Browsers are probably the single most desktop application that evolved the most in the past few years. Up until Internet Explorer 6, browsers were simply browsers, an application that browses webpages. Indeed the internet itself hadn't changed that much. Then Firefox came and changed everything.

But, the web has changed a lot too, enough to warrant a new version no. but browsers havent truly caught up yet. Sure Firefox, with all its extensions can integrate with various web2.0 services, but its pretty superficial and flaky.

We are expected Internet Explorer 8, and Firefox 3 soon. Not to mention Opera 10. What changes will they bring. Will the change we enough to call them 'web browsers 2.0', What do you think?

I don't think the next step in web browsers is going to be the jump to integrate completely web2.0 features. The browser evolve slowly, especially look at the firefox with all the periodical fixes and that... so the evolution will be more gradual and we probably won't be able to draw the line at the point in which web browser should be called as web2.0 browsers until some years pass and we can see it with some perspective.

I would expect the most changes from opera 10. That has always been the case. It may make widgets work like extensions. IE8 wold make add ons more common. Firefox 3 offers nothing more than a different graphic engne. It anyay has everything.

I don't know bout that. I'm expecting browsers to be more like Flock.

If you don't know about Flock, Check it out at flock.com

Generally, its a modification of Firefox. They included certain "web2" features in the browser. Like integration to social bookmarking sites, and to media sharing sites (flickr, youtube, etc.) as well as blogging tools, and many other useful features. This is integrated very smoothly so its better than Firefox with extensions doing the sme thing.

However recently development seems to have slowed down, and I think that project isn't heading in the right direction.

People keep saying about Web 2.0 but what is Web 2.0? I'm sorry but in my opinion it's a load of rubbish. It's just the method building a website with technologies that people want you to use for some reason. CSS designs are now considered 'Web 2.0'. How does that figure, when CSS has been around for years?

Because of this, I find it difficult to to say how browsers will progress into 'Web 2.0'. Eventually we will see everything on the Internet, with our computers serving as nothing but a connection. Our files and information will be stored online in my opinion, however I don't know how long it could be. Could be 10 years, could be 100. However, we will eventually see the end of the web browser as a desktop program. Eventually, our computers will only be a web browser.

Web 2.0, isn't CSS, AJAX, JAvaScript, XHTML, or any other technology, its not even the design of the websites (although most WEb2.0 sites do follow similar design tactics). Rather Web 2.0 is the concept of a social, user-created internet, giving people the power to create, and manage content collaoratively. Take Wikipedia for example, it allows you to create and edit articles. Or del.icio.us that takes your bookmarks and shares it with others. and lets you browse/search other people's bookmarks. Perhaps one of the most clear example is Digg, which allows you to submit articles you find interesting and lets other vote on it, when a site ends up on the frontpage it gets a hell lot of traffic (I got to the frontpage once).

OFcourse, things like AJAX, makes the website features more flexible, seamless and smooth, which attracts people, but WEb 2.0 is so much more. Indeed we are sseeing the progression of The World Wide into a new era. Web Browsers would definately have to change to keep up.

Short-term future probably just a gradual improvement, faster, better integration with sites, etc. Long-term changes to browsers would depend on which direction computers themselves though, if computers are completely revolutionized in 40 years then browsers will be too, maybe 3d like the hologram thread in the technology forum.