Webkit and the Future of Ajax

Webkits are in the spotlight once again when Google released their browser named Chrome. Developers were mostly impressed with the release although a few bugs have been reported on Mac and Linux. But this is forgivable and expected for a browser.

It just shows that even Google could not really figure out how to harness the different scenarios of the web. But Chrome is still young and we are in for a great ride if Chrome will quickly improve.

Chrome is a browser developed with the help of webkit. If you have not tested Chrome yet, it is practically a browser full of personalization options. News, images and search results could be personalized. You can easily notice that these are a collection of powerful functions which made Chrome a possibility.

Instead of manually coding most of the time, Google developers did something very bold – they used what are already available, made a few tweaks on them and developed a solid browser.

Advantages Posed by Webkits

Google’s use of webkits to develop Chrome has proven two things. First is that creating an application with this interactivity is possible without the need of extensive coding. You just need to know where to find the function that fits your application and piece it together.

Before you know it, you already have a very powerful application ready to be launched to the world. The second realization is that the functions that are already available is not just fully functional but provides better interactivity and could increase the speed of your application.

Considering Ajax for Webkits

Webkits is also a possibility in developing Ajax based applications. There are different APIs online right now that could be pieced together to create a powerful application.

In fact, Google Maps have been used (and abused) extensively by some websites as they integrated the JavaScript API of Google Maps to provide highly interactive online application.

The only disadvantage developers have to face is obviously on security. Although webkits could help developers piece together a powerful Ajax based application, they are leaving their application wide open for hackers.

These online APIs and functions are not only available for developers with good intentions. There are open source functions which mean everyone has a right to download and use them. Although they were built for a good cause, some “developers” are not really friendly to the web.

Another challenge for developers is the ability for customization. This challenge is the same challenged posed by simple frameworks. You can create an Ajax based application but only until the functions provided by your frameworks. Webkits will not limit you with a single function but each function has its limitation and changing them would jeopardize the whole application.

But despite the disadvantages, webkits is a good thing for the advancement of Ajax based applications. Google has already shown the world the power of webkits and it has provided developers with an idea on how to develop a highly interactive and robust Ajax based applications. Through webkits, different Ajax applications can be developed without being too constricted by frameworks.