If you weren't aware already, Google has its own web programming language called Dart. The open source language was unveiled way back in 2011 and is designed to be a part of Chrome, other web browsers, and replace JavaScript. Now, reportedly, Google has begun baking Dart into Chrome, with hopes that it will speed up Web Apps.
However, despite all the bold claims made by Google about its Dart project, browser makers such as Mozilla, Apple and Microsoft do not care much for Dart. Google will have a difficult time convincing these companies to give up JavaScript in favor of a new language that might or might not be able to do what Google hopes it can do for the web.
"The next step for us is to get the Dart virtual machine into Chrome," said Lars Bak, the leader of Google's project to CNET, adding that he hopes it'll be done within a year. "If everything pans out the way it's predicted, with a factor of two performance boost and a factor of ten in startup-time boost, I'm pretty sure the other browsers will be enticed with what we're doing."
The problem with building the Dart Virtual Machine into Chrome could mean that some Web Apps will only work in Chrome and not in other competing browsers. This is a problem for web developers who are trying to avoid a fragmented web.
"What I find worrying is [Google's] tendency to push for in-house, works-only-on-Chrome solutions instead of trying to work with the wider web standards community," said Henri Bergius, founder of the NoFlo project and co-creator of FlowHub. In this they strongly resemble Microsoft of the bad old IE market dominance and ActiveX era."
It is clear that Dart isn't popular among many web developers, and the only way for Google to change the bad perception of the language is to convince everyone that it is really worth the effort. So far, Google has already convinced Mojang, the developers of the popular video game, Minecraft and its founder Markus "Notch" Persson tweeted that he loves Dart.
@pl4rry I love it. Even if it doesn't catch on, it produces pretty fast JS, which is pretty ubiquitous.
— Markus Persson (@notch) November 28, 2013
Getting the Minecraft developers on board is a good start for Google, but the biggest hurdle is convincing Apple, Microsoft and Mozilla to give Dart a chance.
