> I don't understand why the Web Browser ecosystem is stuck with Extensions, and why Web Browsers, the most used programs on the planet, are still unautomated for 99% of humans.
It's simple, really: because it's strongly against the interest of people with money. And I don't mean some shady megacorps like Google here. A sane web goes against most of the commerce, big and small alike.
Ad blockers are what they are because there's no money in making them, and a lot of money in making them go away. That's why they're not included in browsers by default (all two relevant browsers being directly or indirectly ad-funded). A good chunk of the Internet - including all the little content creators - makes money from ads, and would like to see the blockers go away.
> once a Web Browser gets smart enough to understand the semantics of a website, and the implications of user interactions ( e.g. "make a payment" or "subscribe to channel") - it can be recorded, trained, and automated
Again, entirely against the interests of everyone with money. Pretty much every business on-line wants to control the interaction between their sites and you, and most of them want to use that control to screw you over. Expose you to extra advertising, upsell you some of their other wares, make sure you choose the option that's profitable for you and not them, etc. Whether you (generic you) realize it or not, the relationship between you and a commercial site is almost always antagonistic. Any automation and browser smarts that makes your experience better is one that cuts into site owners profits.
In short, the problem isn't technology. The problem is business incentives. The web is a wild west, built for people with means to exploit those without.
It's simple, really: because it's strongly against the interest of people with money. And I don't mean some shady megacorps like Google here. A sane web goes against most of the commerce, big and small alike.
Ad blockers are what they are because there's no money in making them, and a lot of money in making them go away. That's why they're not included in browsers by default (all two relevant browsers being directly or indirectly ad-funded). A good chunk of the Internet - including all the little content creators - makes money from ads, and would like to see the blockers go away.
> once a Web Browser gets smart enough to understand the semantics of a website, and the implications of user interactions ( e.g. "make a payment" or "subscribe to channel") - it can be recorded, trained, and automated
Again, entirely against the interests of everyone with money. Pretty much every business on-line wants to control the interaction between their sites and you, and most of them want to use that control to screw you over. Expose you to extra advertising, upsell you some of their other wares, make sure you choose the option that's profitable for you and not them, etc. Whether you (generic you) realize it or not, the relationship between you and a commercial site is almost always antagonistic. Any automation and browser smarts that makes your experience better is one that cuts into site owners profits.
In short, the problem isn't technology. The problem is business incentives. The web is a wild west, built for people with means to exploit those without.