Microsoft’s decision to halt development of its proprietary web browser rendering technologies is controversial on many levels. But from a more pragmatic perspective, this change will impact users in some unexpected ways, not all of which will be positive. So I think it’s time to air a few concerns that have nothing to do with Google’s and Microsoft’s relationship and everything to do with how we interact with the web browsers on our PCs and smartphones.

At a high level, ecosystem is one of the many decision points that goes into any personal technology choice. For example, those who choose the Apple-only route give up a lot when they go down what I think of as a “one-way, dead-end street.” But what they gain is certainly desirable: Things just work, and the integration between the Mac, iOS devices, Apple TV, and Apple Watch enables a seamless experience that the rest us—if we’re being honest with ourselves—are jealous of.