Chromium Has Merged JpegXL (chromium-review.googlesource.com)

Article summary

Chromium has merged JpegXL, a new image format. The discussion reveals that JpegXL has been considered for adoption for some time, but its implementation was previously hindered by security concerns and the use of C++ instead of Rust. JpegXL is seen as a more efficient format than WebP in terms of compression speed and size. Its adoption is expected to provide better performance and features such as progressive decoding and animation support.

Main themes

• Image format comparison
• Browser support and adoption
• Security concerns
• Compression efficiency
• Format features and trade-offs

What commenters say

• JpegXL is considered a better format than WebP due to its superior compression speed and size, but its adoption was previously hindered by security concerns and implementation issues.
• The use of C++ instead of Rust was a major obstacle to JpegXL's adoption, but a new Rust-based implementation has addressed these concerns.
• Some argue that WebP is still a viable option due to its existing hardware acceleration and shared codebase with VP8/AV1 video codecs, which reduces implementation effort.
• Others believe that JpegXL's benefits, such as progressive decoding and animation support, outweigh the potential drawbacks and make it a worthwhile addition to Chromium.
• The decision to adopt JpegXL is also influenced by considerations of maintainability, security, and the potential for future-proofing, as well as the trade-offs between different formats and their features.
• There are differing opinions on the importance of compression efficiency and format features, with some prioritizing performance and others emphasizing the need for a widely supported and maintainable format.