Web Sockets and the risks of unfinished standards | Deep Tech - CNET News

Web Sockets and the risks of unfinished standards | Deep Tech - CNET News: "Enthusiasm for a promising new standard called Web Sockets has quickly cooled in some quarters as a potential security problem led some browser makers to hastily postpone support.
The Web Sockets technology, which opens up a live communication link between a browser and a server, remains an important part of plans to make the Web a home for more dynamic, interactive sites. It could, for example, speed up Google Instant searching and multiplayer games. But Mozilla and Opera put their Web Socket plans on hold this week until the wrinkles are ironed out."

The reversal is only the latest difficulty, though. Web Sockets development already had become somewhat contentious as eager browser makers--Google in particular--began including support for a specification they knew wasn't done. Overall, the Web Sockets history illustrates some pitfalls of the style and pace of Web standards development.

When technology companies are working on the next version of standards for Ethernet or USB, much of the work happens among dedicated engineers informed by work at test labs. But with the Web, the entire Internet is the test lab. That's because Web developers, not just browser makers and other industry powers, play a role in early-stage work shaping specifications and gauging interest.

Browser makers, naturally eager to curry favor with this influential audience in the highly competitive browser market, race to include new technology. With Web Sockets, Google was the first with a version of Chrome a year ago. Apple has followed suit with Safari 5; Mozilla had been building Web Sockets into the upcoming Firefox 4 and Opera into its upcoming Opera 11.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20025272-264.html#ixzz17mz61YKg

Chrome Web Store could emerge soon | Deep Tech - CNET News

Chrome Web Store could emerge soon | Deep Tech - CNET News: "The Chrome Web Store, Google's mechanism to bring online services and features to users of its browser products, appears likely to launch shortly.
The online service is designed to let Chrome and Chrome OS users find, install, and potentially buy Web applications, similar in concept to what Google has done with its Android Market and to what Apple has done with its App Store. Chrome 8, which is in its final stages of development, is the first gateway.
'Chrome 8 is the first version that supports the Chrome Web Store,' a Google programmer said in a discussion about Chrome 8 documentation. One element of that support likely will be a Chrome Web Store icon on the new page that appears when Chrome users fire up a new tab; it wouldn't be a good user experience, if the icon were there but were wired to an inert or missing Web site.
In addition, the final Web store icons for Chrome and, yesterday, its open-source counterpart Chromium now have been added to the browser software project."