Both Shaver and Lie noted that graphics-based browser acceleration would deliver even more benefits on mobile devices, such as smartphones. Mozilla is working on a mobile version of Firefox, dubbed , while the mobile version of Opera is much more popular than its desktop sibling.

Shaver said that hardware acceleration would debut in one of the upcoming editions of Firefox, although not in , which is slated to hit release candidate status later this month and ship before the end of the year. "We'll put it in when it's ready," Shaver said. Firefox 3.7, another minor upgrade, is set to wrap up in the first half of next year, while the major upgrade to Firefox 4.0 is currently scheduled for later in 2010.

Although some have accused Microsoft of ignoring available standards -- including OpenGL for rendering two-dimensional images -- charges that have been leveled against the company numerous times in the past over other issues, Shaver and Lie refused to be drawn into that conversation. "It would be nice if we could use OpenGL on Windows, but you have to play the cards that are dealt," Shaver said. "On Windows, DirectX and Direct2D are the only reasonable path right now, so for building a Windows browser, using the DirectX APIs is reasonable. Microsoft isn't doing anything that we wouldn't be able to do."

Shaver pointed out that Direct2D was only available on Windows Vista and Windows 7, a limiting factor. , however, still run the eight-year-old-and-counting Windows XP.

"Microsoft's approach is reasonable as long as [the APIs] remain documented," said Lie, who added that if they weren't, Opera would be the first to object. Opera has done that in the past by over Microsoft's bundling of IE with Windows, and IE's purported lack of support for widely-used Web standards.