Since its launch about a year ago, Google Chrome has been in the limelight every now and then; and for good reasons too. The latest news has Chrome further zeroing in on its arch rival in a more creative fashion. On September 22, 2009, Google launched Google Chrome Frame “an open source plug-in that brings HTML5 and other open web technologies to Internet Explorer.”
According to Google, with GCF, you can:
IE6 is a nightmare, especially for developers. However, almost up to 25% of the world’s browsing is still done in this outdated browser. No matter how hard you cry out to kill IE6 and save the web world, it is still going to be around awhile. Accepting this fact, Google is trying to make life a bit easier –both for developers and users. For those users who have tasted the Chrome it is life as usual. But for those hard-core IE6 loyalists, this is a chance to enhance browsing experience without having to shift allegiance. The Google Chrome Frame promises the “lightening Chrome” experience within the familiar Internet Explorer interface.
As a developer, to make a webpage work with Google Chrome Frame all that needs to be done is to add a single tag to the page –”<meta http-equiv=”X-UA-Compatible” content=”chrome=1″>” . GFC detects the tag added and works automatically. For more advanced options you can check the GFC Developer’s Guide.
Having said that, it is a fact that users have to install Google Chrome Frame in the first place. So the ball is still in their court – The IE Users! It remains to be seen what percentage of them will opt to install the Chrome Frame. Let’s hope at least some of them will and help the web move on.
Tags: Google Chrome, Google Chrome Frame, IE6, Internet Explorer
Recently, Microsoft has released Expression Web SuperPreview that encourages developers to easily migrate their sites from IE6 to above. The company says its a step to confirm its commitment to interoperability and renewed emphasis on Web Standards. Sure they regret for IE6. If you are a developer you can get the tool here