Dear Secret Diary,

Now that Chrome has surfaced, how have things changed?

There's no doubt that Chrome is a big win for Webkit.
-- It makes Webkit look (and be) much more than an Apple fiefdom
-- It ensures there will be a viable Linux (GTK?) Webkit, and a viable non-Apple Mac Webkit
-- It will probably increase Webkit share considerably, making it more Web-compatible
-- It creates a shippable open-source Webkit browser for Mac, Windows and Linux. For example
this could displace Firefox as the browser of choice on Linux, which is important given the
inroads Linux is making in Splashtop, netbooks, etc.
-- Google hype is likely to attract contributors to Chrome and Webkit, which means less
contributors for us.

The biggest win will be if Google hackers start making significant contribution to the Webkit
core. Google promises this will happen. We'll see. The impact could be muted if Google doesn't
unfork Webkit, but it seems they will. There's some tension in #webkit between Google and Apple,
we'll see if it passes or not.

For better or worse, my predictions over the last couple of years that Webkit will crush Gecko
haven't decisively come true yet, at least in the marketplace. So I'm reluctant to sound the
doom-and-gloom alarm again. Let's just wait; several months down the track, we'll have a clearer
idea of how Chrome is impacting the ecosystem.

As ever, the worst-case end-game is unclear. If/when the writing is on the wall --- Gecko falling
increasingly behind, much more moementum behind Webkit, falling Firefox share --- Mozilla will
still have significant financial and hacker strength, probably for years. The options are, I guess,
a) carry on with Gecko until the lights go out, b) get out of the browser business (massive
downsizing and living off investments or other income), c) risk everything to rebuild the XUL
empire on Webkit. I'd vote for c) of course. Hyatt and others keep arguing that multiple engines
are good for the Web, but I still don't buy it. We'd have enough competition just by pushing
Webkit variants, and unity has strong advantages for Web developers and for pushing the platform
forward. I especially like option c) because it means even if Mozilla fails, we'll go out with
a bang, making significant contributions to Webkit in areas where it's behind Gecko.

Interestingly, I've stopped being depressed or scared. Mozilla nosediving would suck, but the Web is
winning. Just executing our plans, contributing as best I can is enough day-to-day satisfaction.
We've already achieved enough to be proud of, no matter what happens next. No doubt I and the
NZ team will land on our feet. My greatest worry is actually that I'll be tarred with the Gecko
brush; that people will think me and the other Gecko developers just weren't good enough to
save it. But that's not a great concern --- look at the ex-Gecko developers (architects, even)
who are lauded for their work on Webkit and Chrome. Anyway, that's a selfish concern.