Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#1

Post by osrec » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 5:05 AM UTC

Given that the web is becoming more of an application delivery platform, rather than a collection of documents, as it was probably first envisaged, what would you do differently if you were to reinvent the browser, given the key use cases of today?

I'm very interested to hear your thoughts :)

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#2

Post by anigbrowl » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 5:17 AM UTC

Graph centric. Everything is a graph, I'd prefer to start off with semantic web endpoints and pluggable modules. Sorta like nestable pinboard, prioritizing the simplest mime types and deprioritizing anything which too much code unless it's providing specific functionality.

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#3

Post by BjoernKW » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 8:52 AM UTC

While Tim Berners-Lee was indeed mostly concerned with (scientific) documents, with form support HTML 2 already introduced application-like features. HyperCard, one of HTML's spiritual precursors also was very much about applications.

That said, I'd like one feature of the original web browser to be much more prominent (or in fact to be available at all): In-place editing and instant publication of changes, alongside with version control.

That'd of course require infrastructure for those publications to run on. So, it'd not just be a different browser UX but an entirely different way of publishing on the web.

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#4

Post by vimy » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 1:51 PM UTC

Support for micropayments.

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#5

Post by FELDO » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 2:20 PM UTC

Disallow foreign code execution in the browser, allow spawn of non-native code only in a separate process. No JavaScript, no Java, etc.

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#6

Post by poiuytrewqa » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 3:04 PM UTC

Use standards, that's enough. And avoid that a random Corp create the next unaccessible thing and force it down to everybody and avoid support for not standardized / proprietary technologies

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#7

Post by digitalsushi » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 3:34 PM UTC

vimy wrote: post #4

Support for micropayments.

That could be as amazing an improvement as experiencing television shows without commercials was for the first time.

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#8

Post by maps7 » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 4:25 PM UTC

I'd have web widgets. No reason every website needs to take up the full window

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#9

Post by osrec » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 5:36 PM UTC

vimy wrote: post #4

Support for micropayments.

Please could you elaborate on how this would work and improve things?

Re: Ask HN: If you could reinvent the web browser, what would you do differently?

#10

Post by osrec » Thu, Jul 09, 2020, 5:39 PM UTC

maps7 wrote: post #8

I'd have web widgets. No reason every website needs to take up the full window

So the ability to tile windows into a single screen, without them sharing the same context? Perhaps, like a bunch of iframes containing their own "web page", but with the control over how the frames are arranged given to the user?