Sign in

Bruce Lawson

@brucel.bsky.social
4K followers 74 following 1.3K posts

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.

PostsRepliesMedia
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 6h
See your open web heroes in the actual flesh tomorrow, Laaahndaaahn, free! Gasp in wonder as Big Al Russell, Alex "OWA Roo" Moore, Tommy "The Fish" Fish and Kush "Krusher" Amlani and I take to the stage to spin tales of glory, valour, blood, betrayal, and web standards. Not for the faint-hearted.
londonwebstandards.org
Meet Open Web Advocacy | London Web Standards
Meet the contributors from Open Web Advocacy, there will be a few talks by their members giving updates on the work they are doing to help make the web a better place for all.
110
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 11h
definitelynotwindows.com
definitelynotwindows.com
Definitely Not Windows — Windows 11½
The operating system Microsoft definitely did not make. An interactive parody of Windows 11, Microsoft 365, Copilot, updates, ads, and subscriptions.
181
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Side-Channel Leakage from the File-Notification System on Linux, Android, Windows, and macOS. inoti.fyi
inoti.fyi
File Notification Attacks
Side-Channel Leakage from the File-Notification System on Linux, Android, Windows, and macOS. Accepted at The ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS), November 15-19, 2026 — The H...
000
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Companies don’t push apps because installing one improves your spiritual wellbeing." webdesignerdepot.com/nobody-wants...
webdesignerdepot.com
Nobody Wants Your Damn App
Nobody wants another app cluttering their phone—so why does every website keep begging us to install one? The web already perfected the experience: click, load, done. Maybe it’s time we stopped trying...
0164
Reposted by Bruce Lawson
Vivaldi Browser @vivaldi.com · 28/09/2026
Big Tech doesn't make things easy for its competitors, but we promise to keep fighting for a more diverse tech environment where users are allowed to choose what's best for them ✊
vivaldi.com
Happy 3rd birthday, Vivaldi on iOS | Vivaldi Browser
Here’s a look at how we’re working with other browsers and groups to liberate all platforms, so you have the right to run the software you want on a device that you own.
49719
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Today marks three years since we released Vivaldi for iOS. Hurray! Here's a look at how we're working with other browsers and groups to liberate all platforms so you have the right to run the software you want on a device that you own.
vivaldi.com
Happy 3rd birthday, Vivaldi on iOS | Vivaldi Browser
Today marks three years since we released Vivaldi for iOS. Hurray! We released Vivaldi on Android seven years ago. So what explains the iOS delay? Quite simply, Apple caused the delay. Globally…
070
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
70% of Americans think that AI is bad for society, 73% of Americans think the costs of datacenters outweigh the benefits, according to a survey www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
theguardian.com
Democracy blindsides Silicon Valley’s power players looking to transform the world with AI
‘The push against datacenters speaks to the frustration of people who don’t feel they are making the choices in their lives’
050
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Confidence in Big Tech Continues to Slide news.gallup.com/poll/712436/... Confidence in large technology companies has fallen steadily from the 32% recorded when Gallup first included it on the list in 2020; today’s 20% rating brings it to a new low.
news.gallup.com
Confidence in U.S. Institutions Remains Near All-Time Low
Americans remain stuck in a confidence rut, with average trust in national institutions below 30% for the fifth straight year.
021
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Exchanging billets-doux with Apple's compliance department, yet again.
010
Reposted by Bruce Lawson
Vivaldi Browser @vivaldi.com · 01/05/2025
Sometimes Windows won't fully close other browsers. Here's how to force-close the one you're importing data from.
081
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
There are no "rogue AIs". Just rogue AI companies. Regulate them hard.
0264
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I'm in a hall with loads of stained glass windows and portraits of Lord mayors and worshipful aldermen of the city, surrounded by people who bill by the nanosecond.
A posh room
150
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I don't need a JavaScript syntax highlighter, but when I read "Twinkleplop is a syntax highlighter of unspeakable power" I suddenly really want it. twinkleplop.pngwn.at/docs
twinkleplop.pngwn.at
twinkleplop · docs
Documentation for twinkleplop, a syntax highlighter and code authoring toolkit.
