Google is switching out the engine powering its Chrome browser, moving away from WebKit to a new open-source rendering system called Blink.
Blink is actually based on WebKit, but using its forked version for Chrome will lead to a simpler code base. Google software engineer Adam Barth says that should translate into faster iteration -- and innovation. Barth disclosed the change on Google's Chrome blog.
Writing that the switch to Blink was a difficult decision, Barth explains that Chrome was using different architecture than other WebKit-based browsers already, and the complexity was slowing down progress. By going forward with Blink, he estimates Google will soon be able to remove more than 7,000 files containing 4.5 million lines of code from Chrome. Having simpler code inherently leads to more stability.
However, the change represents yet another complication for web developers, and Google has posted more details about the change on its Chromium Project site.
Google's move to Blink comes quickly after Opera embraced WebKit, leaving behind its own proprietary rendering engine, Presto. WebKit is -- or at least was -- the de facto standard for mobile browsers such as Safari and BlackBerry's browser, although Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox use their own systems.
Now Google is joining the ranks of platform operators with their own rendering technology. However, Google has massive market share with both the desktop version of Chrome and Android in general (although Chrome isn't always the default browser on Android phones). That has big implications for how the web -- both mobile and desktop -- will evolve.
Moving away from WebKit also leaves Chrome's future on iOS uncertain. Like other browsers on iOS, Chrome is basically a sophisticated wrapper for Safari, and if Chrome proper begins using a different rendering engine, that could lead to complications.
Reaction from developers has generally been positive, although some Twitter users expressed concern over compatibility.
Chrome is getting a new rendering engine called Blink, a fork of webkit. Long term, should be good news for the web, innovation.— Nate Palmer (@natepalm) April 4, 2013
Chrome/Blink… bring it on! Another string added to the ever increasing digital bow, it keeps us devs busy and in work :)— Jim Savage (@jim_savage) April 4, 2013
The browser compatibility issue will become crazy once again... Chrome Opera > Blink. Safari > Webkit. Firefox > Servo. IE > who cares...— Vicker Leung (@vicker) April 4, 2013
Here is the first leaked screenshot of Google Chrome running on the Blink rendering engine: twitter.com/HAL9000_/statu…— HAL 9000 (@HAL9000_) April 4, 2013