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Modern standards compliant browsers are usually cross-platform so HTML is the new GUI toolkit, scripted by JS. Especially with WebGL and O3D in the works we wi

by sjs 17y ago

Modern standards compliant browsers are usually cross-platform so HTML is the new GUI toolkit, scripted by JS. Especially with WebGL and O3D in the works we will see the browser become the delivery mechanism for the new-old-school fat client. The difference between the new and old is network awareness. New style apps are often mashups. Programs are temporarily installed for a session by visiting a specific URL (Chrome's app shortcut even makes it seem like a real installation). You update to new versions by refreshing the page. Old school, new school, like it or not, this is the foreseeable future.

moe 17y ago
Especially with WebGL and O3D in the works we will see the browser become the delivery mechanism for the new-old-school fat client. I'm sorry but I fail to see what 3d technology in the browser has to do with application UIs. The two fundamental problems with HTML are the complete failure that is the box model, and the W3Cs complete ignorance of real world requirements. As an example for the latter just look at the pityful HTML widget-set that hasn't changed one bit over the last 15 years. Every OS GUI toolkit in existence has native widgets for comboboxes, date pickers, sliders and various other amazingly useful primitives. I don't see any plans for finally bringing any of that to HTML. Instead we'll continue to see every new javascript framework reinvent them to varying degrees of success, along with a long list of other baseline functionality (client-side form validation, anyone? WebSocket really soon now?). All the while the W3C invents fancy audio/video tags, 3d widgets, a questionable canvas API and lots of other stuff that hardly solves any real problem we developers are fighting every day, in any app. I don't think the evolution of RIAs will wait for the W3C to get their act together. I rather think the alternatives to the browser will see a raise in popularity in the foreseeable future, as the HTML/JS combo gets maxed out and more people start looking for ways to notch the expirience up further than possible within the browser constraints...

by sjs 17y ago

moe 17y ago

Especially with WebGL and O3D in the works we will see the browser become the delivery mechanism for the new-old-school fat client. I'm sorry but I fail to see what 3d technology in the browser has to do with application UIs. The two fundamental problems with HTML are the complete failure that is the box model, and the W3Cs complete ignorance of real world requirements. As an example for the latter just look at the pityful HTML widget-set that hasn't changed one bit over the last 15 years. Every OS GUI toolkit in existence has native widgets for comboboxes, date pickers, sliders and various other amazingly useful primitives. I don't see any plans for finally bringing any of that to HTML. Instead we'll continue to see every new javascript framework reinvent them to varying degrees of success, along with a long list of other baseline functionality (client-side form validation, anyone? WebSocket really soon now?). All the while the W3C invents fancy audio/video tags, 3d widgets, a questionable canvas API and lots of other stuff that hardly solves any real problem we developers are fighting every day, in any app. I don't think the evolution of RIAs will wait for the W3C to get their act together. I rather think the alternatives to the browser will see a raise in popularity in the foreseeable future, as the HTML/JS combo gets maxed out and more people start looking for ways to notch the expirience up further than possible within the browser constraints...