The struggles of the web browser

Ah, the dear old web browser. It is without a doubt the app I use the most on all of my devices. It must be used as much as all the other apps combined, if not more. My computer could very well be considered a glorified web browser with a file explorer attached to it. If I wanted, and if I was ready to accept a lower-quality experience, I could replace each of my MacOS apps with a web service.

The web browser is one of the privileged apps to have an icon displayed on all fresh-out-of-the-factory devices. Web browsers can basically be considered what’s between a full OS and a dedicated app. Either you see them as super apps or as little OSes (in which extensions would be little apps). ChromeOS is an example of that, and my former work PC on Windows was more or less a Firefox and Electron apps station.

But, despite all their mighty importance, web browsers kind of suck. They require a lot of work just to be functional, and they simply can’t seem to be equipped to deal efficiently with what they are supposed to do: browse the web.

Imagine having to use not one, but two or three extensions just to make any other app work the way it’s supposed to. Imagine having to click on cookie banners every time you open a new Finder window. Imagine the Instagram app becoming slow or behaving differently on some account pages. Imagine your email client obstructing your view with a banner when you write back to someone. Imagine your text editor looking like this.

As someone who finds immense joy in web browsing, it pains me to express my growing frustration with this activity compared to the refined experience of most other computer apps. In the past decade or two, computers have become better and more capable, while most apps have improved in design and performance. Meanwhile, web browsers are still fragile and frustrating programs. It is quite a contrast.

Of course, there would be an explanation for that: dealing with the web is a much more complex thing than having to deal with a specific file formats or being backed up with a native API. Comparing web browsers to other apps is like comparing apples and oranges. I think. I don’t know what I’m talking about when it comes to app development, but I hope you understand my point.

Back in the Twitter old days, circa 2013 or 2014, I think it was Laura June who tweeted:

Tip @Techmeme every browser is a piece of shit.

It was true back then, and alas, it is still true today. The fact that I remember this obscure tweet should be proof that the frustration lived on during all those years. It is funny because it is true.

How can trying to read an article somewhere on the web be so slow, so annoying, while reading the same article via an RSS reader be so smooth and flawless? Why is there such a wide gap between the two experience?

More like web launchers than web browsers

It feels like web browsers have given up. The web itself is ruined by the ad-tech cartel, SEO-centric mobs, and lazy or under-resourced web designers, often under pressure from executives wanting to push “best practices” and the usual invasive money-making CTAs. Today, it is almost impossible to enjoy the web without using a content blocker, especially when visiting the first websites found on search engine result pages.

Is it the web browsers’ fault? I don’t think so.

Do they work hard enough to make the web a better and more enjoyable place? I don’t think so either.

It feels like today’s web browsers are actually just web launchers. Once you start browsing, they will display the pages, help you with bookmarks, and maybe try to protect your privacy, but that’s basically it. I’m sure they have an immense load of work in the background, and decoding all the data that websites inject into them at unbelievable speeds is surely an incredible accomplishment, but on their own, functionally, browsers just don’t provide a decent experience.

I remember reading someone saying this below, but sadly I forgot who it was and cannot find the exact quote. It went like:

The more advanced our technology managed to be, the sicker the experience of web browsing became.

In the game of cat and mouse between websites and web browsers, it does feel like web browsers have lost a long time ago. Click-through rates and page views are now the Northern stars for many websites, whatever the damages done to their main original goal of organising and presenting information.¹

With browsers, there seems to be a real dependency on extensions, content blockers, and per-site settings. It feels like every website requires a different setup, login, or an additional extension to function correctly.²

I consider myself a pretty savvy web user, and yet, the experience I get when using a freshly installed computer is at its worst when I’m on the web, using a web browser. I truly feel bad for users who aren’t fine-tuning every inch of the browser and content blocker settings. The default experience is just atrocious, especially if you compare it to the native app experience they can get instead on their phones for accessing some of the same services.

I would love to see a web browser that controls what the web experience itself is. Maybe it already exists?³ I’d like a web browser without a need for specific extensions, better, smart, and automatic per-site settings, etc. Maybe browsers need a “Reader view” but for pages that are not single articles?

I want a web browser that is a proper tool to explore the web, not just a launcher. If the web is a jungle, web browsers feel like they are providing you with the map, and the rest is up to you. In this jungle, web browsers would have to be the map, the machete, the clothing, the tent, the path, and the water bottle to be efficient at what they are supposed to do.

It’s harsh out there, and web browsers need to do better than just being these seemingly passive HTML, CSS, and JavaScript players, not at all concerned about what happens to the users. Blocking pop-ups windows is not enough anymore. Stop the madness indeed.