I paid for both OmniWeb and iCab, but neither evolved into the browser that I wanted. I like Safari much better, and I don't expect the others to catch up. But I really want it to have this one feature. So, given all that, do you have a better suggestion?

Why don't you think those browsers didn't evolve into the browser you wanted? Was it a lack of talent?

Where will you draw the line on what's acceptable functionality to integrate into the browser?

The iCab team is really small; I think they didn't have enough time/people. Omni clearly has a different vision about how a browser should work. For instance, they organize the history differently, which I guess a lot of people like, but it drives me up the wall.

To answer your last question, I think I'd need to see some examples. What kind of functionality are you talking about? I don't think the browser needs to have auction tracking or Watson-type stuff in it...

I'm amazed by how little you see your fate tied to that of other indie developers! Everyone I've ever respected has said the lesson they've learned is that you can't participate in big growth without really sticking together.

In the present, Apple needed the Mac to have a top-quality browser, and there wasn't one. So they built Safari. What would you have had them do differently?

As to your second paragraph, I like indie developers. I like their software. I think they're great for the platform, and I'm happy to be one of them. I don't know why you would think otherwise.

I guess our difference of opinion is that I think a browser must be built into the OS, just like file manipulation (Finder), basic text editing (NSTextView), image format support (QuickTime), and a host of other features. That doesn't mean Path Finder, BBEdit, or GraphicConverter should be built into the OS. But I think not having *basic* built-in support for these features would be bad for users, bad for Apple, and bad for developers (*especially* indies).