Is anyone writing applications specifically to take advantage of google chrome?
Are there any enterprise users who are considering using it as the standard browser?
Yes, I have started to pay very good attention to Google Chrome for my applications. Recent analytics show that between 6%-15% of my users are accessing my applications (varies between 6 to 15 in different applications) on Chrome. And, this number looks on an upward trend.
Thus, I can't really ignore it for testing right now.
As far as taking it as a standard goes, thats a long way off. I still have to test for IE6! :( Though, we have been planning to start using features like Gears (inbuilt in Chrome - downloadable elsewhere) once Chrome crosses the 25% mark. Thats when I believe that we will be looking at Chrome to be our preferred browser. I hope that we have Chrome 1.0+ by then! ;)
I switched to Chrome and haven't looked back except for the occasional site which doesn't work properly, forcing me to load it in Firefox. All my existing web applications work fine on it, and I'm using it for primary testing on my current development project.
I'm not actually targeting chrome, but I have added chrome to my browsers to test sites on. I've found some odd quirks in this product where some plugins cause the browser to hang, or run really slow in some environments, but they are still in beta in active development. But I definately now make sure sites I work on render well in chrome, as well as firefox, latest versions of IE, safari, Konquerer and opera. I usually check out how it looks on lynx as well, that helps me catch "un-alternated text" in images. Yeah, I know that isn't a word, but some people will understand what I'm saying.
Because chrome uses the webkit to render HTML, you can be assured if it works in safari, it'll work under chrome, however it's rendering engine isn't up to scratch quite yet. I think writing applications that take advantage of it is similar to writing iPhone applications, remember chrome is expected to be adopted by android to make it similar to iPhone. That way it pretty much takes advantage of all those iPhone apps.
Would I install it as the browser of choice? not yet - but i'll certainly work on valid web pages that will render across all browsers.
One of our major customers has outlawed Chrome because it installs on the C drive without asking. They deploy a standard image with a small C drive and large D drive so they can easily re-clone the system part of the image on C without destroying the client's personal files on D. Most software allows you to choose the install directory. Anything that violates this is disallowed, and they're a big enough company to have some weight with most vendors.
We have enough headaches trying to support
Firefox
Two versions of IE which have their own iffy bugs
Safari
I'm not sure why we continue to support Safari. Most of our users (corporate) use IE6 or IE7. We try to make sure that things work in both of those.
Maybe not for programming purposes but Chrome w/ Google Reader makes for the most powerful RSS reader. Can handle up to 1500 feeds w/ performance still ok, managing subscriptions still functioning.
I'm using it on my work machine, but that's about it. It's been stable for me, and I like the barebones UI. I'll still switch to Firefox for the web developer extensions however.
I'm liking some of GoogleChrome- the Start page with your 9 most recent is the winner for me. The interface takes a little getting used to, but the speed is impressive, especially with Gmail.
However, it glitches with Java, which rules it out for serious work at the moment. I use FireFox mostly and have Chrome for the "other" websites at work.
I'm considering using GWT on an intranet project and considering suggesting to the users that use Chrome to take advantage of the enhanced Javascript performance. Any AJAX-heavy app would be a great candidate to target Chrome.
At my company, we're not targeting it, but we're definitely paying attention to it. My boss is using it as his primary browser, and I have implemented browser detection for it in our scripts in case we ever to need to target it for some reason.
Chrome has the .png opacity bug where the transparent parts of the .png are a solid color if you try to transition the opacity from 0 to 1. In IE7 the opaque parts are black, and in Chrome, they are white. Today, I decided to go ahead and account for this bug in my JavaScript. I don't really test sites on Chrome that often, but I am actually using it for almost all of my browsing.
I will target Chrome as soon as a stable Linux and OSX client is available.
Targeting Chrome/Chromium right now, I think is like targeting Konqueror web browser. It will get popular, but you should wait to a more stable beta, and/or some Linux and OS X client.
My website statistics shows 3.xx % visitors using Chrome which arrived just few weeks back. And Opera is only 4.xx % which has been around for several years.
