Microsoft, and IBM before them, had that same philosophy: if only everyone would use the current version of their OS, developers would not have to worry about cross-platform compatibility because everything would just work. Nobody liked that philosophy then, and most developers don't like it now either.

Web development can certainly be a PITA, but at least the web development platform is based on open cross-platform compatibility as a goal, rather than monoculture. It recognizes the reality that monoculture can't be achieved without giving up fundamental freedoms, and strives to work in that reality rather than in some company's monopolistic wet-dream.