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IMO the browser's strength is really 'zero-install distribution of applications', I don't think HTML/CSS/JS have anything to do with it. Having said that, I th

IMO the browser's strength is really 'zero-install distribution of applications', I don't think HTML/CSS/JS have anything to do with it. Having said that, I think your argument its a straw-man, back-end web development is just a part (sometimes even unnecessary) of browser programming.

jaredklewis 10y ago
Well I think it has something to do with the web's success. For one thing, the HTML/CSS/JS separation of concerns made it so that someone could make a non-interactive, static web page with very little knowledge. The basics of HTML and CSS can be taught in a week. This is important! I think we would have far less success training people to create static documents with many of the various programming language UI Kits. Though becoming less important, there was definitely a time when this helped to increase the adoption of browsers (and I would argue still makes it easier to teach). Another thing, is the HTML/CSS/JS were all open standards that have accepted contributions from a wide range of parties. Look at scheme: beautiful, consistent, and completely unused. HTML/CSS/JS would without question be much more pleasant if they had been designed by a benevolent dictator. But open nature of the RFC process I think both greatly helped adoption as well as contributed to the inconsistent nature of the APIs. You only have zero-install (i.e. ships with the OS) because the web got wide spread adoption, and I think HTML/CSS/JS contributed to that.
imtringued 10y ago
This is why I don't understand the purpose of electron apps. Why not remove the electron part and just install and run a local http server written in any language and access it from your browser? No need to download the same 50MB+ for electron every time. The overhead from running multiple browser engines is gone. Basically everything is as it should be. The Kimchi KMV UI is a pretty good example how to do it. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12477030 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12477030
- bbcbasic 10y ago
  Marketing. People pay more for an application than a web page. Why did YNAB change from being a spreadsheet to an app?

jaredklewis 10y ago

Well I think it has something to do with the web's success. For one thing, the HTML/CSS/JS separation of concerns made it so that someone could make a non-interactive, static web page with very little knowledge. The basics of HTML and CSS can be taught in a week. This is important! I think we would have far less success training people to create static documents with many of the various programming language UI Kits. Though becoming less important, there was definitely a time when this helped to increase the adoption of browsers (and I would argue still makes it easier to teach). Another thing, is the HTML/CSS/JS were all open standards that have accepted contributions from a wide range of parties. Look at scheme: beautiful, consistent, and completely unused. HTML/CSS/JS would without question be much more pleasant if they had been designed by a benevolent dictator. But open nature of the RFC process I think both greatly helped adoption as well as contributed to the inconsistent nature of the APIs. You only have zero-install (i.e. ships with the OS) because the web got wide spread adoption, and I think HTML/CSS/JS contributed to that.

imtringued 10y ago

This is why I don't understand the purpose of electron apps. Why not remove the electron part and just install and run a local http server written in any language and access it from your browser? No need to download the same 50MB+ for electron every time. The overhead from running multiple browser engines is gone. Basically everything is as it should be. The Kimchi KMV UI is a pretty good example how to do it. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12477030 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12477030

bbcbasic 10y ago
Marketing. People pay more for an application than a web page. Why did YNAB change from being a spreadsheet to an app?