Long story short, Google released a plugin for IE 6, 7 and 8 that will run Google Chrome (which uses webkit) inside a frame in the IE browser. Now IE6 can be standards-compliant, and all versions of IE get blazing fast javascript and HTML 5 support. Sounds great, but there are some problems, as lifehacker points out:
“The (most) obvious question: Why would I install this plug-in rather than switch browsers to Chrome? The folks at Google point to IT lockdown that won’t allow users to install a new browser; Ars wonders whether such restrictive IT departments would be any more likely to approve this plug-in. If nothing else, it’s a pretty bold move on the part of Google.”
If you’re interested, Jim Ray dug into the details of how it works. Personally, I don’t think this will solve anyone’s IE6 problems, but it’s a fascinating development, and worth keeping an eye on.
“The irony here, as I see it, is that an old, insecure feature Microsoft built to try to beat Netscape is now being used by Microsoft’s biggest current rival to patch IE.”
One Comment on “Google Chrome Frame for Internet Explorer”
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I’m a
I downloaded Chrome Frame at work, where a) we use IE8, b) I’ve felt weird about downloading a better browser and c) we have a crap internet connection thanks to always-on over-the-internet POS software.
The improvement in speed was startling.
And this is coming from a Google Chrome convert (it is the only browser I use on my home machine).
Posted on October 13, 2009 at 5:40 pm.