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Google Chrome Frame

james — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:30:54 +0000

This week, Google announced an early version of a plugin for Internet Explorer, which allows it to use modern web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, SVG, Canvas, and more.

Click here to view the embedded video.

More and more web applications (including many from Google, such as Google Docs, Gmail, and MobileMe from Apple), either require these technologies, or make extensive use of JavaScript. As such, fast JavaScript support has recently become something of a game of cat and mouse between the top browser vendors, constantly leapfrogging one another to be ‘the fastest’. Internet Explorer, whilst receiving a big upgrade with version 8, is still some way behind Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Google Chrome when it comes to these features.

Google are soon to be launching their much-touted Google Wave service: a combination between e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, and social networking. Wave’s interface is very JavaScript-heavy, and requires features of HTML5. At present, this means that Internet Explorer users will be unable to use Wave. And even if Microsoft implemented the necessary features in the next version of IE, there are still around 40% of internet users on versions 6 and 7 of IE with no clear intention to upgrade any time soon (or, for many corporate users, they’re not even allowed to upgrade). It’s a big problem for Google if their ‘next generation of email’ isn’t able to be used by 60% of internet users.

Enter Google Chrome Frame.

Chrome Frame is a plugin for Internet Explorer versions 6, 7, and 8 – much like Flash or a PDF reader – which seamlessly allows Internet Explorer to use Google Chrome’s web technology support and fast JavaScript engine. Web developers simply need to add an HTML tag to their webpages, which will tell Internet Explorer to switch to using Chrome’s rendering engine for that site.

This is a fantastic solution to the issues outlined above for a number of reasons:

For starters, the installation is a breeze – no more difficult than installing Flash, which most users have probably done without even noticing it.
Other than the installation, there’s nothing for the end-user to do. Most websites will continue using Internet Explorer the same way they always have. If a site needs to use Chrome Frame, it all happens magically in the background, and is completely transparent to the user.
There’s no need for IE users to have to install or learn an entire new browser. Again, they just keep using IE just as they did before.
Finally, because the use of Chrome Frame is completely opt-in on a site-by-site basis, it doesn’t change everything and ‘break the internet’. Viewing sites that require new technologies is as simple as installing a plugin for your browser.

Initial tests by Computerworld have shown IE8 using Chrome Frame to be nearly 10 times faster than usual when processing JavaScript.

For more on Google Chrome Frame, take a look at this brilliant article from Jim Ray: http://jimray.tumblr.com/post/194793633/more-technical-details-about-google-chrome-frame

New Google Mail Mobile Interface

james — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:00:44 +0000

Google have updated their mobile Google Mail interface to use cutting-edge HTML5 and CSS3 features available to WebKit-based browsers and the upcoming Firefox 3.5.

The new interface provides new functionality such as offline access – you can load Gmail in your browser even if you go offline, then reply to e-mails, etc, and it’ll all be synced back to the ‘cloud’ when you’re next online. The new Gmail also uses the

It’s amazing that this kind of stuff is leading the way is on mobile devices, where the most popular browsers (Safari on the iPhone, and the Android browser on Android-based phones) are generally more capable and advanced than the current versions of the most popular desktop browsers.

For more information, see:

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-mobile-gmail-experience-for-iphone.html
http://google-code-updates.blogspot.com/2009/04/html5-and-webkit-pave-way-for-mobile.html

A designers oath

chris — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:15:14 +0000

To teach design to the sons and daughters of my teachers and to continue learning.
To practice design to the best of my ability for my clients.
Never to do deliberate harm to or annoy the audience for anyone else’s interest.
To communicate messages worthy of the audience’s attention.
To keep the good of the audience as the highest priority.

Via Thinking for a Living

The creators of this oath wanted a concise declaration, so obviously a lot of stuff has been left unsaid.

A few I would add… the first from the IWA code of ethics

To protect the intellectual property of others by relying on our own innovation and efforts, thus ensuring that all benefits vest with its originator.

The second is inspired by NO!SPEC (against free pitching)…

To never devalue my profession and peers by producing speculative work.

And finally, from the AGDA code of ethics…

To work in a manner so that as little harm (direct or indirect) as possible is caused to the natural environment.

Thanks for reading.