Easily you can see that rate at which Chrome is picking up.
You can see how easily Google takes over all areas of your computing world and personal world too.
Since Chrome uses Webkit, it has the same rendering engine and DOM support as Safari (not necessarily the same revision of Webkit though). By testing in Safari, you can generally get by without worrying about Chrome. Any differences you find are probably just bugs that you should file on instead of work around.
However, because Chrome uses a different JS engine, there may be a few incompatibilities with Safari. So, if you're doing anything with JS, you might as well fire up Chrome and see if there's anything obviously wrong.
Generally though, you don't target browsers, you target rendering engines (with their associated DOM support and JS engines).
I am using Google Chrome, so far all the web apps I have work fine in it with no modifications.
No.
Why help Google further build an evil empire? In this particular case it is so obvious that they do not care about users but only obsessed with gathering usage info.
It's not any major player yet
Related
What would be the process for ensuring that the code works as expected across multiple browsers. What would be the best answer?
Be XHTML compliant (w3.org validator)
Be CSS compliant (w3.org validator)
Use a JavaScript library that is cross-browser compatible (less direct call to JavaScript as possible)
Test, test, test during development. Not at the end!
Avoid bleeding edge code.
Yeah, I know, many of you will hate that answer. And if you've never worked in a large enterprise environment, you'll think I'm a Luddite. However, I can't tell you how many times the requirements I've been given have specifically listed "No HTML5" or "No CSS3" elements simply because the client was paranoid about IE6 working exactly as the others did.
The obvious overall answer is testing, but I'd go one step further. If you're worried about 100% operation in all browsers, you have to define your standards. For example, if you have to code back to IE6, do you have to worry about mimicking rounded corners, which is always a hack on IE6 and below? Or, will the client accept progressive enhancement such as square corners for those on browers from the dark ages and rounded for the rest of us? Does the client specify fonts that can't be told apart when pulling the page up side-by-side, or do they understand that browsers use different font rendering engines? Is it ok to work just in IE6, or do you have to also support quirks mode? What about rendering with a screen reader (accessibility) or without CSS or Javascript. How about mobile devices? All these were valid and measurable issues with my last major corporate client.
I like Adobe's Browser Labs as my first line of defense for testing. However, it's just one of many steps I take including multiple physical computers on multiple OS's connecting via multiple connections through different network proxies. You just can't test enough....and even then expect to find an error as the site is launched and matures.
Take each browser and test :D
You can use websites like browsershots.org to see how it looks on different browsers and platforms.
The most comprehensive way of doing that is to actually test in different browsers. A simple solution would be to create a virtual machine hosting server, set up multiple VMs, and then install a different browser version to different VMs to fully test your application.
Absent that, there are tools that can emulate (but not fully) browsers and you can test through those.
The best measures to adopt are:
Use a CSS Reset (read about it at the link, implement it however you like)
Use a Javascript Framework like jQuery (This will abstract a lot of cross browser quirks)
Validate your HTML and CSS. Make sure you are specifying a Doctype
You can test most browsers via Chrome, Firefox and IE8. IE8 has an IE7 mode that can be used to test for IE7. Press F12 in IE8 to get the developer window to debug and solve issues. Make sure you are prompting for all JS errors. IE6 is a tough one, but there are a number of resources available that you can probably find to help you with this.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
http://browsershots.org/
thats the site you looking for. You need to put in the url of your website, select the browsers that you want to check and click submit. It will return screenshots of the your website based on the browsers that you have selected.
There is no one way to test the app's compatibility for web browsers. First thing to keep in mind is understand the standards set for the app, define the number of browsers and versions to support. Once we know what we need to support we can keep the following points to ensure compatibility:
Test during development. Not at the end.
Avoid bleeding edge code. New functions that come with ES5 or ES6 standards would only be supported by modern browsers, hence would need polyfills in older browsers. Therefore use the most native form of Javascript wherever possible.
Use jQuery functions if it's included in the project. It helps take care of most javascript cross browser issues. If not included, use just bring its particular function in your project that you might need.
