Google Chrome – Another Browser Compatibility Headache for Developers?

With the recent release of Google Chrome, I immediately assumed that I, along with my fellow web designers and developers, were handed yet another set of browser compatibility headaches to deal with.

However, after some quick research, I discovered that Google Chrome is actually based on WebKit, the same open source browser engine that Apple’s Safari web browser uses. Good news for us designers and developers – unless, of course, you haven’t tested your code in Safari!

If this is the case, it’s probably time to download either browser and take a close look at your website.

Although Google Chrome was released to mixed reviews, I think we’ll see its popularity with the (non-corporate) public continue to steadily rise. The ease of integration among Google’s product offerings, including Desktop, Docs and Gmail, is a huge bonus for users. And if ease of integration isn’t a selling point, then the fact that Google products are free just might hook the public for a Chrome download or two!

Rumor has it that within a few years, Google even plans to release its own Operating System, which could provide serious competition for Microsoft and ultimately convert users of Internet Explorer, the current industry dominant, over to Chrome.

How nice would it be to eliminate IE from the compatibility testing list? As a designer with constant IE compatibility struggles (mainly 6.0, which isn’t as dead as you may think) I think it would be great! But I wouldn’t recommend anyone hold their breath on that one.

We also can’t forget the fact that Google Chrome regularly collects and transmits user information back to home base, which is a little too “Big Brother” for some of us… but we’ll leave that topic for the conspiracy theorists to write about.