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That is not a helpful reply.

Lots of browsers don't have reader mode, or it sucks. Chrome, for example, puts it in a tiny narrow sidebar where it is ironically difficult to read. Images are removed or mangled. It's a mess. And you don't always have a choice of which browser you get to use anyways.

The responsibility to ensure text is readable lies with websites, not with browser features that a user may or may not have.

It’s helpful if you want to be helped and not just complain.

Your browser doesn’t have it, or it’s bad? Use a different one!

Responsibility? Responsibility and five bucks will get you a coffee at Starbucks.

You can solve the problem, or talk about how other people should solve it. Do whichever one you prefer, but only one of them actually produces the desired outcome.

If you solve the problem for yourself, you're only benefiting yourself.

If you actually talk publicly about how it should be properly addressed in the first place, you add to societal pressure so other people do things right. That's the only one that produces the desired outcome more broadly and long-term.

We have valuable things like accessibility standards because enough people complained. Or would you rather we not had those because those people were "just complaining"?

I'd be perfectly happy with "it's still best if sites ensure that they're readable by default." But this whiny "but what if I'm using a crappy browser" response isn't the way to make that point.
I'm sorry, whiny? Why don't you take a look at the HN guidelines:

> Be kind. Don't be snarky. Converse curiously; don't cross-examine. Edit out swipes.

And there are things you can critique about Chrome, but it's certainly not "crappy". It's also the most popular by far, even on devices where it's not default.

So please don't tell people not to complain, and please don't call them whiny. It's entirely inappropriate, and not helpful at all. HN is not the place for these things.

Chrome is an ad delivery platform and reader mode subverts ads. You're getting what you paid for.
I'm getting what I paid for with Firefox too. Their funding mostly comes from Google which comes from ads too. What's your point?