A case for browser-engine diversity in a decreasingly diverse browser-engine world.

View Source Conference, September 30, 2019

A case for browser-engine diversity in a decreasingly diverse browser-engine world.

HELLO MY NAME
IS @miketaylr

What are we going to talk about today?

An early history of browser engines
A more recent history of browser engines
I will convince you I'm right
(about why browser engine monoculture is not good for the web,
or for users)

Nexus (née WorldWideWeb)

Mosaic

<aside>

khtml

khtml < khtmlw (KDE HTML Widget)

khtml == kool desktop environment html

</aside>

2011

so, why don't we all just use blink?

so, why don't we all just use blink gecko?

🙋 it kinda makes my job harder?

does the web platform really
benefit from diversity?

a couple of examples

`intrinsicsize`

                    <img intrinsicsize="400x300">
                     
                    img, video {
                        aspect-ratio: attr(width) / attr(height);
                    }