The future of browser programmability

Thanks to Rich over at the Power of the Schwartz for the link to a Lotus guy's Sergio Leone take on the current state of web application development. The bit that was of particular interest to me is quoted here:


"The back button is not a bug in Ajax, it's a flaw in the browser metaphor.

I hearby serve notice to the following browser controls: forward, back, home, reload, and that URL field. You need to die... unless I need you."


I've been pretty immersed in Notes client development for the last 4 years. Well, that and XSLt, but that's a whole 'nother story. Anyway, I've gotten away from my web roots. But this got me thinking: Firefox is built on JavaScript and XML. The chrome is exposed to developers of themes, and now GreaseMonkey allows coders to change the content of a page from the user end; what's to say that the actual browser controls won't eventually be programmable as well? Wouldn't that be a fantastic tool to have? Just think... you could disable the Back and Forward buttons and force users to stick with the application navigation you've built to ensure that they progress in a logical manner, rather than clicking around willy-nilly, like your 1000-hours-of-overtime baby was just some... some web site.

Or have I completely missed the boat while buried in LotusScript classes? Has this already been done by some script kiddie?

The reason I can't afford a vacation...

waldo
This is Waldo. Waldo is picky about his treats. This makes him an embarrassment to the basset hound breed, as he's lacking the indiscriminate, "eat it before it eats you" gene. Because he turns up his nose at PetSmart specials (heaven help me if I ever bring a box of MilkBones in the house), I'm always on a quest to find new treats he'll condescend to enjoy. It's either that, or listen to the "I'm starving; I'm wasting away" whimper while I try to eat dinner.

So I found these treats by Merrick. They're disgusting. Dehydrated lamb lungs, beef hearts, and other things you wouldn't expect to see outside of maybe a biology lab. He loves them. Naturally, they're expensive. I find that I could use some supplemental income...

Another potentially good feature gone to the dogs...

So I've been slowly integrating new R6 functions and features into my applications, now that 95% of my users are on 6. I just found @SetViewInfo and thought, "Wow! This could really be the answer to a lot of problems. No more reason to maintain 50 views just so users can see only their state." Think of all the ways I could use this!

But alas. It turns out that @SetViewInfo is not my own personal 42. It applies itself to every view, not just the current view. Not good. Ah, Lotus... why hast thou forsaken us?