The history of the web is littered with attempts to build more generalized engines for safe rich media / app execution. Microsoft silverlight, java applets, ado

The history of the web is littered with attempts to build more generalized engines for safe rich media / app execution. Microsoft silverlight, java applets, adobe flash etc. These attempts ran into problems around openness (one company did not want to promote another) and friction with resource contention of the host operating system. For example rich web media needed to be tightly coordinated with iPhone development for performance concerns and to force publishers to retool for mobile experience. I don't think we have sacrificed so much in possiblity once you weight the constraints of the time and the world of possible today. Device monopoly and app store becoming what they became is probably not something the open web could have prevented even if there was more holistic vision for web tech up front.