All I meant was that just because it wasn't originally designed as an application platform doesn't mean that it hasn't evolved in the meantime. To your point, a

All I meant was that just because it wasn't originally designed as an application platform doesn't mean that it hasn't evolved in the meantime. To your point, a lot of engineering time and money has been poured into moving web technologies way more than just a way to shuttle around scientific papers. HTML5, CSS3, and ES6 are far cries from their original ancestors, as are modern (and near-future) HTTP, websockets, etc. Technology evolves. As for the hose analogy, municipal water distribution systems are still powered by gravity. Which is quite a bit older than the Archimedes screw. A good illustration that usually something simple is all you need.