Upgrading Google Docs’s performance could break chrome extensions

There was a point in time when the war between Google, Microsoft and even Apple was just on productivity suites. While Microsoft Office is probably still reigns in this market, Google Docs and its brothers and sisters have definitely eaten a large part of this pie, partly because of being based on the browser as well as the increased popularity of Chromebooks. However, the age of the platform can begin to show and Google gives it a large upgrade that could, in turn, make third party chrome extensions for Google Docs, stop running properly.

Given its dependence on the Internet and on the Web, Google naturally grows web standards and heavier technologies than some. It is, for example, a strong promoter of the HTML content contrary to those who require plugins like Flash. For Google Docs, he used an HTML-based approach to view documents that it is now abandoned for a canvas alternative.

The canvas, which is still part of the HTML standard, is specifically designed to draw and display items that go beyond text and images, such as videos and diagrams. Google says that switching to a web-based approach will significantly improve the performance and consistency of how Google Docs displays documents, especially on different platforms. End users should not notice any changes to the features, other than DOCS feeling faster, unless you use some third-party chrome extensions.

Google warns that these extensions could suddenly break if they specifically depend on the structure of a Google document with HTML. This could be particularly true for companies that develop internal chrome extensions specific to their needs, in which case they will have to update their software, which might not be a small business at all.

Fortunately, the migration of HTML-based on the rendering based on the canvas will occur slowly in the coming months, which gives these developers the time to adjust. In both cases, Google recommends that developers use its Google Workspace complementary frame to ensure that these extensions will work even when Google changes things as they do often