Browsers don't make money at all, not directly, as you know.
Microsoft pulls in 11 figures a year in online advertising revenue. As of earlier this year, Apple was still earning more mobile ad revenue than any other firm. And Mozilla is funded almost entirely by companies that earn billions in online ad revenue like Yahoo and Google.
>Browsers don't make money at all, not directly, as you know.
Which is neither here, not there. As I wrote those three browsers don't make money off of ad revenue and/or private data. Chrome does.
Whether the money are made directly or indirectly is beside the point for the purposes of the discussion.
>Microsoft pulls in 11 figures a year in online advertising revenue. As of earlier this year, Apple was still earning more mobile ad revenue than any other firm. And Mozilla is funded almost entirely by companies that earn billions in online ad revenue like Yahoo and Google.
Not that relevant either. Apple sells display ads (iAds etc) and that's it. They don't deal in personal data. Mozilla even less -- whether Yahoo/Google pays it to be the default search engine or not.
From selling its "default search engine" spot -- I'm on this web business professionally since 1995, I know that.
That's not direct ad sales and Mozilla wasn't created with the specific purposes to sell ads or collect private information, nor is owned by an ad-selling company.
Besides you can change the default search engine in a heartbeat.
Someone said that that all of those call home as well. I need a browser that just lets me browse instead of filling me with constant "1984-esque" anxiety and paranoia for every URL I go to, and apparently all the extensions I run ALSO call home and leave a uniquely identifying finger print.
Honestly I'm moving to backend work and using a terminal browser. This is so fucking stupid. Wish there was at least one program on my computer that isn't trying to constantly stab me in the back.
>Someone said that that all of those call home as well
Obviously, since all have update-check (and auto-update) features, live content (e.g. intro page), etc.
That's not the same as mining your every search, and they don't own an add company or anything.
>I need a browser that just lets me browse instead of filling me with constant "1984-esque" anxiety and paranoia for every URL I go to, and apparently all the extensions I run ALSO call home and leave a uniquely identifying finger print.
It's even worse: EVERY IP (and/or page) you visit is registered on your ISP.
About apps phoning home specifically, you can install an application firewall like Little Snitch and be warned and in control of any such attempt.
It's not something that you should trust on the browser vendors not to do, anyway...
Not that I'm advocating for them (I use Chrome myself), but those fit what the parent suggested.