For CSS, try to use the traditional methods of layout and styling instead of the latest CSS3 one's which might not be supported by old browsers(like transform property).
Tools like Browserstack can be used to see the screenshots of how the CSS turned out on different machines.
Actually test on different machines and browsers. Although chrome provides a superb emulator but when code actually runs on that particular OS and ecosystem, then it may misbehave. So the best way to ensure is actually test them in every ecosystem.
Use Tools like VirtualBox to be able to test old browsers and different OS.
There is no way to ensure it aside from testing testing testing :-)
I want to develop an browser extension/add-on which keeps track of the url value in the address bar. The add-on could either be downloaded to local file system or it could be integrated within the browser.
Also, i'm curious to know how browser extensions like Toolyo are programmed. (It's a demo link of the Toolyo tool. Sorry, I didn't find a better example than this whic is much similar to my requirement). Can someone please throw light on the languages/methods used to develop extensions that can work in multiple browsers.
Sorry for a generic (and vague, as well) question. I would really appreciate any answers/suggestions.
The extension APIs for browsers with add-on functionality (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) are all very different and much of the browser-chrome-privileged code must be rewritten for the different browsers. User scripts, are a good alternative add-on architecture, but they only have the privilege level of an in-page script (except for GreaseMonkey in Firefox).
Greasemonkey is inbuild in Chrome
And also had support for Flock, Safari and Opera
And its also coming for IE soon.
So writing Greasemonkey script is also good rather then writing code per browser vendor.
I am working in creating a website and I want to check in multiple browsers for Browser Compatibility test automatically by using Automated Test Tool. Do you guys know if there is any software/tool where I can just give a link and it loads the page in multiple browsers?
I've used Browser Shots before and it's ok if you don't mind waiting for an hour or two.
I'd also recommend checking out some of the links on Delicious.
You're looking for litmus, from the people who brought you doctype, part of the League of Justice. 14-day passes to test your layouts in 24 browsers currently cost $39.
I'm a fan of XenoCode's "Spoon Browser Sandbox" myself.
You can use Selenium RC (Selenium 1) or Selenium 2 (WebDriver) for automated test. But You have to record the test using Selenium IDE on Firefox browser and writing some tests on it. Selenium supports FF, Chrome, IE, Safari and Opera.
If the website is publicly visible then there are web based services that you can use such as http://crossbrowsertesting.com/.
If your website is internal only, then you're going to struggle to find support I think. We tried to find one but all we found were services that require a publicly visible website - no good for testing pre-go-live.
Are you talking about a compatible design or compatible JS? Because AJAX functionality is difficult to test with the usual cross-browser tools.
For the latter, look at httpUnit, though I'm not sure it can simulate multiple browsers.
There's Microsoft Expression Web SuperPreview, but I haven't tried it so can't comment on if it's good or not.
Their opening quote makes me laugh though, mainly because of how sucky IE6 is:
About 7 years ago, the browser wars
were over. Internet Explorer had
become the de facto standard, and for
a while, there were very few
compatibility issues in web page
design.
Check it out though, might be worthwhile. Especially if you are a .NET developer, however it might be useful to web developers in general.
Adobe has BrowserLab. It requires an Adobe account (free) and gives you Firefox 2.0 - 3.5 (WinXP, OSX), IE 6-8 (WinXP), Safari 3-4 (OSX) and Chrome 3.0 (WinXP).
What, if any, considerations (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) should you take when designing for Google Chrome?
Chrome uses Webkit, the same engine as is used by Safari, OmniWeb, iCab and more. Just code everything based on the standards and verify in each browser.
I think first and foremost you should focus on using HTML and scripting that follows the standards.
After you have that running, file a bug report then make the browser-specific tweaks. If Chrome is worth a flip you shouldn't have to tweak things for it.
The same ones you'd take for Safari, as they share the same rendering engine (with a slight version mismatch).
I'm sure filing a bug report really helps with all those IE rendering issues!
