Creating web standards
The great thing about the Web is that it moves so fast. New standards are changed or created everyday and it is always improving. Browsers have further improved on this concept by allowing updates to be downloaded and installed without the user ever knowing. This makes the web developer's job an easier one, but it does mean that you have to keep up with what is going on in the world of the Web, and this includes WebRTC.
The way these changes are implemented across browsers is through standardized bodies. These are groups of individuals who work through a common organization to democratize the changing of browser APIs. The two organizations that control the standards for WebRTC are the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETC).
Unlike many other standardized organizations, the W3C allows much of its information to be freely available to the public. This means that anyone can go online and view information about the implementation details of an API. The one for WebRTC is located at http://www.w3.org/TR/webrtc/. This is one way to refer to and learn more about how WebRTC works.
Getting involved in these organizations is one way to not only keep up-to-date on the latest technologies, but also to help shape the future of the Web. Participating in these communities makes browsers the fastest growing development stack out there. If you would like to learn more, visit http://www.w3.org/participate/ to find different ways to participate in the discussions.
Browser support
Although the goal of WebRTC is to be ubiquitous for every user, this does not mean that every browser all the same features at the same time. Different browsers may choose to be ahead of the curve in certain areas, which makes some things work in one browser and not another. The current support for WebRTC in the browser space is shown in the following section.
Note
There are multiple websites that can tell you if your browser supports a specific technology, such as http://caniuse.com/rtcpeerconnection, that tells you which browsers support WebRTC.
Compatibility with Chrome, Firefox, and Opera
There are chances that the browser you currently use supports WebRTC. Chrome, Firefox, and Opera all support WebRTC out-of-the-box. This should work on all mainstream OSes, such as Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well. The browser vendors, such as Chrome and Firefox, have also been working together to fix interoperability issues so they can all communicate with each other easily.
Compatibility with Android OS
This is also the case for Chrome and Firefox on Android operating systems as well. WebRTC-based applications should work out-of-the-box and be able to interoperate with other browsers after Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). This is due to the code sharing notion between the desktop and mobile versions of both Chrome and Firefox.
Compatibilty with Apple
Apple has made little effort to enable WebRTC in either Safari or iOS. There are rumors of support but no official date on when support will come about. The one workaround that others have used for hybrid native/web-based iOS applications is to embed the WebRTC code directly into their applications and load a WebRTC application into a WebView.
Compatibility with Internet Explorer
Microsoft has not announced any plans to enable WebRTC in Internet Explorer. They have proposed an alternative solution to enable audio and video communication in the browser. This alternative was turned down in favor of WebRTC. Since then, Microsoft has been a silent partner in the development of the technology.
Note
Throughout the course of this book, it is recommended that you use Chrome for all the examples. Always keep a lookout for updates on browser support, however, as this is a constantly changing space!
