Bruce chats with Andy Yen, founder and CEO of Proton, about what it’s like for a European company to take on Big Tech. Andy shares his journey from leaving CERN as a particle physicist to building one of the most trusted privacy-focused companies in the world.

He breaks down the lies behind VPN marketing, why most companies can't be trusted, and how Apple and Google's 30 percent tax inflates your bills. He also explains Europe’s trillion-dollar tech mistake.

From VPN myths to Swiss privacy laws, European tech independence, antitrust politics, and Proton’s plan to tackle tariffs and Big Tech taxes, this episode is an umbrella drink filled to the brim with hot topics you’ll want to sip all summer long.

------------------

Show notes:

• Proton on X/Twitter

• DH Lawrence's Relativity poem

• Simon Migliano, Top10VPN

• Proton Foundation

• Swiss ordinance

• Proton threatens to quit Switzerland over new surveillance law

• Gail Slater, The Woman Leading the Surging MAGA Antitrust Movement

• A judge just blew up Apple's control of the App Store

• EuroStack

• The First Three Minutes

• Double Hidden Charm Tetraquark

In this episode, Bruce chats with Gene Burrus, who formerly worked as Assistant General Counsel for Microsoft, working on legal compliance after the landmark Netscape anti-trust case, and now advises Vivaldi and others in the Browser Choice Alliance about how to stop Microsoft going back to its old ways. On the way, we discuss the Cold War, TV courtroom dramas, and why Gene prefers to be poacher-turned-gamekeeper.------------Show notes:

• Burrus Competition Strategies
• Gene on LinkedIn
• Browser Choice Alliance
• United States v. Microsoft Corp ("Netscape case")
• Vivaldi’s Open Letter — Microsoft DMA Compliance
• Microsoft Edge pseudo-protocol
• Commission finds Apple and Meta in breach of the Digital Markets Act
• Vivaldi’s statement on Apple and Meta DMA anti-trust fines
• Bruce Sewell, Former General Counsel of Apple Interviewed
• "Competition is what will ensure that Apple’s conduct and business decisions do not thwart the next Apple" from DOJ and States vs Apple
• "Objection, your honor!"

Bruce chats with Miriam Suzanne, a CSS expert and independent contributor to the CSS Working Group, to talk about all things CSS. They geek out over the latest and greatest features like Cascade Layers, Scope, Mixins, and Container Queries, exploring how these features impact web design.

Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at what’s next for web development and some insider stories from the CSS Working Group.

You can support Miriam's independent contibutions at: Oddbird open source

----

Show notes:

• Miriam's website

• Miriam on Mastodon: @[email protected]

• Miriam's work website Oddbird

• Cascading HTML style sheets - (original proposal)

• CSS Container Queries spec

• CSS Mixins and Functions spec

• Cascade Layers spec

• @Scope spec (Working Draft)

• Choosing a Masonry Syntax in CSS

• Tech continues to be political

In this episode, Bruce talks with Jan Penfrat from European Digital Rights (EDRi) about the importance of defending digital rights as human rights in an increasingly digital world. We chat about EDRi's work advocating for these rights within the EU, the challenges they face against Big Tech lobbying, and key battles surrounding privacy, surveillance, and the power of tech companies. Learn about how EDRi is working to ensure a better, more rights-respecting web for everyone.

Show notes:

• EDRi

• Jan on Mastodon

• EDRI’s open letter to the EU

• Why EDRi is leaving X

• Changes at the CMA

• Chaos Computer Club: Ban tracking and personalised advertising

• Albert Speer’s Nuremberg testimony

• Jan’s bike blog

Ever wondered how the features in your favorite browser come to life? In this episode, Bruce Lawson from Vivaldi Browser chats with Stephanie Stimac from Igalia, the open-source consultancy that’s quietly shaping the web.Listen to how a small team of 22 people is driving major browser advancements like CSS Grid and the :has() selector. Stephanie shares her journey from corporate life at Microsoft to Igalia’s cooperative model, where decisions are made collectively, and everyone has an equal say.We also talk about the development of browser engines and the challenges of funding open-source projects. Whether you’re a developer or just curious about how the web evolves, this conversation offers a glimpse behind the scenes of browser development.Show notes:

