Web browsers cross the uncanny valley home to 99+% of open-source, free-as-in-beer, and even commercially supported cross-platform GUI toolkits. This is due in

Web browsers cross the uncanny valley home to 99+% of open-source, free-as-in-beer, and even commercially supported cross-platform GUI toolkits. This is due in part to the freedom to evolve new UI/UX concepts, but primarily because incentives align for polishing rough edges. Web browsers grew up with an always-on Internet connection -- continuously pushing updates to code and data. This has expanded to continuous updates "all the way down" (the native code browser auto-updating on top of an auto-updating OS). Rebuilding core features such as these, even if by selecting unencumbered open-source libraries, basically means winding up in nearly the same place (since browsers are competing to optimize their implementations). Finding a way to connect to the browser foundation underneath whatever layer in the stack begins feeling bloated is worth evaluating, but there are diminishing returns.