new foss adblocker for safari (macOS, ipadOS, iOS)
new foss adblocker for safari (macOS, ipadOS, iOS)
A new wide-spectrum content blocker for Safari designed to be performant, efficient, and effective. - WebShieldApp/WebShield
I just wanted to share with you the work of this developer on GitHub, I am a macOS and iOS user and I can't wait to use this new FOSS adblocker (there are no others on macOS).
I'm not a computer scientist and I don't have expertise but I try to help by spreading the spread, maybe someone can help or share it again!
Thank you all! P.S. I'm not the developer so I can't answer any question
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Safari iOS is cancer. Source: am developer who supports websites on Safari iOS.
I am a little curious how this could work though. My impression is that iOS is extremely locked down. Can't even use a browser that isn't Safari with a skin.
Safari supports extensions these days, including first-class support for content blockers
It’s really best in class in that regard. It’s the most customizable mobile browser. Firefox in android has more extensions, but Safari’s actually integrate better in the UI and you can use shortcuts for simple things too.
"I'll gladly sacrifice functionality and my rights as a consumer for better UI integration " 🤢
Out of curiosity, what functionality and what rights am I sacrificing?
You can't load software on your own device unless apple gives you permission even though you bought the device. I know how this goes every single time though. I can list features you don't have or reasons why apple is trash and none of them will concern you at all. You will claim you don't need other browsers but safari, you don't need features android has had for years, you don't need usb-c. Exactly the same conversation every time. When apple eventually gets any of these features, you will be ecstatic and love the company for them. It's a cult.
And inb4 I am in the Google cult. Nope, fuck Google.
Those are a lot of words you put in my mouth. In fact, I can and have sideloaded apps (the process is stupid and overcomplicated, but it does work, I am not in the EU), and my iPhone does in fact have USB C (was a dealbreaker, I used a Pixel until iPhones had USB C). I wish I could use other browsers on my phone besides Safari but it’s not a dealbreaker for me, I can and do run Firefox on my computer when I need a different browser for any reason, I hope this will change in the future.
Apologies for my incorrect assumptions. I have had some very exhausting conversations with apple users. The EU had to force apple to use USBC (among other things no other company needs forcing to do) which is just insane. Honestly I'm a bit shocked that you came from Android phones and haven't noticed the difference. There are many areas where you have little to no choice on iOS. How have you not noticed? If apple doesn't want you to do it, you basically can't.
If the browser thing was the only thing that would be a deal breaker for me for sure. You could install any browser you wanted on computers thirty years ago. How is it a thing that in 2024 a company is literally preventing you from installing a web browser on a phone that you bought?
There are many countless examples I've noticed over the years of things that cannot be done or are harder on iOS. On my android phone (and I wish there were options besides Android btw, because fuck Google) I can use SyncThing to keep my photos and other files backed up automatically without paying any cloud service. On iOS, last I checked you could even use a file manager, let alone anything remotely like SyncThing. They literally lock you out of doing anything that would cost them a penny. Such a shitty business model, removing any choice that doesn't put money in their pockets.
I’m very aware that there is less choice and have run into the various related issues. Ultimately it’s still been a positive experience, despite that.
... Ok.
Out of curiosity, what functionality and what rights am I sacrificing?
So you knew all about this, you just wanted me to give specific examples so you can decide if you care about them?
To each their own but personally a company locking down the device I paid them for is a non starter. And consistently being years behind the competition when you're a trillion dollar company is just... Sad.
Seriously imagine how much damage is done to the web as an evolving ecosystem by them disallowing all other browsers on hundreds of millions of devices. I know I personally have spent months of my life specifically supporting Safari in particular. Things that worked immediately on all other tested browsers took a lot of finagling to get working on iOS safari. I could've been spending that time developing new features (for all users, not just the wealthiest ones who bought iPhones) and fixing bugs.
Here’s a different perspective on Safari: it’s the largest competition to Chrome there is. It’s the only relevant one, really. Apple forces iOS users to use Safari (or at least WebKit), and that’s the only thing standing in the way of Chrome/Blink having >90% market share. Safari alone stops Google from dictating the web. Firefox is great and I love it but it’s got like 3% market share and is itself funded by Google. Hence I think Safari is really important in maintaining an open web, even if that’s not why Apple is incentivized to force it on users. I know web devs also hate it but requiring they put in the effort to support Safari is what an open web is all about.
Safari is different on iOS, you can't just take for granted we're just talking about "Safari" here. Since when have they supported extensions on mobile?
Safari on mobile iOS/iPad have supported extensions since iOS 15 (2021), it supported limited 3rd party content blockers since iOS 9 (2015)
Surprising. What do you have to do to publish such an extension? To get any app on your device typically apple must explicitly review and approve it 🤢
extensions on mobile are published as normal apps, so yes the process/requirements are the same as publishing any app on the app store
Thanks for that. Apparently a lot of apple simps are on here, since in getting downvoted a lot for just expressing distaste with the shitty practices of an evil corporation, which btw in time nearly everything I hate about them is getting legislated against by the EU. They are an anti-consumer pile of dogshit company.
You’re arguing about tech tribalists while being one yourself my dude
I'm more like a corp hater in this case. If I could reliably run a FOSS OS on my phone I would
For a few years now.