Bruce Lawson

Bruce Lawson

@brucel.bsky.social

Web standards a11y lovegod who leverages synergies at Vivaldi browser. More posts & conversation at @brucelawson@vivaldi.net. This is broadcast-only, as I've been disappointed by non-Fediverse platforms before. Musician. He/ him. Personal views. RT≠+1.

4K followers76 following1.3K posts

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

"Revenue per worker is rising for the Mag 7 but is flat for the S&P 493… Profit margins are rising for the Mag 7 but are flat for the S&P 493… And there are still no signs of AI boosting productivity growth" www.apollo.com/wealth/insig...

apollo.comNo Signs of AI Payoff Outside the Tech Sector | The Daily SparkDespite massive investments and widespread hype around artificial intelligence, the technology has delivered zero financial payoff to corporate America outside of tech. Subscribe for daily updates.
Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

I just had a scary trip to the local shop. People glowered at me, muttering "Happy now, PHP Boy?". One woman shielded her kids, shrieking "Don't go near the nasty developer, kids". And when I got home, someone had posted a ColdFusion manual through my letter box with a note: "learn to code, loser".

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

I just wen to Londis for some milk, and was high-fived approvingly by the local teenagers. Apparently the latest youth slang for something cool, edgy and dangerous is "PHP", e.g., ""Have you heard that new record by "Mandy, Indiana"? It's well PHP, innit, bro". They call me "Poppa PHP" now.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

"A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after the company was found to have misled users about its privacy practices". But ignore that, they're making a new even better in-app browser. edition.cnn.com/2026/10/21/t...

edition.cnn.comMeta ordered to pay $25 billion in New Mexico case over Cambridge Analytica scandal | CNN BusinessA New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after the company was found to have misled users about its privacy practices in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Bruce Lawson@brucel.bsky.social

"In 2022, security researcher Felix Krause showed that Instagram and Facebook’s in-app browsers injected JavaScript into the pages users visited". What if links to web pages simply opened in your default browser on a device that you own. The browser *you* chose and installed, because you trust it?

absolutegeeks.comWhatsApp is building an in-app browser for every link you openWhatsApp is preparing to make one of mobile's more divisive features available to every link in your chats. References found in a recent iOS TestFlight build
Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

The UK competition regulator has published conduct requirements to make Apple open access to NFC on iOS. Access was *technically* allowed 2 years ago but no-one has used it because of Apple's Ts&Cs - just like with browser engines.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

EMudhra failure: Vivaldi fetches certificate updates every few hours, and those certificates were blocklisted some days before the fault was publicly announced. As a result, it is not affected by the EMudhra failure.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

If you want to be extra sure, you can also force a manual CRLSet update check in vivaldi:components. And I’ve written to the regulators asking them to ban the number “4”, which has always struck me as the least trustworthy of the all-Harshad numbers.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

"In 2022, security researcher Felix Krause showed that Instagram and Facebook’s in-app browsers injected JavaScript into the pages users visited". What if links to web pages simply opened in your default browser on a device that you own. The browser *you* chose and installed, because you trust it?

absolutegeeks.comWhatsApp is building an in-app browser for every link you openWhatsApp is preparing to make one of mobile's more divisive features available to every link in your chats. References found in a recent iOS TestFlight build
Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

Mozilla Is Calling Out Microsoft for Forcing Edge on Users, and It's Absolutely Right uk.pcmag.com/migrated-376... "European laws now force Microsoft to make Windows more respectful of user choices. … no one should have to fight their OS this hard on something as simple as a browser preference."

uk.pcmag.comMozilla Is Calling Out Microsoft for Forcing Edge on Users, and It's Absolutely RightWindows 11 constantly tries to nudge you toward Microsoft's browser. It's time for the tech giant to start respecting user choice.
Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

Introducing the Accessible Components Library tetralogical.com/blog/2026/10... Everyone's fave a11y chums open source their Accordion, Breadcrumbs, Dialog, Disclosure, Pagination, Tabs, Text input, Textarea components, and docs of assistive-tech compatibility & the applicable WCAG success criteria.

tetralogical.comIntroducing the Accessible Components Library - TetraLogicalWe've open-sourced our Accessible Components Library, and, as you might expect, this includes the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. But, we thought, "Why stop there?" So, we've also published ...
Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

Big Tech Is the Biggest Bankroller of Trump’s Ballroom. "Nvidia and Apple gave the most. Each committed $25 million …Microsoft and Palantir committed $10 million each. Amazon, Meta, Cisco, and ServiceNow gave $5 million each … $22 million came from Google’s settlement of Trump’s lawsuit"

dispatch.techoversight.orgBOMBSHELL DOCS: Big Tech Is the Biggest Bankroller of Trump’s BallroomWASHINGTON, DC — Today, The Tech Oversight Project blasted Big Tech companies for bankrolling President Trump’s White House ballroom after a bombshell Washington Post investigation revealed the full l...
Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

