I think one of the problems with 68K browsers now is that modern webpages are just too demanding of the computer.
Take a look at an average bank website, for instance. You will find the following features used:
- SSL/TLS
- JavaScript
- CSS
- Dynamic HTML (combination of JavaScript and CSS)
- AJAX (combination of JavaScript, CSS, and XMLhttpRequest)
We already have SSL on 68K, so that's not a big problem as long as sites continue to support SSL 3.
The next problem is interpreted JavaScript. Sites use thousands of lines of JavaScript now and interpreting this is slow.
CSS is another problem. Such things as: translucency, dynamically resizing boxes, etc. It requires thousands of inter-dependent calculations to lay out a page.
Basically - more and more work is slowly being shifted to the browser. Imagine a bank website in 1997:
- Basic HTML 3.2 or 4.0 design. Perhaps a simple table based layout. Complex text, etc. is probably loaded in as a GIF image.
- Basic SSL v2 40-bit may have been used.
- No JavaScript. The login form is sent to the server as-is. The server must determine if enough characters were entered, etc.
- You see your online check book and want to view more information about a transaction. You click the transaction and the server sends an entirely new page.
- You want to add a note to a transaction. Clicking add note loads an entirely new page using target _blank. Seeing the note in the transaction requires refreshing the entire page.
Compare to the modern bank site:
- XHTML 1.1 with CSS2. No tables used in the design. The appearance may even be similar to or the same as the 1997 version, but it's much harder to render due to the used of CSS.
- Banks have disabled 40-bit and SSL v2 for security reasons. Minimum is now 128-bit SSL v3 or TLS.
- Heavy JavaScript used. Pre-validate all forms on the entire site.
- Transaction information is shown in-line using a hidden CSS box and AJAX to retrieve the information.
- Adding notes is done with AJAX.
Take a look at an average bank website, for instance. You will find the following features used:
- SSL/TLS
- JavaScript
- CSS
- Dynamic HTML (combination of JavaScript and CSS)
- AJAX (combination of JavaScript, CSS, and XMLhttpRequest)
We already have SSL on 68K, so that's not a big problem as long as sites continue to support SSL 3.
The next problem is interpreted JavaScript. Sites use thousands of lines of JavaScript now and interpreting this is slow.
CSS is another problem. Such things as: translucency, dynamically resizing boxes, etc. It requires thousands of inter-dependent calculations to lay out a page.
Basically - more and more work is slowly being shifted to the browser. Imagine a bank website in 1997:
- Basic HTML 3.2 or 4.0 design. Perhaps a simple table based layout. Complex text, etc. is probably loaded in as a GIF image.
- Basic SSL v2 40-bit may have been used.
- No JavaScript. The login form is sent to the server as-is. The server must determine if enough characters were entered, etc.
- You see your online check book and want to view more information about a transaction. You click the transaction and the server sends an entirely new page.
- You want to add a note to a transaction. Clicking add note loads an entirely new page using target _blank. Seeing the note in the transaction requires refreshing the entire page.
Compare to the modern bank site:
- XHTML 1.1 with CSS2. No tables used in the design. The appearance may even be similar to or the same as the 1997 version, but it's much harder to render due to the used of CSS.
- Banks have disabled 40-bit and SSL v2 for security reasons. Minimum is now 128-bit SSL v3 or TLS.
- Heavy JavaScript used. Pre-validate all forms on the entire site.
- Transaction information is shown in-line using a hidden CSS box and AJAX to retrieve the information.
- Adding notes is done with AJAX.