What is a “modern browser”?

[Beavers56896]

I searched SO before asking this potentially vague question, found many references to 'modern browsers', but no definitions. Since this is a term very widely used and referenced, I was surprised that I couldn't find a definition or even a description on the Internet.

So, what, in June 2018, is considered a modern browser? And what is a modern browser in general, is it only the current major version of each popular browser (i.e. Chrome, Safari, FF, IE, Opera) ?

[strollin]

I think a modern browser is one that supports multiple tabs.  Older browsers didn't have tabs so, if you wanted to view multiple websites, you had to open a new instance of the browser.

[Vetal]

https://www.bopdesign.com/bop-blog/2012/01/why-use-a-modern-web-browser/

[Mr_Patton]

I think a modern browser is any browser that displays a website using the latest web standards.

[Mart44]

I think it would be quite difficult to have an un-modern browser. As soon as any browser is installed, it automatically checks for updates and all updates would be applied, so making it a modern browser. Maybe the references to 'modern browsers' could just drop the 'modern' word for this reason.

[malko]

I think a modern browser is one that supports multiple tabs.  Older browsers didn't have tabs so, if you wanted to view multiple websites, you had to open a new instance of the browser.

Very interesting. Could you provide an example of a browser that does not have tabs?

[MichaelNyby]

I am assuming your question relates to what is known as "tabbed browsing" and I believe that Microsoft didn't start using tabbed browsing until IE6 or IE7, but I am not sure my brain is properly remembering that, so forgive me if I am wrong.

Now this browser stuff goes back quite a few years and I am again not sure about my memory, but I think one of our ISOC founders was involved in the start of a tabbed browser back in maybe the 80s or 90s, but I am not sure.

As for the general question related to defining a modern browser --- that's tough.  To me everything about the Net is modern because I remember computers that took up whole rooms and needed lots of air-conditioning and that was in the late 60s when I was at school and my school at that time had some of the best computers in the world.

I still have a few TRS80s, "Trash80s" we called them, and that is still modern to me.  Maybe I can think of a true floppy disc as not "modern" any longer.  I mean, the real floppy disc that could be bent.  I still have a whole bunch of those, some not even out of the wrapper.  But my TRS80s use those and I have quite a collection of all sorts of stuff on about 100 floppy discs.  I think I can move those out of the description of "modern".  But I still can't move that actual TRS80 unit out of the thinking that it is "modern" because I remember when they first came out and they were so small and so great, at that time.

Now browsers these days worry me, because I fear that all the hype about security is covering up the key point, commercialization.  I suspect recent browsers are mainly so companies can do a better job of making money.

Sure there is security mixed into that, but I wonder how important the "making money" part of browser upgrade is, compared to the security?  Maybe some day I can hire some people to do a proper study on that subject.  Something like a percentage thing of 50% of the upgrade is for security and 50% is for commercialization.  Some sort of way to easily understand what's going on.

A modern browser?  What a difficult question?  Especially for an old fart like me.