HTML is not a UI platform. It is a language that provides structure and meaning to otherwise static content. The web browser is the equivalent of a WinForms or

HTML is not a UI platform. It is a language that provides structure and meaning to otherwise static content. The web browser is the equivalent of a WinForms or WPF application that interprets the HTML content and turns it into a visual presentation. CSS and JavaScript basically came along to help web browsers better present HTML content in fancier ways. But at the end of the day, it isn't a framework and HTML is still just structured content, if not bastardized to force a certain UI presentation. You can't have fancy web applications without a web browser, just like you can't have a native desktop application without a GUI chrome framework. When you speak to the overall footprint of a web application, the web browser and the functionality it provides has to be taken into consideration, when comparing to native desktop applications. It really comes down to the classic client/server problem - How much functionality is the client going to handle vs. the server? There is always going to be a compromise of size/complexity/performance when off-loading to the client, among other concerns. It really doesn't matter what the client technology is, Flash, SilverLight, WebAssembly, Java, etc., they all will run into that same basic structural design issue.