Why aren't Javascript, CSS, and HTML extensions to browsers?

Question

I don't have a huge understanding of browser software development, but from what I see there are all these browser wars etc, IE sucks and so on - so...

I'm curious why things aren't like this:

Why aren't all browsers basically the "same", why aren't Javascript, HTML, and CSS extensions to the browsers?

If you'd have ONE version of Javascript that would be constantly updated to all browsers as it releases, there would be no compatibility issues, the website author would just type in the top of his file something like

doctype html js-version="3.04" and the browser would run that particular version of javascript so all pages wouldn't be out-of-date.


I think this would be a great solution for future... There would be no cross browser compatibility issues, from what I see.

Answer 1

Yes, there are standards and in the ideal world all browsers would conform to them and work the same. That said, as you hinted, the real criminal is IE which has a long history of thinking it knows best and making shoddy alternative to the established standards. Because IE was so widespread, web developers had to make very complex work-arounds to ensure their code worked as expected in IE as well as the normal browsers. This complexity increased the chances of mistakes that affected even the compliant browsers. IE is much better now but in an ideal, consumer aware, world, it would have be boycotted years ago and we would have a better web functionality all around.



Things should improve as the HTML5 standard is adopted as it covers many things not previously achievable with just HTML.



I use FF and Safari and have to say they function exactly as expected for any code I make. I long ago gave up trying to satisfy IE users, if they insist on using a rubbish browser, they can suffer the risk of rubbish web pages.

Answer 2

Because there is no central organization that regulates it, and M$ likes the IE only software (Embrace, Extend, Extinguish). There are standards, but few browsers conform to them.

Answer 3

So we should have a new standard, eh?



http://xkcd.com/927/



We could extend your idea even further. Why don't we all just run the same web browser or the same O.S. or the same resolution monitors, drive the same cars, eat the same foods? See where this is going? It's boring! So perhaps you want to live in a world where your standards are pushed upon you! The rest of us want to be free to create and innovate!







Was a joke. See there are tags and everything.