You're Gonna Need a Bigger Browser

• DownloadNet

  20 3,648 6.1 JavaScript

  💾 DownloadNet - All content you browse online available offline. Search through the full-text of all pages in your browser history. ⭐️ Star to support our work!

  

Given that I directly work in this space I found the article's synthesis of a range of ideas about browser innovation to be highly relevant.

More generally, the article is actually extremely interesting and examines a bunch of ideas worthy of consideration if you're interested in the future of web browsing.

Perhaps none of the ideas are new in isolation, but it's encouraging that people are doing this foundational conceptual work and imagining where a synthesis of them would go.

Despite being interesting somehow on the page it was not so easy to read. Here's a summary of key ideas:

Stagnation in Browser Evolution: Berjon notes that despite being central to the web's architecture, browsers haven't changed much in their fundamental design for a long time. They have undergone incremental changes but the core concept remains largely the same as it was decades ago.

Reimagining Browsers: He suggests that to increase user agency—a principle that the web should empower users—we need to consider major overhauls to what a browser is and how it operates.

Integration of Search and Social: Berjon challenges the traditional separation of browsers, search engines, and social platforms. He advocates for an integrated approach where the browser encompasses these functions, aligning more closely with users' experiences and expectations.

Shift From Client to Agent: The author proposes rethinking the browser not just as a client for retrieving documents but as an "agent" that provides a variety of services, potentially including server-like functions, to empower users.

User Agency and Personal Data Servers: By incorporating elements such as Personal Data Servers (PDS), users could manage their own data and services like recommendations, identity, and subscriptions, which currently rely on third-party providers.

Tab Management: Berjon critiques the use of tabs, suggesting that they are an ineffective method for organizing and interacting with web content, and advocates for better UI solutions.

Business Models: He delves into the financial aspects of browsers, highlighting the significant profits derived from setting search engine defaults. Berjon argues for reinvestment of these profits into the web as a public good and for developing business models that truly benefit user agency.

Potential for Change: Despite the challenges, Berjon is optimistic about the possibility of change, noting that there is room for product differentiation and that financial incentives can drive innovation in the browser space.

I found the one about User Agency and Personal Data Servers particularly fascinating. I've been exploring the idea of a federated search engine, where a person curates their own search through their browsing history (and ultimately could share it socially), in DownloadNet: https://github.com/dosyago/DownloadNet

And my company has been developing a platform for building extended and customized browsing experiences and delivering them anywhere. It's my hope that BrowserBox will play a part in the future direction of the browser as user agent. It's open source so if you care about the future of the web, get involved: https://github.com/BrowserBox/BrowserBox :)

• BrowserBox

  43 3,171 9.9 JavaScript

  🌀 Browse the web from a browser you run on a server, rather than on your local device. Lightweight virtual browser. For security, privacy and more! By https://github.com/dosyago

  

Given that I directly work in this space I found the article's synthesis of a range of ideas about browser innovation to be highly relevant.

More generally, the article is actually extremely interesting and examines a bunch of ideas worthy of consideration if you're interested in the future of web browsing.

Perhaps none of the ideas are new in isolation, but it's encouraging that people are doing this foundational conceptual work and imagining where a synthesis of them would go.

Despite being interesting somehow on the page it was not so easy to read. Here's a summary of key ideas:

Stagnation in Browser Evolution: Berjon notes that despite being central to the web's architecture, browsers haven't changed much in their fundamental design for a long time. They have undergone incremental changes but the core concept remains largely the same as it was decades ago.

Reimagining Browsers: He suggests that to increase user agency—a principle that the web should empower users—we need to consider major overhauls to what a browser is and how it operates.

Integration of Search and Social: Berjon challenges the traditional separation of browsers, search engines, and social platforms. He advocates for an integrated approach where the browser encompasses these functions, aligning more closely with users' experiences and expectations.

Shift From Client to Agent: The author proposes rethinking the browser not just as a client for retrieving documents but as an "agent" that provides a variety of services, potentially including server-like functions, to empower users.

User Agency and Personal Data Servers: By incorporating elements such as Personal Data Servers (PDS), users could manage their own data and services like recommendations, identity, and subscriptions, which currently rely on third-party providers.

Tab Management: Berjon critiques the use of tabs, suggesting that they are an ineffective method for organizing and interacting with web content, and advocates for better UI solutions.

Business Models: He delves into the financial aspects of browsers, highlighting the significant profits derived from setting search engine defaults. Berjon argues for reinvestment of these profits into the web as a public good and for developing business models that truly benefit user agency.

Potential for Change: Despite the challenges, Berjon is optimistic about the possibility of change, noting that there is room for product differentiation and that financial incentives can drive innovation in the browser space.

I found the one about User Agency and Personal Data Servers particularly fascinating. I've been exploring the idea of a federated search engine, where a person curates their own search through their browsing history (and ultimately could share it socially), in DownloadNet: https://github.com/dosyago/DownloadNet

And my company has been developing a platform for building extended and customized browsing experiences and delivering them anywhere. It's my hope that BrowserBox will play a part in the future direction of the browser as user agent. It's open source so if you care about the future of the web, get involved: https://github.com/BrowserBox/BrowserBox :)

• SurveyJS

  surveyjs.io featured

  Open-Source JSON Form Builder to Create Dynamic Forms Right in Your App. With SurveyJS form UI libraries, you can build and style forms in a fully-integrated drag & drop form builder, render them in your JS app, and store form submission data in any backend, inc. PHP, ASP.NET Core, and Node.js.

  

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