Yeah, it sucks what's happening with browser extensions and configurability in general. Opera 3, released in 1997, allows the user to override author styles with their own. Same for IE6, released in 2001.
But that's a different aspect of the platform -- the browser itself.
At least for the time being, on the Web side, there are so many different other browsers, that Chrome cannot break step with all of them at once.
And so if I write basic HTML and test it thoroughly, I can accommodate almost any user on any device, browser, and configuration. And this makes me very happy.
> there are so many different other browsers, that Chrome cannot break step with all of them at once.
i dont think this is true any more - chrome has such a high market share that they can basically dictate the standards, and force other browser vendors to follow suit.
They can do it for new things, but not for traditional HTML. A p tag is a p tag, and a table is a table. The trick is to use only things that everyone already supports, and enhance on top of them.
I personally use test with over 50 different browsers, most of which are quite usable.
The web is now big enough that I can build my own little nooks and use the sites I like while avoiding others.
It's so freeing to realize that anytime a site gives me a newsletter modal, or an ad, or a cookie consent, I can just close it and move on.
But that's a different aspect of the platform -- the browser itself.
At least for the time being, on the Web side, there are so many different other browsers, that Chrome cannot break step with all of them at once.
And so if I write basic HTML and test it thoroughly, I can accommodate almost any user on any device, browser, and configuration. And this makes me very happy.