080
Reposted by Bruce Lawson
noyb – European Center for Digital Rights @noyb.eu · 22/09/2026
🇪🇺 The EC stated it would introduce only minor simplifications within the #DigitalOmnibus, whilst maintaining a “high level of protection” for Europeans. However, a recently leaked document appears to prioritise the interests of #BigTech. Max Schrems takes a closer look. 👉 youtu.be/GsNCyS0algg
youtu.be
- YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
01113
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If you thought the departure of Tim Cook would see a new caring "Consent is a human right" Apple, think again. Not-Steve-Either has been in post 10 minutes, and they're forcing 22GB of AI on you. That's the equivalent of 32 shit U2 albums. dbushell.com/2026/09/22/a...
dbushell.com
I said no and Apple said yes
The one where Apple decides consent doesn’t matter anymore.
0224
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Alex Moore! Big Al Russell! Tommy Fish! Kush Amlani! All MC'd by Yrs Truly! It doesn't get more glamorous than this. And it's FREE. Book now, and be adored/ envied by friends, family and co-workers.
041
Reposted by Bruce Lawson
Millions of Chopped Landlord Pieces @thirteentwelve.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Charlotte Church roasting Ed Sheeran over a Dead Kennedy's cover
31995331
Reposted by Bruce Lawson
James Heppell @formularsumo.co.uk · 21/09/2026
Gmail and Workspace teams quite sensibly telling the Googlebook team they didn't want to make their Android apps work well on desktop when they already have great web apps. 9to5google.com/2026/09/21/g...
9to5google.com
Googlebook OS hands-on: It’s Android, stupid
An overwhelming sense of familiarity struck me the first time I used a Googlebook. That was immediately followed by a...
122
Reposted by Bruce Lawson
Heather Burns @heatherburnstech.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
My ongoing joke demand for a smartphone and social media ban for the over-65s feels less like a joke by the month
65313
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
CMA: The Umpire Strikes Back? brucelawson.co.uk/2026/cma-the... - my report from the trenches of a meeting called "Time to Reset: Unlocking Growth & Sovereignty Through Digital Competition" in the Financial Times building with movers and shakers.
brucelawson.co.uk
Bruce Lawson's personal site
» CMA: The Umpire Strikes Back?
031
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
EU Kids' Act primer: Techbros turned social media evil by using algorithms to monetize human connection. EU policy ppl are THINKING OF THE CHILDREN, so Techbros can continue milking the rest of us, and make some Euros selling surveillance, sorry: age verification systems, while they're at it. Yay.
140
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I see Reform UK have expanded their football shirt merch range to include a branded balaclava. reformfc.uk
reformfc.uk
Reform FC football shirts
Reform FC. Football shirts for Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson, Charlie Kirk and more!
000
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Ireland has long been a fiefdom of Big Tech, and now it has the EU Presidency, this leaked non-public document shows they have submitted a presidential amendment to GDPR to allow AI free rein over your data. Yay. www.linkedin.com/posts/johnny...
linkedin.com
This is insanity. Irish Presidency's draft text of amendments to the GDPR. This allows training and operation of any AI without safeguards & a tough legal basis ("legitimate interest&quo...
This is insanity. Irish Presidency's draft text of amendments to the GDPR. This allows training and operation of any AI without safeguards & a tough legal basis ("legitimate interest" merely requires...
161
Reposted by Bruce Lawson
London Web Standards @londonwebstandards.org · 18/09/2026
We beat #BigTech @brucel.bsky.social's talk is no longer Age Restricted! If you'd like to know more about fighting #BigTech then come join our @open-web-advocacy.org event on Thursday 1 October londonwebstandards.org/events/lws-o...
londonwebstandards.org
Meet Open Web Advocacy | London Web Standards
Meet the contributors from Open Web Advocacy, there will be a few talks by their members giving updates on the work they are doing to help make the web a better place for all.
142
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Bruce's Thought For the Day: If you think with your gut, you often have shit for brains.
