It has always been this way. The only reason many tools and libraries can switch between node and the web transparently is that tons of developers have put in a

It has always been this way. The only reason many tools and libraries can switch between node and the web transparently is that tons of developers have put in a considerable amount of effort. The problem is that if you're using some node package in the browser that wouldn't typically be there, it'll need to be bundled for inclusion in the browser. Nothing about npm's design implies or particularly facilitates that packages will be isomorphic.