10 reasons the browser is becoming the universal OS

The article argues that the browser has become the dominant software layer because it now hosts rich applications, supports plug-ins and metaprogramming, adapts across devices, and lets HTML, CSS, and JavaScript handle more of what used to belong to native systems. It also points to shared libraries, competition among browsers, graphics features, and Node.js as signs that the browser model keeps expanding.

Reading notes

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• The web moved from static documents to rich applications, with Gmail and other large programs showing that browsers can handle tasks once left to native software.
• Browser plug-ins let developers add features through JavaScript in a cleaner and safer way than traditional operating systems.
• The browser benefits from an open source culture and from “view source,” which makes it easier for programmers to learn from one another.
• Tools like Greasemonkey let code run on top of web pages and modify page elements, variables, and text directly.
• HTML, JavaScript, and CSS adapt easily to different screen shapes, which makes browser-based software simpler to move across devices.
• HTML and CSS act as a clean abstraction layer that separates concerns and makes collaboration between designers and programmers easier.
• Centralized libraries such as jQuery and Dojo help browser apps share cached code and avoid some versioning problems.
• Competition among browsers pushes features and quality forward because browsers keep trying to outdo one another.
• SVG, canvas, WebGL, and tighter video-card integration give the browser stronger graphics and interface capabilities.
• Node.js extends the browser programming model to the server and lets JavaScript developers write server code without learning PHP or Java.