5 ms·

I think one of the problems of the web imo is that we are trying to solve two quite different problems with one tool. I.e. publishing documents for reading and

I think one of the problems of the web imo is that we are trying to solve two quite different problems with one tool. I.e. publishing documents for reading and making applications for interactions. I think the browser is a pretty good tool for browsing information (think wikis, blogs, news, etc) but we are shoehorning applications (think project management tools, calendars, mail..) into them. I would like to have them separated so one tool can be optimised for documents and one for making applications.

osrec 6y ago
I agree with this sentiment, but I'd take it a step further. I personally think, the fact that we're shoehorning so much app-like stuff into the web highlights the need for a good web-based app delivery mechanism. If we provide a solid app delivery mechanism, then people can create their own document publishing apps/mechanisms using that. I know this might lead to fragmentation of document formats, but hopefully there'll be one clear winner in terms of popularity and ubiquity (similar to WhatsApp or PDFs).
- brimstedt 6y ago
  Well, PDFs are yet another issue. It's preformatted documents made specifically for a certain size paper. This is not optimal for documents to be read on screen/mobile devices since they handle zooming, changing text sizes etc poorly. In a way I can agree with you that application delivery would allow document distribution as well, but I think the benefits of a unified standard for this that focuses on content rather than presentation is a key feature of the web that we should not loose.
- potta_coffee 6y ago
  I've been thinking about this a lot. The browser is starting to resemble an operating system. I already have an operating system. Instead of building this Russian nesting doll, maybe we need something new.

5 ms·

I think one of the problems of the web imo is that we are trying to solve two quite different problems with one tool. I.e. publishing documents for reading and

by brimstedt 6y ago

osrec 6y ago
I agree with this sentiment, but I'd take it a step further. I personally think, the fact that we're shoehorning so much app-like stuff into the web highlights the need for a good web-based app delivery mechanism. If we provide a solid app delivery mechanism, then people can create their own document publishing apps/mechanisms using that. I know this might lead to fragmentation of document formats, but hopefully there'll be one clear winner in terms of popularity and ubiquity (similar to WhatsApp or PDFs).
- brimstedt 6y ago
  Well, PDFs are yet another issue. It's preformatted documents made specifically for a certain size paper. This is not optimal for documents to be read on screen/mobile devices since they handle zooming, changing text sizes etc poorly. In a way I can agree with you that application delivery would allow document distribution as well, but I think the benefits of a unified standard for this that focuses on content rather than presentation is a key feature of the web that we should not loose.
- potta_coffee 6y ago
  I've been thinking about this a lot. The browser is starting to resemble an operating system. I already have an operating system. Instead of building this Russian nesting doll, maybe we need something new.