Chrome could help set the (Web) Standard
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
Google’s new Chrome browser could help w/t/universal adoption of Web Standards by browser makers. Google’s browser uses the Webkit rendering engine, the same one used by Apple’s Safari, which also closely applies Web Standards, so Chrome should do the same.
I downloaded Chrome last night and ran pemaquid.com and several other sites that apply Web Standards through it, and they all checked out, even the features fortified w/(Progressively Enhanced) Ajax.
Separately, a CSS bug has been reported by Jeremy Jarratt, in that Google Chrome improperly displays alternate style sheets. This is apparently a bug that has existed in Webkit and Safari for some time. (information via Jeffrey Zeldman).
Because of Google’s high profile, Chrome could have more of an immediate impact than Firefox did when it came on the scene. I’m hoping that’s going to be a good thing.
For example, it might wake up certain IE6-centric developers slumbering blissfully ignorant to the existence of Web Standard design principles, when they wonder why their sites don’t render consistently in a suddenly-popular Chrome.
Still, it remains to be seen if Google Chrome will make a sizeable dent in the browser market. As we’ve seen with the continuing significant market share held by IE6, people don’t easily switch browsers unless they find it compelling to do so.
One thing’s for sure, as Zeldman says, we once again live in interesting times regarding Web Standards, Web content and Web browsers.