I solemnly swear that when web standards and opening the web makes me billions, I will not give a penny to horrible tyrants, or build a space rocket, or try to colonise Mars.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

I have found the Worst Website in the World. It is the official Indian Railways ticket booking site. After the 96 step sign up process, it randomly throws you out; it requires repeated entry of information it already has, and occasionally throws useless error messages. Wanted 2 seats, now have 4.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

Some great quotes in this discussion: "the goal, I think, is in general to somehow get the mobile ecosystem to a similar place that existed on PCs in the early 2000s"

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

and "there are a number of companies that we have spoken to that won't even join the coalition, even on an anonymous basis, just because they don't want to put that relationship with Apple at risk, no matter how abusive that relationship might be". (I've heard the same, too)

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

(It's obviously absurd that former ICC judge Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize, and Trump didn't. She's never even dropped a bomb on a girls' school.)

Bruce Lawson reposted

derek guy
@dieworkwear.bsky.social

Trump's suit appears to be part of Jos. A. Bank's Traveler line. The suit is listed as having been made abroad using a wool-polyester-spandex blend. The company describes it as having the "ultimate stretch" and was designed to minimize body odor.

Bruce Lawson reposted

Browser Choice Alliance
@browserchoicealliance.org

"Most of the 2024 patterns are still there. The 2026 patterns are worse." A new @mozilla.org blog highlights how Microsoft continues to play the system, respecting people’s choices only when it’s legally required. PC users deserve better. Read more: bit.ly/3UbDxoQ

bit.ly100 Days Later: Microsoft still undermines browser choice | The Mozilla BlogOne hundred days ago, Mozilla released Over The Edge 2.0, the second independent report from leading experts on deceptive design Dr. Harry Brignull and Cen

Bruce Lawson reposted

Vivaldi Browser
@vivaldi.com

Some of you have been asking whether or not Vivaldi is affected by Chrome’s #AI API, which some websites are using for tracking purposes. The answer is straight-forward: no. ✌️ We disable all the Gemini-related code bundled in Chromium, effectively preventing websites from using this API in Vivaldi.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

Your valiant boy about to head into the European commission to meet a Big Tech Gatekeeper about the insane request by European commie users to run software they choose on devices they own.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

Just 2 hours until I get home. I'd love to tell you what was said, but Chatham House Rules. I think we have it our best shot; I don't think Big Tech Gatekeeper made their case convincingly. It's all EU politics now, which is outside my influence (or interest, tbh).

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

If I don't keep my car roadworthy and crash into yours, it hasn't gone "rogue", it's my negligence and I'm responsible. If my dog attacks you, I am liable. There are no rogue AIs, just negligent AI companies. Prosecute them.

Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

It doesn't need to be this way, of course. It's possible to imagine a world in which someone with hundreds of dollars to spend on a device is treated as adult enough to run the software they choose on it. Crazy, I know. social.vivaldi.net/@FormularSum...

social.vivaldi.netJames Heppell (@FormularSumo@vivaldi.net)Attached: 1 image Spent an hour last night setting up AltStore Pal and Classic to sideload Reynard - an experimental Gecko browser for iOS. Not something I fancy doing again. But I got it working eve...
Bruce Lawson
@brucel.bsky.social

Brogrammers couldn't wrap their megabrains around not-a-real-language CSS, so decided to reinvent it and fight against the web platform for their own convenience. Who could possibly have predicted it would be crap for users, and would need expensive surgery to drain the festering pus?

GitHub@github.com

GitHub.com has fully moved off CSS-in-JS to CSS Modules, resulting in 55% less server-side render time and 25% faster component init. https://github.blog/engineering/architecture-optimization/improving-site-performance-by-shipping-more-css/

github.blogImproving site performance by shipping more CSSHow we fully migrated github.com away from CSS-in-JS.

Bruce Lawson reposted

Harry Roberts
@csswizardry.com

It’s a real shame that folk a decade ago weren’t warning developers against utterly insane things like CSS-in-J —  oh.

GitHub@github.com

GitHub.com has fully moved off CSS-in-JS to CSS Modules, resulting in 55% less server-side render time and 25% faster component init. https://github.blog/engineering/architecture-optimization/improving-site-performance-by-shipping-more-css/

github.blogImproving site performance by shipping more CSSHow we fully migrated github.com away from CSS-in-JS.