Web(20)2(2e)0(20)Expo(2f)Browser(20)Panel

= Browser Panel 11-12 =

HTML5: the spec is still in draft. what is implemented, what isn't?

• Mozilla: canvas, offline support, web workers (javascript runs in background threads, no memory sharing, allows to exploit multi-core parallel hardware)
• Google: WebKit supports a bunch of HTML5, gears transformed into offline support, UI specs are exciting (custom scrollbars, etc). Google plans to extends WebKit
• Microsoft: the spec isn't ready yet... ? taking their time because of the immaturity of the HTML5 draft. basically waiting for others to implement it first, and then look at their code :)

To Microsoft: why don't you implement canvas? cause of silverlight?

• Not suggesting that you use silverlight instead of vector graphics ever.
• Planned for the future

To Google: what's the focus of Chrome?

• To increase reliability of web applications, and make life of web dev easier
• Down the road to support HTML5

Audience question: how dead is SVG?

• Mozilla: SVG isn't dead. Mozilla implements it. Mocked ACID3 test. Wants to see harmony between Canvas and SVG
• MS: Yeah.
• Google: SVG isn't used that much.

AQ: Debugging tools?

• Mozilla: Firebug is only the beginning
• MS: Try IE8 beta 2 - it's good
• Google: chrome has two debugging tools: V8 Debugger and WebKit inspector. WebKit nightlies++

AQ: Browser as an OS? When/if primary way desktop apps are made will be for the browser?

• Google: browser != OS, but can foresee something like camera interfacing directly with picasa
• Mozilla: browsers have already invaded desktop app realms.

AQ: Cross browser development sucks. How to fix?

• MS: trying to tackle the problem by creating a large test suite and contributing to W3C. also providing compat mode.

AQ: Will chrome ever use the data that they have on you? Will this be exposed to developers?

• Already does. Used in the Omni Box
• Unlikely to be exposed to developers for privacy reasons

AQ: Browser addons. Will you support it?

• Google: will support them, but working on getting them stable first
• Mozilla: working on isolation techniques
• IE: addons have existed for a while. difficult to write, since they must be COM objects

AQ: Browser geolocation stuff? User scripts?

• MS: Privacy concerns for both questions. But otherwise, very excited about it.