Steve Ballmer has indicated that Microsoft might consider using Webkit, the open source rendering engine used by Apple Safari and Google Chrome, in future versions of Internet Explorer.
This is good news for web developers, who’ve long hated Internet Explorer’s total disregard for existing standards, as well as end users, who can now look forward to the next generation of web apps dependent on powerful Javascript engines.
WebKit is a framework that provides a foundation upon which to build a web browser. Apple initially used it for their Safari browser but is now used by Google Chrome, Nokia S60, iPhone, Adobe AIR and Google Android. More on Wikipedia.
Find this article at: http://www.labnol.org/internet/internet-explorer-to-shift-to-webkit/5269/
web: http://www.labnol.org/ email: amit@labnol.org
Reader Comments
‘Better late then never’ .. MS is now announcing all this stuff now.. these things would have made an impact provided they were here some years back, with FF gaining almost 20% market share and growing steadily IE’s future seems bleak. At its ‘annual Professional Developers Conference’ it also announced
Web Version for Office.
Service similar to Amazon s2 to support dot net dev. I don’t remember what the heck its name was!!
all this stuff needed to be done earlier. With the kind of cash and intellect MS has we as ‘Digital Age Consumers™’ expect it to innovate and take leads instead just follow like a lost elephant in Kalahari desert.
And that DCA ™ thing is a joke
Written by Supreet SI on 11.07.08
IE8 Beta 2 has been out for a long while, and supports a lot of these “web standards”, and does at least pass the Acid 2 test. It’s not perfect all the way, but I’m guessing MS is still working on it.
Appleinsider is your source? I hardly call that a good source for news, considering an obvious slant towards a particular company…
Written by Quikboy on 11.07.08
we need to wait and see, I do not think so Microsoft go for this webkit open source which was originated by Apple.
Written by Dutt on 11.08.08
I bet there would be a new version called MS Webkit soon, which will not just be non-standard, but also heavility promoted for acceptance as universal standard by MS(The real webkit?!). Isn’t this script repeated all too times?
Written by Rajesh Kumar on 11.10.08
Well said Rajesh. I too accept the same, Microsoft will not follow the webkit.
Written by dutt on 11.10.08
MS, you better be fast, as people are dying to serve your pathetic IE. come on WEBKIT!
Written by abdusfauzi on 11.12.08