Removing XSLT for a more secure browser

Chrome says it’s killing XSLT — an old way to reshape XML data into web pages — to make the browser safer, with full removal by late 2026 and final shutdown for stragglers in 2027. Other engines have signaled they’ll follow, so this isn’t just a Google thing. But the comment section? Pure fireworks. One furious poster labeled this “Destroying the open web,” even name-checking Google engineer Mason Freed as a “destroyer of open tech.” Another blasted the move as proof a private company shouldn’t decide web standards. The “walled garden” alarm bells were loud, and the nostalgia was real: proud veterans mourned systems built around XSLT.

Then the anti-bloat crowd showed up with confetti: “Good, XSLT was crap… nobody used it,” cheering a lighter, safer Chrome. Some joked this is the final funeral for the XML era, while others worried practical fallout could hit testing tools and automation. One QA voice fretted about XPath selectors in Playwright/Selenium — a sign of broader anxiety, even if this announcement targets XSLT transforms, not everything XML touches. In short: classic internet split. Open‑web defenders vs. cleanup crew, with memes, side‑eyes, and a fresh round of XSLTProcessor explainers for anyone who hasn’t touched XML since 2008.