discusses the significance of the open nature of the worldwide web, which has led to unprecedented freedom of expression and economic opportunities. It highlights the potential risks of browser monopolies, particularly those controlled by a single entity like Google, and the importance of browser diversity to maintain internet freedom. The script introduces the ongoing 'browser wars' and the emergence of new open-source browsers like Verso and Blitz, emphasizing the need for alternatives to prevent any single entity from controlling the internet.

🔧 The Birth of Serenity OS and Ladybird Browser

The paragraph tells the story of Andreas Clling, a software engineer who, after a period of unemployment and rehab, embarked on a project to build his own operating system, Serenity OS. Named after the Serenity Prayer, this OS was a labor of love that included a web browser, which later became known as Ladybird. The browser is an ambitious open-source project, aiming to be independent of other browsers' code and funded by sponsorships and donations, ensuring it remains free from commercial incentives.

🛠️ The Complexity of Building a Web Browser from Scratch

This section delves into the technical challenges of creating a web browser from the ground up. It explains the necessity for browser engines to adhere to the W3C specifications, which are extensive and constantly evolving. The developers of Ladybird have built their own HTML and JavaScript engines, named libHTML and lijs, and are using established tools like FFmpeg for video support. The development cycle is described as moving from making the browser work to making it efficient, highlighting the complexity and the ongoing effort to create a browser that is both functional and fast.

🏗️ The Future of Ladybird and the Importance of Open Source Projects

The final paragraph addresses the long development timeline for the Ladybird browser, with the first alpha version for Linux and Mac OS not expected until 2026. It encourages the audience to engage with the project by building it from source on GitHub, acknowledging the complexity of browser development. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the benefits of open-source projects like Ladybird, which contribute to a more diverse and less centralized internet landscape, potentially serving as a safeguard against the increasing consolidation of online power.

Keywords

💡World Wide Web

The World Wide Web, often abbreviated as the Web, is a global information space where documents and other digital resources are identified by URLs, interlinked by hypertext links, and can be accessed via the Internet. In the video, it is described as a critical pillar of human civilization, emphasizing its importance in modern society and its role in enabling freedom of expression and the creation of wealth.

💡Cyberspace

Cyberspace is a term used to describe the virtual environment created by computer networks and the internet, where people can interact and communicate. John Perry Barlow's 'Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace' is mentioned in the script, highlighting the idea of a space where individuals can express their beliefs freely without coercion.

💡Browsers

Browsers are software applications used to access, retrieve, and display content on the World Wide Web. The script discusses the dominance of certain browsers like Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox, which collectively account for over 90% of the market share, and the potential risks associated with such a concentration of control.

💡Market Share

Market share refers to the percentage of the total market that a particular company or product holds. In the context of the video, it is used to illustrate the significant control that a few web browsers have over the internet experience of users worldwide.

💡Open Source

Open source refers to a type of software whose source code is made available to the public, allowing anyone to view, use, modify, and distribute the software. The video highlights the importance of open source in the development of browsers like Firefox and Ladybird, which aim to provide alternatives to proprietary browser technologies.

💡Browser Wars

The term 'Browser Wars' refers to the competition between different web browser developers to gain market share and influence web standards. The script mentions the ongoing browser wars, indicating the active development and innovation in the field of web browsers.

💡Rust

Rust is a systems programming language that focuses on speed, memory safety, and parallelism. The script mentions two open source browsers, Verso and Blitz, that are built using Rust, indicating a trend towards using this language for developing efficient and secure web technologies.

💡Serenity OS

Serenity OS is an open-source operating system that was created from scratch by Andreas Gal, a software engineer. Named after the Serenity Prayer, it represents an ambitious project that includes a web browser, showcasing the potential for independent and innovative development outside of mainstream technologies.

💡Ladybird

Ladybird is an open-source web browser project that was declared independent from Serenity OS and aims to be a full web browser. The script discusses Ladybird as an ambitious project that is entirely funded by sponsorships and donations, emphasizing its commitment to being free from commercial incentives.

💡W3C Spec

The W3C Spec refers to the specifications set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which are the standards and guidelines that web browsers and developers follow to ensure compatibility and functionality across the web. The script mentions the complexity of building a web browser that adheres to these ever-evolving specifications.

💡Consolidation of Power

Consolidation of power refers to the centralization of control or authority within a particular domain. In the video, it is used to express concern about the increasing dominance of a few entities over the internet, and the potential risks this poses to the openness and freedom of the web.

💡Convex

Convex is described as the 'one true Firebase alternative' in the script, offering a suite of backend services for app developers, including server functions, database queries, and file storage, all in TypeScript. It represents an example of open-source tools that can provide alternatives to proprietary services.

Highlights

The worldwide web is considered a critical pillar of human civilization.

John Perry Barlow described cyberspace as the new home of the mind in his Declaration of Independence of cyberspace.

The freedom on the web has led to the failure of governments, creation of new millionaires, and viral internet sensations.

An existential threat to the openness of the web is the dominance of web browsers controlled by a single entity.

The browser market is largely dominated by Google, with Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox accounting for over 90% of market share.

Browsers are a critical point of control over the internet, with potential for misuse if controlled by a single entity.

Open source browsers like Firefox and Arc are gaining popularity as alternatives to dominant browser technologies.

Two new open source browsers, Verso and Blitz, built in Rust, are trending in the browser market.

