Let's ask ourselves why hovering to expose interface elements is so very prevalent in web interfaces, when it's all but absent in native computer software. The

Let's ask ourselves why hovering to expose interface elements is so very prevalent in web interfaces, when it's all but absent in native computer software. The answer is that classic web interfaces are static rendered pages spruced up with some CSS and javascript interactivity patches, while native software is dynamically interactive. As web apps move to being AJAX-y or HTML5 interactive javascript experiences instead of a collection of static pages, then the interface conventions of native software will become more prevalent. When you want to edit something in a list, you hit the 'edit' button, and your whole interface goes into 'edit' mode. No more needing to patch fake interactivity onto a static canvas. No more worrying about users being afraid to click on a link or button, for fear of not making it back to their current status, or of being lost while they wait for new content to load. The interactive nature of emerging web standards renders the lack of hovering irrelevant. Current interfaces were all going out the window anyway; touch devices just bring the problem to the forefront.