• Stephanie's personal site

• Stephanie on Mastodon: @[email protected]

• Stephanie's weekly newsletter

• Igalia website
• Bloomberg & Igalia, CSS Grid
• The CSS Highlight Inheritance Model
• CSS :has()
• Servo project
• Verso
• State of the Browser talk
• "Spice" in Dune
• Google vs DOJ

Join Bruce Lawson and Vivaldi Browser CEO Jón von Tetzchner as they review the top tech stories of 2024! In this episode, they discuss the landmark Google monopoly ruling, the shifting dynamics of the browser market, and their thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro. They also explore the future of Chromium, rate each topic as "brat" (good) or "næt" (not so good), and share insights on the challenges of building and maintaining a browser engine.

Show notes:

• Mr Shakespeare’s comedies

• Google vs DOJ
• United States v. Apple (2024)
• Bloomberg terminals based on Chromium
• Presto rendering engine
• KHTML
• Vivaldi user agent changes
• Open source maintainers are drowning in junk bug reports written by AI
• BCA
• Vivaldi Social for a free Mastodon account
• Social Web Foundation launches, supported by Vivaldi

In this episode of For a Better Web, Bruce chats with Léonie Watson, accessibility advocate and director of TetraLogical. They dive into Léonies journey from web designer to accessibility champion, her work with the W3C, and the challenges of making the internet better for everyone. From navigating accessibility standards to why keyboard testing is a game-changer for developers, it’s a mix of tech insights and great stories (including the time Léonie accidentally hugged Tim Berners-Lee!). Whether you’re a web developer or just curious about how the web works behind the scenes, this episode has something for you.

Show notes:

• Léonie’s personal website

• Léonie on Mastodon

• TetraLogical website

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

• Web Applications Working Group

• Draft W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0

• HTML design principles

• Web Incubator Community Group (WICG)

• “The remediation gap” blogpost

• W3C Board of Directors

• Eloas v Microsoft patent case

• Keyboard testing video

• “Accessibility Unlocked”: TetraLogical’s introduction to accessibility
• Maguire v Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (2000)

In this episode, Bruce’s guest is Evan Prodromou, Research Director of the newly-launched Social Web Foundation. They discuss interconnected social networks and ActivityPub, the open standard that Evan co-authored which enables cross-platform connections, how this tech reshapes online interactions, and the Foundation’s work to support digital rights and diversity. They also go into key topics like privacy, content control, and the importance of diverse voices in social media.

Show notes:

• Evan on Mastodon

• Social Web Foundation

• Social Web Foundation launches, supported by Vivaldi

• ActivityPub specification

• Data Portability in ActivityPub (“LOLA”, draft)

• Threads has entered The Fediverse

Bruce chats with John Ozbay, founder of Cryptee, a privacy-preserving photo and notes Progressive Web App based in Estonia. They discuss how he keeps the platform insulated from Big Tech and how, when Apple tried to remove Progressive Web Apps across the EU with just three weeks' notice, he fought to save his company, employees, and customers—eventually traveling to Brussels to question Apple’s lawyers. They also talk about the piano he built.

Show notes:

John's webpage: https://johnozbay.com

Cryptee: https://crypt.ee

In this engaging first episode, we sit down with Jón von Tetzchner, CEO of Vivaldi, and Laurent Ach, CTO of Qwant, to discuss the unique missions and values of Vivaldi and Qwant—two European tech pioneers committed to privacy, innovation, and user empowerment.

Discover how these companies embody European identity in the digital world, from their adherence to stringent data protection regulations to their support for diverse European languages and cultures.

We also take a deep dive into the technical challenges and triumphs of building a search engine and a browser, exploring topics like crawling, ranking, and indexing through Qwant's ongoing rebuild efforts.

Finally, we discuss the vital role of user feedback and community engagement in shaping their products. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or simply curious about Europe's digital landscape, this episode offers valuable insights into the future of privacy-first technology.