Realistically, you need to test your application in each browser, no browser 100% follows the W3C standards so ultimately you can't rely on following that at all. You need to test everything you do in any browser you wish to support.
As has been mentioned, Google Chrome has the same rendering engine as Safari/iPhone/etc., WebKit which passes Acid3, so there should be minimal issues if you follow the standards. But don't rely on it. Google Chrome currently uses a slightly older version of WebKit than Safari. I'm sure they'll eventually be on the same version at some point, but unfortunately any new browser becomes just another browser to test in.
Are you designing specifically for Chrome, or do you want to make sure your pages work well with Chrome?
Assuming it's the latter, then just use the same design considerations you'd do for any browser. If applicable, keep in mind that many phones and video game consoles have web browsers now.
Chrome uses a new JavaScript engine, so you'll have to test your JavaScript using Chrome as well as Safari. The HTML and CSS may render pretty much the same, but they use different JavaScript engines.
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance.
Closed 10 years ago.
From a web developer point of view, what changes are expected in the development arena when Google Chrome is released?
Are the developments powerful enough to make another revolution in the web? Will the way we see web programming change?
Or is it just another web browser?
I think this is just another web browser. The most impact I expect to be improved Javascript performance, and the usability perspective. The first will benefit developers, especially when using Google Gears. I think the users will benefit the most from an enhanced user experience, the safety features, and ease of use.
I can only hope other browser vendors (MS) will follow Mozilla and Google to create a faster Javascript implementation, since this is the only thing that can truly impact web development.
This is long-term positioning for Google; they are clearly trying to build a more stable application platform for web-based development. All of their changes (security, sandboxing, process isolation) are clearly intended to make the browser a better application for hosting complex apps.
This is what Microsoft was worried about with netscape, and why they broke antitrust rules to "cut off their air supply". It's going to be interesting to see how MS responds.
It's also interesting to see how the mozilla / firefox team deals with this- Google is pretty much funding firefox now, so it's going to be a potential conflict of interest for these folks down the road.
In a nutshell, things are going to get more complex, require more testing, and will (hopefully) force recalcitrant vendors like Microsoft to become more standards-compliant.
Considering most develops want to reach the larger audience, it just means one more place to test. Since it uses Webkit, hopefully it will render almost identical to Safari.
Integrated Gears may mean a solid place for apps to be developed though. If you have an internal system it may be nicer to just put Chrome on all the machines than building an app that runs locally.
I think the whole purpose or at least the emphasis of the release, as Kamiel said, is to provide better javascript performance. So many of Google's services rely on heavy javascript usage that this is a smart move by them. This should be good for everyone as IE and Firefox work to compete against Google every browser should get better at javascript.
Google Chrome looks promising. It is of course in an early beta so it's missing a lot of the things people would need or at least feel they need, like plugins, cross-machine synchronization of data (could be done with plugins), cross-platform support (ie. Linux and Mac versions).
So far it renders Gmail like a bat out of hell, so I'm going to pay very close attention to it.
Edit: In fact, these posts are done using it, and except for some minor issues like smaller font in input fields, it works as I expect it to. Fast, stable (already tested it with a javascript killer-page I have for some test applications).
This is just a natural for Google. This way they can control how well their apps work in a container on & off line. Expect more tools, potentially GUI designer type tools and an IDE for use with their cloud offerings as well as a mobile version of this for Android. It's most likely a lead in to Visual Google.
If they are smart they will have this container/browser perform other tasks like parsing content for a fresher Google cache and search results.
Personally, I'm hoping it has less of an impact on web developers and more of an impact on browser developers. Some of the features are really nice, and while the process-oriented approach to separation of tabs will probably make it hefty compared to other browsers, I like the ideas behind it.
My guess is it's going to have to spend a year or longer post-beta to make the kind of impact that Firefox has on web development.
I'd say that I see the improved Javascript engine being the major contribution as far as web applications go. And hopefully will cause a new look for the other browsers and possibly make Javascript implementations a bit more standardized.