130
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"Generative AI is unavoidable if you install macOS 27. I’m being very literal: There used to be a toggle you could hit if you wanted to turn off Apple Intelligence and delete the gigabytes’ worth of AI models it would download to your disk, and now there isn’t". arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...
arstechnica.com
macOS 27 Golden Gate: The Ars Technica review
It's both a "Snow Leopard update" and a major leap for Apple Intelligence.
082
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I'm having a proper Churchillian breakfast, with mushrooms and lots of white pepper and Henderson's Relish, as soon I'm meeting His Majesty's Most Valiant Competition and Markets Authority about the Big Tech's dirty tricks.
Fried agg and mushrooms on toast.
140
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
There’s a new W3C Community Group “The mission of the Browser Data Portability Community Group is to build consensus amongst web browser developers and implementers on how to meet the needs of users who wish to transfer their data between browsers.”  www.w3.org/community/br...
w3.org
Browser Data Portability Community Group
030
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Let's unfuck the mobile Web (together!) speakerdeck.com/brucel/lets-... - my slides from yesterday's London Web Standards. (They'll probably make even less sense standalone than I made last night. Video <under-construction.gif>
speakerdeck.com
Let's unfuck the mobile Web (together!)
London Web Standards, 15 September 2026
4152
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Hats off to the copywriter for "Honor the unforgettable spirit of a country music legend with this beautifully detailed memorial collectible duck." www.gleelee.com/products/par...
gleelee.com
Parton Memorial Duck
Parton Memorial Duck
140
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Thanks from @vivaldi.com for the support from developers and other browser vendors.
071
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I'm orf to fakkin Laaahhndaaaaahn for some meetings and then to yell at nerds about Big Tech, squire.
170
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"It’s almost as if Webkit aren’t actually participating in good faith but rather have already made up their mind to drag their heels when it comes to any kind of progress on this topic."
0122
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Your occasional reminder that, with no added A.I., Vivaldi browser is guaranteed not to attempt to wipe out humanity. vivaldi.com/blog/keep-ex...
vivaldi.com
Vivaldi takes a stand: keep browsing human | Vivaldi Browser
Browsing should push you to explore, chase ideas, and make your own decisions. It should light up your brain. Vivaldi is taking a stand. We choose humans over hype, and we will not turn the joy of…
041
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I shall be banging on about hippie bullshit "open web" stuff, while my chum Gerardo, a reformed sinister Brussels economist, will tell you how to turn hippie bullshit into actual RULES. Be there, if you're not a MAJOR LOSER. (It'll be recorded, too.)
187
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Charlie, one of La Daughter's mates and a tattoo artist at her studio, is on a mission to do a tattoo of every native British bird. So far he's raised £2,070 for RSPB. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
'I'm trying to do a tattoo of every British bird'
Charlie Sullivan has so far ticked off 86 species and raised £2,000 for the RSPB.
020
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
ATTENTION! EXTENSIONS! Loads of you asked for extensions to be added to Vivaldi for Android. Nobody at all asked for LLMs to be integrated. At Vivaldi, we're not Big Tech. So we've implemented extensions, and added 0% A.I. to the browser. vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi...
vivaldi.com
Vivaldi 8.2 for mobile: Your browser. Your rules. Your extensions. | Vivaldi Browser
Vivaldi hands you every tool you need to browse on your own terms. With our latest update, Vivaldi 8.2, we give you more. Or rather everything, with full extension support on Android, so you can shape...
040
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Apple finally invents the folding phone. "This changes everything. Nobody has ever been able to fold a phone before. I mean, obviously Samsung has, and Google has, and various Chinese manufacturers have, but nobody has done it properly. Those were gimmicks. This is *innovation*.”
newsthump.com
Apple finally invents the folding phone
Apple has stunned the technology world by inventing the folding phone, an entirely new type of mobile device that has only previously existed for several years in shops that sell phones made by oth…
5192
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Vivaldi 8.2 for Android now features extensions. vivaldi.com/blog/vivaldi...
vivaldi.com
Vivaldi 8.2 for mobile: Your browser. Your rules. Your extensions. | Vivaldi Browser
Vivaldi hands you every tool you need to browse on your own terms. With our latest update, Vivaldi 8.2, we give you more. Or rather everything, with full extension support on Android, so you can shape...