Ladybird, a futuristic open source browser, is being developed as an independent project separate from major browser technologies.

Andreas Clling, the creator of Ladybird, built his own operating system, Serenity OS, from scratch.

Serenity OS was named after the Serenity Prayer, reflecting the project's philosophy of acceptance and change.

Ladybird browser development is funded by sponsorships and donations, emphasizing a lack of financial incentives.

The Ladybird project aims to provide a browser that is entirely free and not borrowing from other browsers.

Convex, a Firebase alternative, is highlighted as a sponsor of the video and an innovative project in app development.

Convex offers a full-stack development solution with typescript, providing type safety and autocomplete features.

The first alpha version of Ladybird is not expected until summer 2026, indicating a long development timeline.

Building a web browser from scratch is complex, with browser engines needing to follow the constantly evolving W3C spec.

The Ladybird developers have created their own HTML and JS engines, named libHTML and lijs, and are using established tools like FFmpeg.

The development cycle of Ladybird is in its initial phase, focusing on making the browser work before optimizing it.

The effort to create Ladybird, regardless of market share, contributes to reducing the consolidation of power on the internet.

The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of open source projects like Ladybird in maintaining internet freedom.

Transcripts

the worldwide web is arguably the most

critical pillar of human civilization

today John Perry Barlo called it

cyberspace the new home of the Mind in

his Declaration of Independence of

cyberspace he said we are creating a

world where anyone anywhere May Express

his or her beliefs no matter how

singular without fear of being coerced

into silence or Conformity freedom on

the web has caused governments to fail

it's minted millions of new Millionaires

and has allowed this one humble cat to

be viewed trillions of times but there's

an existential threat to this openness

we tap into cyberspace via web browsers

with chrome Safari Edge and Firefox

accounting for over 90% of the market

share all these browsers Share

technology or funding controlled by

Google thank God Google's not evil but

hypothetically if it was evil it could

pull its resources to exterminate all

cap memes from the internet as a society

we can't allow that to happen and

luckily there's someone actually doing

something about it it is August 12 2024

and you're watching the code report he

who controls the spice controls the

universe but he who controls the browser

controls the Internet you may not

realize it but the browser Wars are

raging right now Firefox just launched

tabs managed in the sidebar which was

already supported on the increasingly

popular Arc browser but as we speak two

separate open source browsers built in

Rust are trending right now Verso which

is built with the servo engine and Blitz

a super minimal web renderer but I want

to talk about something even more

ambitious a futuristic open source

browser called ladybird in October 2018

Andreas clling a software engineer who

worked on webkit at Apple and Nokia had

just gotten out of a 3-month Swedish

rehab program and was unemployed and

bored and when smart people like him get

bored and don't have access to drugs

they start doing extreme things like

when he built his own operating system

to use as a daily driver that included a

1990s guey with a late 2000s Unix CLI

everything from the colonel to the web

browser had to be made from scratch and

this is how Serenity OS was born which

is named after the Serenity Prayer God

grant me the serenity to accept the

things I cannot change the courage to

change the things I can and the wisdom

to know the difference on July 4th 2022

the serenity OS browser engine declared

its independence as a cross-platform

project and now a full web browser it

was renamed ladybird over a th000

contributors half a million lines of C++

code and two years later Andreas joined

forces with one of the GitHub

co-founders to form a nonprofit to

manage the browser believing the way to

not have bad incentives is to have no

incentives the project is funded

entirely by sponsorships and donations

and most importantly the code is

entirely free and won't borrow from

other browsers and that's a big contrast

even to privacy focused browsers like

Brave which is for-profit and built on

top of Google's chromium but speaking of

tools that are free and open source

another incredible project you need to

know about is convex the one true

Firebase alternative and sponsor of

today's video as an app developer it

allows you to make one decision for your

back end by providing schedule job

server functions database queries and

file storage all in pure typescript and

that gives us this beautiful trcp style

autocomplete and type safety across the

entire stack in addition convex delivers

an acid compliant database with

optimized caching and optional schema

enforcement but without the pain points

of SQL like migrations and ORS and like

a true Firebase alternative you can get

automatic real-time subscriptions on all

database queries use the link on the

screen to build a project for free right

now seriously convex is an awesome

project but now let's get back to

ladybird and talk about the

disappointing part the first Alpha

version for Linux and Mac OS isn't

expected until the summer of 2026 and

you'll probably die of old age by the

time the windows version comes out the

good news is that you can play around

with the code and build it from Source

on GitHub but building a web browser

from scratch is extremely complex and

the general consensus is that it's

impossible to pull off in order for web

developers to build websites with their

half-ass HTML CSS and JavaScript code

browser engines need to follow the w3c

spec which contains over4 million words

and it constantly evolves with new

features that raise the barrier to entry

it's not a project you build in a

weekend by pring chat GPT the developers

have already built their own HTML and JS

engines creatively named lib HTML and

lijs and are leveraging established

tools like FFM Peg for videos in

software development the cycle goes from

make it work to make it good to make it

faster and they're very much in phase

one of the cycle making a web browser

ain't easy but it's honest work

regardless of the market share ladybird

gets we all benefit from them trying

because the consolidation of power on

the Internet is only getting worse and

who knows maybe one day it'll be our

last hope to smuggle dank cap memes in

and out of cyberspace this has been the

code report thanks for watching and I

will see you in the next one