During July, Google made several changes to version 68 of its famous Chrome browser (which appeared in May 2018). In this article we will tell you about a few new features that caught our attention and, above all, we will look at why this version of Chrome is generating so much discussion.
So what does version 68 offer?
Here is a factual list of the most interesting new features.
- Eager Evaluation: a small but thoroughly noteworthy improvement. You type your expression into the Chrome console and it will display a preview of the result just below your cursor!
Screenshot showing Eager Evaluation in use. (source: developers.google.com) - Argument hints: when you type a function into the console, Chrome will display the possible arguments for that function. An argument recommendation thanks to argument hints. (source: developers.google.com)
- More reliable and faster SEO audits with Lighthouse 3.0 (a version produced with the Lighthouse and Chrome UX teams). We already talked about this tool a little while ago on our blog — do read our article to find out more about Lighthouse.
- An update to how the HTTP protocol is handled: this is the element that made this version of Chrome so popular. Google’s browser is seeking to guarantee to all its users that their data is properly encrypted and therefore secure. To that end, the browser took the radical decision to mark all HTTP sites as “not secure” (a decision that is now the subject of debate on several dev community forums). But Google stated that this measure was necessary for the sake of internet users’ security, and also pointed to an impressive rise in the migration of sites to HTTPS (today, 81% of the largest websites are accessible over HTTPS by default).
- Addition of the Payment Handler API: released a short while ago, this API is an easy, intuitive payment method carried out directly in the browser in a secure way. This application is able to collect information such as the buyer’s shipping and contact address through a user interface.
Screenshot of the Payment Handler API (source: developers.google.com)
Did you enjoy our analysis of Chrome 68? We also write articles about other browsers as well as about the world of web development in general. Do follow our blog!
