...it actually can... just the best way of doing them hasn't been finalized yet
That's the precise reason for many things, even outside of the browser, i.e. why Mupen64 supports multiple plugins (this is an emulation site, if I'm correct
), why many GNU/GPL programs have support for many things -yet crash upon accessing the obscurities, etc. The list continues ad infinitum. However, Flash just seems to present a friendlier interface to end-users (who
knows why?), provided you ignore the whole "Install Missing Plugins" havok, as mentioned:
Oh, you're running an old version of this plugin or not running it at all. Go leave our site now, download this plugin...
Personally I've never liked being told "you don't have _______ plugin, please download/update it."
Most people absolutely detest updating individual plug-ins. I know that I used to have an awful experience updating standalone Java plugins a while ago, on an old Windows setup, before actually realizing exactly why it made some things work and destroyed others, like my RAM (let's face it, I had no computer experience). So, naturally, cross-platform
and cross-browser
and non-plugin dependent components are easily less painful to deal with.
To be fair, though, Flash still comprises a hefty portion of the web, and while it seemed like the only option to watch silly videos in 2003 or embed little things in your MySpace page in 2005, it's time for a massive change. That is, whenever Web 3.0 rolls around.