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EU regulators: We’ll scrutinize Windows RT browser behavior Browsers on Windows RT: It’s a tough antitrust case to make Senate panel eyes Windows RT browser restrictions Poll: Windows 8 or Windows RT device? Why Mozilla believes Firefox on Windows RT is a bust

Although many new devices technically can accommodate other browsers besides those that come with the operating system, those third-party browsers won’t always get the full privileges and thus power of the built-in browser.

  • EU regulators: We’ll scrutinize Windows RT browser behavior
  • Browsers on Windows RT: It’s a tough antitrust case to make
  • Senate panel eyes Windows RT browser restrictions
  • Poll: Windows 8 or Windows RT device?
  • Why Mozilla believes Firefox on Windows RT is a bust

Thus, when an underlying operating system such Windows, iOS, or Linux grants full privileges to a browser, it’s extending a lot of trust when it comes to security, reliability, power consumption, and other factors.

The reason JavaScript program size has exploded is because browsers can shoulder a heavier burden. It’s become so central to browser design that JavaScript engines sometimes now have acquired brand names. Among the JavaScript engines that use JITs are Chrome’s V8, Opera’s Carakan, and Safari’s Nitro, IE’s Chakra, and Mozilla’s SpiderMonkey engine – whose latest JIT is called IonMonkey.

Mozilla’s isn’t likely to produce lock-in, judging by its history and explicit openness mission. But Chrome OS works in close concert with the Chrome Web Store for finding and purchasing Web apps. That leads to the possibility that the Chrome Web Store could produce a Chrome-specific slice of the Web and a Google control point similar to Apple’s App Store. Remember, today’s competition is on the level of ecosystems, not products in isolation.