Randell's Tech Blog

Posted: 22 Sep 2009 09:06 PM PDT

Just a few hours ago, Google released Google Chrome Frame.

Google Chrome Frame is…

… an open source plug-in that brings HTML5 and other open web technologies to Internet Explorer

So it is a plugin for IE.

Recent JavaScript performance improvements and the emergence of HTML5 have enabled web applications to do things that could previously only be done by desktop software. One challenge developers face in using these new technologies is that they are not yet supported by Internet Explorer. Developers can’t afford to ignore IE — most people use some version of IE — so they end up spending lots of time implementing work-arounds or limiting the functionality of their apps.

True. I hate IE quirks. And I hate IE more because it doesn’t fully support HTML5 yet.

With Google Chrome Frame, developers can now take advantage of the latest open web technologies, even in Internet Explorer. From a faster Javascript engine, to support for current web technologies like HTML5’s offline capabilities and , to modern CSS/Layout handling, Google Chrome Frame enables these features within IE with no additional coding or testing for different browser versions.

Sounds good. But how do devs actually use it?

To start using Google Chrome Frame, all developers need to do is to add a single tag:
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="chrome=1">
When Google Chrome Frame detects this tag it switches automatically to using Google Chrome’s speedy WebKit-based rendering engine.

Is that it? No.

For users, installing Google Chrome Frame will allow them to seamlessly enjoy modern web apps at blazing speeds, through the familiar interface of the version of IE that they are currently using.

So the users still need to install something.

Source: http://blog.chromium.org/2009/09/introducing-google-chrome-frame.html
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The thing with Google Chrome Frame is that the users still need to install the plugin — which still needs awareness that such plugin exists — an effort which is almost similar to persuading those users to switch to better browsers such as Chrome. If those users haven’t installed other browsers, I don’t think they’ll have a reason to install this plugin as well.

However, this can possibly be used for those companies with (old) internal apps that only run on IE6. Chrome Frame will let those users keep using IE6 and at the same time, get the advanced functionalities needed for the newer apps. But then again, how many of those users use old apps and new apps at the same time? I think the number is too low to even consider.

I can’t see Google Chrome Frame solving the problem of cross-browser incompatibilities. You still can’t ignore those IE quirks since there’s no assurance that all your users have the necessary plugin installed.

Thoughts?

Tags: Google Chrome Frame

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