We got into a (2 1/2 hour) discussion at work today about the direction of our next project. While thinking about how we can push the boundaries of what a website can do, it really struck me how limiting working within a traditional web-browser is. The web-browser really is a compromise. You can build whatever application you want, style it however you want, show whatever content you want, as long as you are happy to stay within the square-box of the browser window.
Well, I’m tired of working within the square-box! Maybe Joost-like software isn’t such a crazy idea. It’s a “web” application (in this case, a video player that streams videos off the web) that has all the benefits of a Windows application: faster response times, dynamic interfaces that Ajax could only dream of, and a window that they can skin and control 100%.
Whereas, web-applications like “broadband video players” try their best to simulate a window (small “w” — could be on a Mac or Linux) program, they are constrained by the square-box and can never match the single-task-ness of a window application.
However, the beauty of the web-browser is the flow between websites using hyperlinks. “Surfing the web” is a flow through many webpages on many websites. While the interfaces for the individual websites may change, you can still navigate easily between them.
So here is what I propose: keep the hyperlinks, keep the “flow”, ditch the square-box. Instead of having a web-browser wrap around the interfaces of each website, let the websites skin the browser itself. I’m talking about more than merely switching themes and colours. What if the web-browser application could be turned into a custom application for each website? When you go to Google, your web-browser takes on the shape and configuration that makes it easiest to search. When you follow a link to Amazon, your web-browser morphes into a shopping configuration. Going to office.microsoft.com could turn your web-browser into Word, or Powerpoint, or Excel. Existing websites, without these dynamic skins, could even revert to the square-box configuration for backwards-compatibility.
A dynamic web-browser like this would break-down the lines between websites and (installed) applications. With all the power of the web for sharing and communicating, and all the power of an application for speed and interface, it would bring together the windowed environment, with the online world in new an exciting ways.
Because of the nature of the web, I’m sure someone is already working on this application. If anyone wants to give me some VC, I’ll build it myself 
Just a thought 
I think the idea is neat…but I still say that computing itself needs to move to the next level. To me the idea of even looking at windows on a monitor (be it a fancy plasma or a clunky CRT) is getting old and can use some revamping. I say we move to a virtual reality world
The only caveat that I’d also say to the idea is that there should still be some element of commonality in the browser and it shouldn’t be completely dynamic. Novice users are complete creatures of habit and unless sites have some common elements (areas to change core browser options for example).
Developers would love the idea of customizing everything and anything they wanted, but I’m not so sure users would be as appreciative.
BTW…what’s the next site going to be?
I totally agree with your “commonality” comment. There would have to be a standard for “linking” that kept these sites linked together into a Web, otherwise, the idea of surfing would be compromised.
As for the next site, I’m still adding a bunch of features to WYS to make it “Enterprise”, then we’ll see. I’m itching to build a broadband video application of some kind so we’ll see…
Any suggestions?
For a broadband video app? Hmm…not sure, is this intended to compete against the YouTube’s of the world or just something for yourself?