2 min Devops

Major browser developers partner up to improve interoperability

Major browser developers partner up to improve interoperability

Google, Microsoft, Apple and Mozilla are joining forces to improve web technology shared by browser platforms. To this end, the tech giants launched Interop 2022, a standard for web technology implementations.

Over time, Interop 2022 should improve the interoperability of web apps in different browsers. The standard ultimately ensures that web technology works more consistently across browser environments.

Web applications must look and behave similarly on different devices and operating systems. The Interop 2022 benchmark touches upon 15 different web specifications in Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox. The specifications examined include cascading layers, color spaces, CSS color features, new viewport components, scrolling and subgrid.

Currently, competition between web browsers is often focused on design instead of functionality. Suppliers are often reluctant to offer joint options for web browsers, because this can affect their business model. The specifications resulting from Interopt 2022 should allow competing developers to develop common standards for privacy, security and other functionality.

Prior to Interop 2022

Google, Microsoft and Mozilla have been collaborating since 2019. Later, Apple joined the ranks. One of the results is Compat 2021, a program through which the organizations jointly tackle tricky issues in CSS Flexbox, CSS Grid, aspect ratio and CSS transforms.

Frustration

The difficulty of a consistent application experience in multiple browser leads to frustration among web devs. Recently, a group of UK web developers started an initiative to end Apple’s limitations on browser other than Safari.