Comments on: Chrome's JavaScript challenge to Silverlight

The advent of Google's Chrome browser, software pros say, should spur a big speedup for JavaScript, which would raise its standing against Microsoft's Silverlight technology.

[RyanMcIlmoyl]

Mozilla also has a JIT Javascript compiler project underway, TraceMonkey. I think it's included in the current nightly builds of 3.1.

[JuggerNaut]

It's funny how the article makes Microsoft's Silverlight look like the one to beat when it is Adobe's Flash that is the one to beat reality. Silverlight doesn't even register on the Web 2.0 radar as compared to Adobe Flash and the venerable JavaScript (AJAX). The biggest problem with Silverlight is the lack good cross-platform compatibility as compared to Adobe Flash (and even JavaScript in general).

[j_a_s_p_e_r]

You are mistaken Silverlight is cross platform for PC, Mac and Linux.

BTW. Have you ever programmed Flash? I have (2 years ago) and I can tell you from personal experience that it was one of the most horrible developement environment I ever worked on. I also programmed in Director which was even worse. Maybe they improved by now, but I don't really want to waste my time finding out

[Kwasiowusu]

@ Lerianis : "Ah, but that might change with the Google Chrome browser "

Chrome still has close to ZERO market share.
IE 8 Beta 2 is still currently the best browser on the planet, and will not be losing share to Chrome.
Chrome could take some share from Firefox, but then Firefox already comes with Google search as default and some Google apps, so its not gonne be making that much difference to Google search/other market share.
Not to mention the nasty Google spyware in Chrome is going to keep most consumers as far away the virulent Chrome as they can.

[josvazg]

I see this list is full of MS employees/partners ;-)

We need choice and competition in order for the technology to advance, and this Google Chrome thing is a step forward. Whether you like it or not.

Chrome is OpenSource, you can see all the lines of code of it, but you can't do that with IE. Which one is more prone to hide more corporate evilness?

I am not saying that Google is a saint, it's just as evil as MS was when they started to gain momentum.

It's just fun to see the MS guys nervous about loosing their "first monopoly in the software world" throne.

About silvercrap? Yet another MS pushed de-facto-standard technology? to be used only with MS software? and that you will have to buy and upgrade more expensive by the month? no thanks!

Get on the Open Source train... or disappear!

[kgilchrist]

Javascript has been very slow for a while now. Chrome makes a lot of sense in other Google areas like Docs.

I tried to use a google spreadsheet for a mortgage amortization table (change one change and the rest of the able has to recalced) and it took a good 20 seconds for the recalc to finish. Reminded me of my Dad's old spreadsheet program on a 486.

These optimizations are essential if google wants their spreadsheet to be used for anything financial.

[edyang]

Does anyone else have trouble with viewing FLV Flash video files on sites like Youtube on both Chrome and Firefox? The videos start then just stop.

I'm checking out the new Orca browser at: www.orcabrowser.com. It's based on Firefox and makers of Avant Browser.

Gotta love choice!

[royalstream]

You are missing the point.
Javascript's biggest drawback is not its performance, it is that it simply sucks.
No compilation, no syntax checking until execution time. As a language it sucks.

Additionally, Silverlight and Flash provide complete APIs to handle animation, Vector graphics, Streaming sound and video, Network Sockets and many things will follow (like 3D).

Javascript can't go beyond DHTML and its boring document object model.

[michael.wacht]

Perhaps you should take a look at SVG before you start talking about what JavaScript can and cannot do. I have worked with JavaScript, Flash and Silverlight, and I use IE, Firefox, Opera and Chrome on a daily basis. There are advantages to each as well as downfalls. To make a blanket statement that JavaScript sucks makes you sound as foolish as the people claiming that Google making a browser does not matter. When you are Google, Microsoft, Adobe or Apple, everything you do can affect the game.