
The Browser Is The New Operating System - markbao
http://techdirt.com/articles/20080530/0022021266.shtml
======
makecheck
I have been very impressed by the progress of web browsers. However, they
simply don't replace an operating system until they start acting like the
keepers of an entire ecosystem of applications. Browsers are still way too
careless.

For example, why should a modern browser allow me to immediately close a
window with a web app running (the equivalent of an OS' "shut down without
warning")?

Why do browsers even _show_ a page's "reset" buttons (also known as "destroy
everything with no Undo")?

And the Browser Operating System can still do the equivalent of "kernel panic"
by taking out 14 windows (which aren't really windows, but web applications)
when it dies.

The closest I've come to "nice" is OmniWeb on my Mac, where they have
excellent per-site preferences. This at least gives me some control over each
web application, as if the browser were an OS. It isn't enough, but it's a
good start.

~~~
cousin_it
> why should a modern browser allow me to immediately close a window

> Why do browsers even show a page's "reset" buttons

Because it's better this way. The needs of users trump the needs of webapp
developers. A browser that won't let me close a window, or refresh a poorly
loaded page? No thanks.

~~~
makecheck
I didn't say it wouldn't close the window, only that this wouldn't be
immediate. For example, it could confirm before throwing away the entire state
of a web application.

I wasn't referring to the ability to refresh a page, I was referring to the
reset button of a form. That button destroys all the data the user entered,
which is similar to an unwanted close.

------
bprater
I still wonder if this is a solution hunting for a problem. I'm pretty darn
happy running my OS of choice.

What burning problem am I having that I need an OS in my browser? Some kind of
way to store documents like Google Gears, sure, I'll take that.

------
seiji
Paul Sowden from Meebo gave a talk about client side storage at the second SF
JS meetup: <http://www.slideshare.net/idontsmoke/client-side-storage/>

Interesting takeaways: more clients have some form of client side storage
enabled than have cookies enabled. Also, nobody uses google gears.

------
sah
One things operating systems do that I wish browsers would emulate is per-
process memory management. Even with the excellent work on memory management
in Firefox 3, long-running javascript apps can fragment the browser's heap
such that memory can't be reclaimed after the page (but not the browser) is
closed.

~~~
eggnet
Why not put each browser window or tab in a separate process? There's probably
a reason, but none come to mind at the moment.

~~~
jamongkad
Correct me if I'm wrong but doesnt' WebKit already do that?