090
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Has anyone coded a jamming PWA to use in case some wanker with a new iThing is recording every conversation with Siri Recap? Or should I just carry a mallet, because privacy is a human right?
080
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Tomorrow in Parliament, Chi Onwurah MP will introduce a 10 minute Bill called the Personal Data (Digital Twin) Bill, to crack down on tech companies turning people into algorithms. It will also cover deepfakes and personal likeness. chionwurahmp.com/wp-content/u...
Tech platforms and AI chat bots make models of individuals based on hundreds or
thousands or millions of data points from friends to content likes to purchases to
streaming preferences.
These “digital twins” are then used to predict our behaviour, to target advertising
and, in some cases, to groom extreme behaviours in ways outside of our control.
This stealth twinning violates the fundamental principle that a person should have
control over their likeness, and enables vast revenue streams, the pseudo
humanisation of AI and the sycophantic nature of chatbots amongst other harms.
1143
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"We recommend the UK government publishes an updated strategic steer for the CMA. This should clarify that proactive, rapid and bold enforcement is pro-growth. The priority should be reducing barriers to entry for competitors, not maximising inward investment from incumbents."
ippr.org
Bottleneck Britain: How digital competition could power UK growth and sovereignty | IPPR
These companies hold extraordinary control over the digital infrastructure we all rely on. They have earned much of their success and deserve to profit, bu
011
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
On a train to Laaaahhhhhnndaaaahhn to leverage some regulatory synergies at the Financial Times' offices (lah-di-dah). Hoping also to "touch base" with the @open-web-advocacy.org operative codenamed "The Hepcat".
020
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Years ago I used to date a Scandinavian air hostess. I dropped her off at the airport one day, and that was the last I ever saw of her. She turned, waved goodbye and disappeared in to Finnair.
2240
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale
Togo-sponsored resolution called to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland
140
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I shall be doing a talk in Laaahnnndaaahhhn on Sept 15 called "Let's unfuck the mobile Web (together!)". On stage will also be Colombian Heart-throb Gerardo Proaño from @browserchoicealliance.org and Northern megahunk @letorey.co.uk. And, if you're cool n groovy (which you are), it's free.
londonwebstandards.org
LWS Sept 2026 | London Web Standards
Want to speak at our events, please get in touch organisers@londonwebstandards.org
132
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Reeling in shock at the footage of Nigel Farage slobbering his moist gratitude for another illegal foreign donation, after his secret bung from an overseas cryptoloon and an illegal brown envelope from a convicted fraudster.
060
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Defrag98 - take yourself back to a simpler time with the meditative UI and sounds of Windows 98 defragmenting a variety of disks. Om Shan–76% Complete. defrag98.com
defrag98.com
Windows 98 Disk Defrag Simulator
The classic Windows 98 Disk Defragmenter, free in your browser. Pick a drive, cue the HDD sounds, and relive 1998.
291
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Thanks to all who gave me feedback to make the Desktop PWA install button less "mystery meat", and to reps of businesses and institutions who asked for an "enterprise" (centrally-configurable) version of Vivaldi so they can move their org away from Big Tech's surveillance.
030
Bruce Lawson @brucel.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
EU court ruling preserves status quo, but case for designating Edge is stronger than ever browserchoicealliance.org/browser-choi...
browserchoicealliance.org
Browser Choice Alliance: EU court ruling preserves status quo, but case for designating Edge is stronger than ever - Browser Choice Alliance
The EU General Court issued its judgment today in Case T-357/24, upholding the European Commission’s 2024 decision to grant Microsoft an exceptional exemption from gatekeeper designation for its web browser, Edge, despite all the relevant quantitative thresholds for designation being met, thereby maintaining the status quo. The ruling nevertheless implicitly…
020