Web feature deprecation: a case study for chrome

Deprecation --- signaling that a function is becoming obsolete in the near future --- is necessary for the web ecosystem. However, an unsuccessful deprecation can lead to pain for both developers and end-users. In this paper, we analyze web feature deprecations with the goal of improving Chrome's deprecation process by balancing the need for deprecation and minimizing user pain. We produce a taxonomy of reasons why developers want to deprecate web features and a deprecation methodology for deciding when it is safe to deprecate a web feature. We also discuss the challenges faced during the deprecation process.