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> no component standardization This one is interesting because Alan Kay is so expressly against it ("browsers shouldn't have features"). He thinks every objec
by mgummelt 7y ago
> no component standardization
This one is interesting because Alan Kay is so expressly against it ("browsers shouldn't have features"). He thinks every object should just render itself as a bitmap.
Besides, browsers do have standard components. That's what the semantic HTML tags like <button /> are. The specific views vary between browsers. Is that a problem? Regardless, almost no site uses the standard stylings that do exist. They use a de facto standard like Bootstrap, or they build their own.
I agree with some of your other points, but I don't understand your lament of "enormous complexity" while you're advocating for more features.
- edejong 7y agoI guess he meant: browsers shouldn’t need features. It should be a network effect. It’s good to make a distinction between design principles and their resulting effects. Most of what I described before were effects of bad design.
- discreteevent 7y agoOne thing about rendering to a bitmap is that it is more robust over time. Look how much code is in the browser to support older styles of html. Smart endpoints dumb pipes, prevents ossification. The browser tries to be far too smart for its own good and ends up making a mediocre job of everything while being hugely complex (as outlined by parent above)