Yup, I made a browser that did that and used it for a while, did even one better. Rather than per tab it was flexible and by default it was locked to the domain you were on. I created an experimental browser with as much new stuff as I could, but sadly users don't care that much. I mean just look at Chrome and how horrible the history control for users is. Even really basic stuff like delete every history entry from site X or for the last N minutes is missing. Where is the outrage?
If anyone is interested, here is a much more fleshed out description of what a next generation browser could have:
http://benjamin-meyer.blogspot.com/2009/08/next-generation-d... If a company out there is looking to see some browser R&D work done send me an email.
I just skipped through it quickly, but have it opened in a tab to read later :P
For some bookmarks/history and window/tab management I recommend checking old Opera (<=12). I'd argue it's still the best browser when it comes to UI/UX, unfortunately it's dead[1] and not really usable nowadays. For no-url experience, see Yandex Alpha[2].
1. there's an open source project to get that feel back http://otter-browser.org/ (not quite possible without touching the Blink)
Yeah I have played around with those and either written myself or been part of a team that wrote at least a half dozen browsers that were released and dozens of little R&D browsers. I have also seen many many browsers that offer very little beyond Chrome/Firefox come and go. Yes they might have a very good idea, but it is not enough to get someone to change browsers. A tweak, climbing higher up the local hill, but not fundamentally changing the game. A few of the big points in the article I wrote have to do with the idea that private browsing as known today is flat out wrong and not what users want, having a split view, and robust local access control. Living with a hacked up browser for a month that did these really showed that they were a big deal. But alas after an acquisition my new (former) employer forbid me from working on it so it had to be shelved. But even today I don't know if what I wrote about is going far enough. For most users browsers are like internet speed. The important thing isn't what speed you are connecting, but that you are connected period.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) it isn't 2004 where almost no browser development was occurring and you could have something "new" like Firefox come to light and grow quickly with very little features against almost no competition. These days you have many large companies funding development teams to keep what we have today working and make marginally better each day. To make a new browser you can't just take Chrome and tack on a tiny tweak you need step changes. That is what my 2009 article was about and with a few more years of thought and experienced that is what I have been messing around with lately, making a browser where users abandon Chrome/FireFox/IE not because it is a tiny bit better because it is so better it isn't about switching, but about moving to a different product.
If anyone is interested, here is a much more fleshed out description of what a next generation browser could have: http://benjamin-meyer.blogspot.com/2009/08/next-generation-d... If a company out there is looking to see some browser R&D work done send me an email.