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Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

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Re: Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

#31

Post by tlrobinson »

meat-eater wrote: post #18
cookiecaper wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, assuming it uses a pristine WebKit backend, you should only have to test in one browser with the same WebKit build. :) I guess that might be idealistic thinking, but hopefully it pans out.

They seem to be using their own javascript engine, so it might need separate testing because of that. Although if it becomes popular enough, most javascript libraries and frameworks will surely support it.

There are actually very few inconsistencies in browsers implementations of the JavaScript language, it's the DOM that's the problem. If all they're doing is swapping out the engine for a JavaScript 1.5+ compatible engine, then we should be fine.

Re: Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

#33

Post by Hexstream »

sh1mmer wrote: post #3

I don't see the need for Google to try and compete in a space where there is already plenty of competition and Open Source innovation. Maybe they are tired of giving Mozilla Corp Ad Words money for Firefox searches.

And did you see the need for Google to try and compete in the search engine space when there was already plenty of competition?

Re: Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

#34

Post by 13ren »

This is a competitor in the AIR / silverlight / JavaFX space

Javascript can be enormously faster: compare ActionScript 2.0 and 3.0, which are implementations of ECMAscript (which Javascript is also) in Adobe's Flash.

If Google can basically get these things right - local persistence, speed and animation tools - the Web OS that Microsoft has greatly feared will be finally upon us...

Re: Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

#36

Post by tlrobinson »

kilowatt wrote: post #27

Have you guys SEEN the respective code bases for Mozilla and WebKit? Really, this was inevitable. Their whole tabs-as-process thing is too, when you think about it. Just imagine the potential for a browser-as-OS-with-processes-and-everything and how much they must be salivating to get it on devices and desktops NOT running Windows. It's a hell of a trojan horse in their winning battle to make Microsoft irrelevant...…

"Have you guys SEEN the respective code bases for Mozilla and WebKit?"

I haven't... can you elaborate?

Re: Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

#37

Post by alaskamiller »

geuis wrote: post #30
alaskamiller wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The browser war was based on distribution, not marketing. Now this will be a war based on money, not distribution. Will Google continue to pay and support Mozilla Foundation? Because once that's gone...

Distribution was the marketing. The big blue e was all the marketing/branding they needed. Most users associate the Internet with that damn icon.

I meant distribution as in partnering with AOL to use IE, leveraging Windows monopoly consumer side and enterprise side, and arguing with the DoJ on software tying.

In terms of marketing, Microsoft did very little compared to Mozilla.

Re: Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

#38

Post by [deleted] »

cookiecaper wrote: post #8
mixmax wrote: post #2

So soon we'll have yet another browser to check for compatibility issues in CSS and javascript. Great.

Well, assuming it uses a pristine WebKit backend, you should only have to test in one browser with the same WebKit build. :) I guess that might be idealistic thinking, but hopefully it pans out.

[deleted]

Re: Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

#39

Post by bootload »

gaborcselle wrote: post #23

I love the comic book format of this - great idea!

"... I love the comic book format of this - great idea! ..."

Thank Scott McCloud.

McCloud is to the comic world what Stallman ~ http://www.scottmccloud.com/inventions/inventions.html (Creators bill of rights) and Linus is to the computing world by writing & thinking extensively how to innovate ~ http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encodin... and push both the art and science of comics as hard as he can. My favourites include http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/mi/mi-archive.html and all time favourite Monkey Town ~ http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/mi/mi-17/mi-17.html

Re: Google Chrome, Google's Browser Project

#40

Post by kilowatt »

tlrobinson wrote: post #36
kilowatt wrote: post #27

Have you guys SEEN the respective code bases for Mozilla and WebKit? Really, this was inevitable. Their whole tabs-as-process thing is too, when you think about it. Just imagine the potential for a browser-as-OS-with-processes-and-everything and how much they must be salivating to get it on devices and desktops NOT running Windows. It's a hell of a trojan horse in their winning battle to make Microsoft irrelevant...…

"Have you guys SEEN the respective code bases for Mozilla and WebKit?" I haven't... can you elaborate?

Basically, WebKit is the most immediately understandable large scale C++ codebase I've ever seen. They have a strict culture of code reviews on check-in, and reverting any changesets that cause regressions. My commits have been rejected for style--I was first pissed, and eventually impressed :P

I can't speak for Mozilla's collaborative culture (and the fact that Firefox emerged from Netscape means it can't be half-bad), but just on an aesthetic level, WebKit C++ is a lot easier on the eyes than Mozilla. One thing that's interesting about WebKit is that in the last 12 months when I've been pulling upstream changesets from them, I've noticed that they're not afraid to do project-wide renames to keep the code clean. It seems like a small thing, but it's a lot more approachable to see clean C++ that uses namespaces and abstracts away platform differences in a coherent way. Mozilla is full of COM interfaces like

  #define NS_IHTML_CSS_STYLE_SHEET_IID     \
  {0xb5cc4ac0, 0xeab6, 0x11d1, {0x80, 0x31, 0x00, 0x60, 0x08, 0x15, 0x9b, 0x5a}}

  class nsIHTMLCSSStyleSheet : public nsIStyleSheet
... and so on. edit: To be fair, I'm just a lot more familiar with WebKit, so maybe someone can defend (or pick apart) Mozilla's sources better than I can. If you check out WebKit, you'll also notice that there's an impressive collection of 210MB(!) of individual layout tests.
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