Google Chrome Frame aims to bring IE6 kicking and screaming into today's web

A browser within a browser

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22 September 2009 20:55 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Google is trying to help those stuck with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser embrace the latest the Internet has to offer, with the launch of a new meta tag and additional plug-in.

Called Google Chrome Frame, the new system will let website developers tell the browser to load in the Chrome Frame so it can support web services that sport HTML 5 coding, like Google Wave.

"We're building Google Chrome Frame to help web developers deliver faster, richer applications like Google Wave", said software engineers Amit Joshi and Alex Russell along with Mike Smith, product manager at Google.

According to Joshi: "One challenge developers face in using these new technologies is that they are not yet supported by Internet Explorer. Developers can't afford to ignore IE — most people use some version of IE — so they end up spending lots of time implementing work-arounds or limiting the functionality of their apps".

According to Google Chrome Frame, all developers need to do is to add a single tag to their pages for the technology to work.

However users will also have to download an IE plug-in, something that a corporate system is unlikely to let them do. After all, if they were able to download additional applications then chances are they would upgrade their browser.