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Perhaps we should split the web into two worlds. Create dedicated browsers for just enriched document etc. Add some sort of constraints on what the browser can do, and how much control is removed from the user.


They tried that in the 90s, its called Java. Didn't really work out for that purpose.

In practice things like Twitter and Facebook, interactive programs, should really be just that - programs you run. If the interface is nigh static and the purpose is content interaction rather than primarily consumption you should be opening the Facebook program that gives you this interface and uses its client / server communication to feed messages to and from the interface, not provide the whole thing over the wire spread across document addresses.

And they are that on mobile. Who uses Facebooks mobile website? Everyone uses the app. The contention only exists on "desktop" OSes because Windows and OSX don't provide a UX workflow to push an app at user (at least they didn't when it mattered) the way a mobile site can. And that the app environments on both were way worse than the Android or iOS SDKs for making a dumb GUI for something like Facebook.


> Who uses Facebooks mobile website? Everyone uses the app.

I do, just like I do with every app that might feel too comfy reaching out to my contacts. Not to mention how resource hungry it is.

If you think MFC, VCL, .NET are worse experiences than Android SDK you really never coded for Android.


We have Lynx already.

But seriously, where do you draw the line between enriched documents and apps?

CSS? JS used for styling? d3 for visualizations? WebGL?

Websites have gotten so bloated that the only sane future I see is serving people unix + x in wasm.


The problem here is that the average end user would not know which one to use and when to use it.


And then all those non techy people will say why this website doesn't open... And they need to download another browser to have web apps. I hope you can see how bad this can go




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