[Bug 11402] One problem of todays JavaScript libraries is, that the client has to download the same library over and over again, while visiting multiple sites. One could use services like Google Libraries API for a central location, but that introduces new points of

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=11402

--- Comment #9 from Tab Atkins Jr. <jackalmage@gmail.com> 2010-11-30 22:11:06 UTC ---
(In reply to comment #8)
> (In reply to comment #7)
> 
> > If that's the primary use, then you can make it simpler.  Just have browsers
> > agree on a set of standard library names to prepackage, then use something like
> > 
> > <script src="scripts/jquery-1.4.2.js" library="jquery-1.4.2"></script>
> > 
> > and browsers would agree on what the exact file for "jquery-1.4.2" is, bit for
> > bit.  So basically, instead of a general-purpose sharing scheme, just develop
> > the notion of a standard library for JS.
> 
> Libraries simply bundled with browsers would be annoying just like outdated
> browsers themselves &#8212; webmasters would again face choice between forgoing
> this feature and sticking to a buggy version that was shipped with the browser
> years ago.

To be fair, no they wouldn't, not the way this was suggested.  The author can
just provide both @src and @library, so browsers that don't understand @library
or that don't recognize the library specified would just use the @src like
normal.

The problem is that once you add a library to the browser you can *never remove
it*.  It's now just part of the exposed API.  I dunno how serious this would be
in practice.  It would add up fairly quickly, though, adding megabytes to the
browser's download size.

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Received on Tuesday, 30 November 2010 22:11:08 UTC