A new approach for adding browser functionality

Abstract

In this paper we address the problem of browser extensibility, needed to support the evolving nature of the web. Standards for supporting multimedia content by browsers are constantly updated, extended and introduced while the browser support is left behind. We present a novel approach to add browser support for content adhering to a new standard. Only a small set of requirements needs to be implemented as part of the browser's software, the rest is accounted by client-side code. Client-side code has the advantage that it can account for missing functionality with no changes to the browser, thus making it more dynamic, easier to implement, and enabling third-party developers to contribute. At the same time, it is risk-free for users accessing other content types. On the downside, client-side code suffers from degraded performance and potentially introduces security concerns.