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The increasing complexity of web browsers has less to do with companies using browsers to shoulder competition out (after all, why would they bother to make the

by pippy 7y ago

The increasing complexity of web browsers has less to do with companies using browsers to shoulder competition out (after all, why would they bother to make their engines open source?) and more to do with the web becoming the default application platform. And this has its roots in companies... trying to shouldering out competition with native UI frameworks. Microsoft just two days ago introduced WinUI, another propitiatory UI that's tied into their ecosystem. Bringing Microsoft's total non standard UI frameworks to seven (or is it eight?). Developers want cross compatibility, so they naturally turn to the web. Usually in the form of election or native web. And if they do choose to go native, iOS and Android on the top of the list now days. So developers expect native OS level API access from browsers. This is the true source of the bloat. And to be honest, we're converging on an open standard cross platform API. this is great.

ksec 7y ago
> and more to do with the web becoming the default application platform. I dont even see any trend to suggest that is the case. Even if you count Electron as being one. Most Apps are not web based, and dont ever intends to be. >So developers expect native OS level API access from browsers. Exactly. It was certain group of developers that want the Web to be the default Application platform, starting with Mozilla's Firefox OS and later Chrome OS. I think we need to differentiate a Web Page Engine and a Web App Engine. Although I would agree that even a Web Page Engine today is far too complex.
- tylerjwilk00 7y ago
  > and more to do with the web becoming the default application platform. >> I dont even see any trend to suggest that is the case. Even if you count Electron as being one. Most Apps are not web based, and dont ever intends to be. - Email - Chat - Music - Calendar - Word Processing - Spreadsheets - Social - News - TV A shorter list would be what isn't on the web platform? - Video games - Graphics programs
  - ksec 7y ago
    None of the first list needs to be or what I would even call them as Apps ( Apart from Spreadsheet ) , they could be "Smart Document", or HTMl with JS sprinkle on top, or Interactive pages. And the usage of Web Spreadsheets are not mainstream at all.
  - oefrha 7y ago
    > A shorter list would be what isn't on the web platform? > - Video games Video games (not talking about Flash/HTML5 games) are on the web platform. https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/wiki/Porting-Examples-and-Demos https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/wiki/Porting-E... If you count streaming in, AAA games can be played from the browser since a while ago. I'm not a Google Stadia user but I participated in Project Stream which streamed Assassin's Creed Odyssey to browsers and from my brief experience it was pretty impressive.
pas 7y ago
Huh, never heard of WinUI. It looks "open source" (whatever that means for MS), and somehow it aims to support cross-platformness via React? :o
- contextfree 7y ago
  The "somehow" is that React Native on Windows is built on top of WinUI, just as React Native on Android or iOS are built on top of those platforms' native UI frameworks.

by pippy 7y ago

ksec 7y ago

> and more to do with the web becoming the default application platform. I dont even see any trend to suggest that is the case. Even if you count Electron as being one. Most Apps are not web based, and dont ever intends to be. >So developers expect native OS level API access from browsers. Exactly. It was certain group of developers that want the Web to be the default Application platform, starting with Mozilla's Firefox OS and later Chrome OS. I think we need to differentiate a Web Page Engine and a Web App Engine. Although I would agree that even a Web Page Engine today is far too complex.

tylerjwilk00 7y ago
> and more to do with the web becoming the default application platform. >> I dont even see any trend to suggest that is the case. Even if you count Electron as being one. Most Apps are not web based, and dont ever intends to be. - Email - Chat - Music - Calendar - Word Processing - Spreadsheets - Social - News - TV A shorter list would be what isn't on the web platform? - Video games - Graphics programs
- ksec 7y ago
  None of the first list needs to be or what I would even call them as Apps ( Apart from Spreadsheet ) , they could be "Smart Document", or HTMl with JS sprinkle on top, or Interactive pages. And the usage of Web Spreadsheets are not mainstream at all.
- oefrha 7y ago
  > A shorter list would be what isn't on the web platform? > - Video games Video games (not talking about Flash/HTML5 games) are on the web platform. https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/wiki/Porting-Examples-and-Demos https://github.com/emscripten-core/emscripten/wiki/Porting-E... If you count streaming in, AAA games can be played from the browser since a while ago. I'm not a Google Stadia user but I participated in Project Stream which streamed Assassin's Creed Odyssey to browsers and from my brief experience it was pretty impressive.

pas 7y ago

Huh, never heard of WinUI. It looks "open source" (whatever that means for MS), and somehow it aims to support cross-platformness via React? :o

contextfree 7y ago
The "somehow" is that React Native on Windows is built on top of WinUI, just as React Native on Android or iOS are built on top of those platforms' native UI frameworks.