[BobaFloutist]

If you click a link in one application, surely it should pass focus to the browser, why should the browser be initiating that process?

[watusername]

Only the invoked app knows whether it needs the focus in the first place. Maybe the link you clicked is supposed to initiate some background processing that does not demand your focus at all.

[BobaFloutist]

Sure, so the previous app can give the option to take focus to the browser which can take it or not as it wishes.