Chiming in on this topic. If you have used Chrome, you'll notice a significant speed upgrade, especially on sites using js. I have found that it renders things almost EXACTLY the same as Safari (as you would assume), so I think this drastically minimizes the issue of having to develop on yet another browser.
I think the main thing Chrome does is to offer another (and even perhaps the best to date) alternative to IE. If people start using these, 'advanced' web browsers (man it's sad I have to say that), Microsoft will almost certainly have to step things up with IE9. IE8 seems to me to be more of the same from Microsoft who just can't seem to grasp the UI goodness and overall speed of Safari, Firefox and now Chrome. IE8 is freaking 360MB for godsakes. I think FF3 is like 90MB.
On a side note, has anyone checked out how fast Chrome opens? I found that very impressive.
#Lassevek - The first thing I did was check the js speeds on gmail and "bat out of hell" is precisely how I would describe it.
I just hope Chrome, Firefox and Safari can be temporary friends so they can overthrow IE. After that, it's fair game!
To be quite honest I've always hated Google, with a passion. But, I love their web browser Chrome. It just works. No need to download updates every 5 minutes, No stupid security bars that pop up every time you visit a website, and when I'm writing webpages - I don't even have to test my code anymore because it is standards-compliant, and it just works properly. My current website that I'm building now is about half-done, and it works and looks perfect in Google Chrome. Looks and works perfect in Opera, but as for Internet Explorer, it looks terrible, and it looks fairly good in Firefox.
I don't know. People should stop using Internet Explorer (in my opinion) because it just doesn't work the way it should. Have YOU ever noticed after downloading Internet Explorer 8 on WindwosXP that once you start visiting a few websites, the more sites you visit the longer it takes IE to open a new tab. Sometimes I'm left frustrated, almost sending me into a murderous-rage waiting for a new empty tab to open up! Blah!
As always, it depends on their implementation. If they decide to mess with the rendering engine, we could be looking at a whole new list of browser "quirks" which will mean WebDev's will be uber-pissed.
If they stay standards-compliant (which TBH, I expect they will) it could be a really good thing to heat up the competition.
Be interesting to see how the sandbox mode affects plugin compat, and of course, the tight Gears integration..
That fact that its OSS is a really good thing.. Since any of the above issues could easily be fixed with a patch as soon as the dev community get on to it. :)
Hopefully it will be standards compliant and erase a little midget of Internet Explorer's market share - Firefox has ease of use and plugins going for it, but "security" is something non-technical people can understand... which one could hope would make development easier.
That's assuming it stays standards compliant and innovates well, of course.
As long as there are the other web browsers (and I don't believe that they will die - which is good, because I don't want to see the internet in the hands of Google) it's just another web browser that you need to check compatibility with.
It's not good. More platforms leads to more testing, leads to more time fixing bugs, leads to less time having fun implementing new features, leads to anger, hate, suffering, etc.
I wonder whether plugins/addons will ever be a big focus for Chrome. It seems to be very much focused on providing a fast, clean environment that puts the focus on the web rather than the browser. I suspect that in order to keep it nimble and stable, they may keep the extension capabilities fairly limited (plus, they wouldn't want Adblock for Chrome, would they :-)
I wonder also, given Google's existing relationships with OEMs to include things like the Google Desktop on PCs sold, whether we might start to see Chrome pre-installed on computers. If that were the case, it might become more prevalent than other competitors to IE.
#bpapa
It's just another web browser that
very few people are going to use
because there are already 4 major
browsers out there that work just fine
for most people. It doesn't have the
extensions like Firefox,
Actually, it is pretty clear that it has a plugin architecture
it doesn't
have browser sync with an iPhone like
Safari, it doesn't come with your
computer like IE, and it doesn't...
well I don't know what Opera does that
makes it stand out but I don't think
Chrome has it.
"I don't know what Opera has, but this piece of software that I've never touched clearly doesn't have it"... what??
Another reason why I don't see it
taking off - since it's not on OS X a
lot of tech people aren't going to be
using it.
Did you miss the part where the Linux and OS X distros are coming right behind Windows?