Does anyone here remember how Firefox started? It was one guy who was sick to death of how bloated the Mozilla browser had gotten, and just wanted something that worked. PrivateFox is essentially the same thing, except instead of a bloated browser platform, we have a bloated world-wide web, and we're trying to "thin it down".
What Doc is suggesting is not only spinning up yet-another-Firefox, but that we should have to pay for the privilege of having a browser experience which isn't incredibly annoying and frustrating. I'm from the Open Source community. We don't pay for our code, we download it for free and give it away, because it's just what you do as a good person. It's given away by people on their personal hosting or by university mirrors and other donated resources. What we don't do is try to extort cash from users so that they can have a half-decent experience getting and using our content.
2. The web is not consumer culture
It seems that Doc is certain that the way we currently consume content on the web is good, and permanent, and we have to work around what's on the web and how business is done today. Doc shows many examples of how we should pay for our web content - either in a proprietary browser, or crowdfunding, or 'direct consumerism' - consumer culture without the need for advertising, essentially.
I didn't get on the internet to pay for a web browser that gives me the privilege of non-annoying content. I got on the internet because somebody paid to provide me a service, either out of generosity, or after being paid by me for some other good or service. Game servers funded by game sales. Journals funded by the top 1% of power users. Chat servers hosted by donations or for free. Porn sites funded by member subscriptions (yes, I went there).
There are many ways to get paid for the services or content you provide. Advertising is the most annoying, most deceptive and most harmful way to do it. There is no reason we have to put up with the status quo and accept ridiculous websites with shitty content and a bad user experience just because they're "free". I say fuck the ad industry. I really don't need most of what's on the web. If I really needed it, I would pay for it, same as with everything else in my real life.
I don't live in a home with "featured content by name brands". I pay my rent. I don't drive a free car "featuring new technology by ZomboCom Inc"; I pay off a loan. I don't drink free sodas with e-ink wifi-enabled rolling banner ads; I pay the $1 for my damn soda. There is no need to support everything you consume with advertisements.
--
Paying for a browser that specifically gives me a non-shitty browsing experience is the equivalent of telling the ad industry you love them so much you're willing to pay them off to stop the onslaught of ads. I have another way of telling the ad industry what I think: by boycotting all websites with advertising. I'm not going to miss the lack of content, either; because you can't miss what you don't know exists.
I propose a browser add-on that disables all hyperlinks to sites that are funded by advertising. This would create a smaller, more intimate, more content-oriented internet. It would encourage community and sharing, and increase the quality of content. It would reduce unnecessary noise and distraction. And it would force content producers to actually find out what users find worthwhile, and if they really want to pay for it, in one way or another.
1. Reinventing the wheel
Does anyone here remember how Firefox started? It was one guy who was sick to death of how bloated the Mozilla browser had gotten, and just wanted something that worked. PrivateFox is essentially the same thing, except instead of a bloated browser platform, we have a bloated world-wide web, and we're trying to "thin it down".
What Doc is suggesting is not only spinning up yet-another-Firefox, but that we should have to pay for the privilege of having a browser experience which isn't incredibly annoying and frustrating. I'm from the Open Source community. We don't pay for our code, we download it for free and give it away, because it's just what you do as a good person. It's given away by people on their personal hosting or by university mirrors and other donated resources. What we don't do is try to extort cash from users so that they can have a half-decent experience getting and using our content.
2. The web is not consumer culture
It seems that Doc is certain that the way we currently consume content on the web is good, and permanent, and we have to work around what's on the web and how business is done today. Doc shows many examples of how we should pay for our web content - either in a proprietary browser, or crowdfunding, or 'direct consumerism' - consumer culture without the need for advertising, essentially.
I didn't get on the internet to pay for a web browser that gives me the privilege of non-annoying content. I got on the internet because somebody paid to provide me a service, either out of generosity, or after being paid by me for some other good or service. Game servers funded by game sales. Journals funded by the top 1% of power users. Chat servers hosted by donations or for free. Porn sites funded by member subscriptions (yes, I went there).
There are many ways to get paid for the services or content you provide. Advertising is the most annoying, most deceptive and most harmful way to do it. There is no reason we have to put up with the status quo and accept ridiculous websites with shitty content and a bad user experience just because they're "free". I say fuck the ad industry. I really don't need most of what's on the web. If I really needed it, I would pay for it, same as with everything else in my real life.
I don't live in a home with "featured content by name brands". I pay my rent. I don't drive a free car "featuring new technology by ZomboCom Inc"; I pay off a loan. I don't drink free sodas with e-ink wifi-enabled rolling banner ads; I pay the $1 for my damn soda. There is no need to support everything you consume with advertisements.
--
Paying for a browser that specifically gives me a non-shitty browsing experience is the equivalent of telling the ad industry you love them so much you're willing to pay them off to stop the onslaught of ads. I have another way of telling the ad industry what I think: by boycotting all websites with advertising. I'm not going to miss the lack of content, either; because you can't miss what you don't know exists.
I propose a browser add-on that disables all hyperlinks to sites that are funded by advertising. This would create a smaller, more intimate, more content-oriented internet. It would encourage community and sharing, and increase the quality of content. It would reduce unnecessary noise and distraction. And it would force content producers to actually find out what users find worthwhile, and if they really want to pay for it, in one way or another.