What Does Blink Mean to Web Developers?

Creating a website that works across a host of browser engines can be time-consuming, but what happens when one of the leading browser engines changes significantly? This is a question that many web developers are asking in light of Google’s news to switch to Blink. As a web developer you may be wondering, what can you expect from this big change when it comes to website development. Let’s take a closer look at what Blink means to web developers.
What Is Blink?
Blink is Google’s upcoming browser engine that is meant to replace Webkit. Google claims that the browser engine will be more secure and faster. While this may be great for surfers, why did Google decide to go with an entirely new browser engine?
Why the Change?
Blink is meant to deliver a speedier DOM and JavaScript engine, offer better security through sandboxing and out of process iframes, superior performance that will take advantage of the better screen resolution and multicore processors, offer more powerful rending and layout and a fresh networking code. Google also hopes that the change to the Chrome browser engine will encourage other browser companies to make innovations to make the internet live up to the capabilities of modern day computers.
Should Developers Panic?
Though there’s yet to be a date set on when Blink will go into use, web developers are already starting to worry. Google has tried to easy the worry of web developers by claiming that working with the browser engine is no different and won’t cause any problems. According to Paul Lewis and Paul Irish, “We’re keenly aware of the compatibility challenges faced by developers today, and will be collaborating closely with other browser vendors to move the Web forward and preserve the interoperability that have made it a successful ecosystem.”
What Should Mobile Developers Expect?
Google plans to make Chrome and Android the “best possible web browser”. The same level of compatibility will be available to mobile web developers and performance comparable to desktop Chrome. In other words, this is going to be a very good thing for developers. With more and more people using mobile devices, Google understands the importance of browser engines that are great for mobile websites.
There’s no set date as to when web developers can expect to see Blink released. In the meantime, Irish and Lewis stated that Google will, “improve performance, compatibility and stability for all the platforms where we ship Chrome.” They will also continue to invest in conformance testing. Change is always scary when websites are involved, but Google’s Blink looks like it will be a great change for web developers and surfers alike.
Working on your own software developments? You can find information and more tools here.