Microsoft is open-sourcing another piece of its Edge browser

Microsoft announced today that it's open-sourcing the Microsoft Edge WebGL GLSL transpiler, part of the WebGL renderer in the browser.

Here's a quick description of a GSL::HLSL transpiler, in case you're unaware (we don't blame you):

WebGL web pages run ‘programs’ (shaders) on your GPU to render 3D content; these programs are written in the GLSL shading language. Microsoft Edge uses the DirectX subsystem in Windows (and HLSL, a different Windows-specific shading language) to render content.

Microsoft Edge converts WebGL content to DirectX equivalents to display it; the WebGL renderer converts WebGL calls into DirectX equivalents, and the transpiler converts GLSL shaders to HLSL shaders.

According to Microsoft, "The HLSL to GLSL transpiler is the most critical component of the WebGL stack from an interoperability perspective", which is why that's where the firm started. The company will release more scripts and documentation over time.

Now to answer the question that is on everyone's mind, no, Microsoft has no current plans to open-source the Edge browser or the EdgeHTML engine, although it did state that the firm does understand the importance of being more open with its technologies.

The news comes on the heels of open-sourcing the Chakra JavaScript engine back in January, as well as offering up an open roadmap on the Edge Platform Status page in April.

Source: Windows Blog