Are there any specific reasons for a developer that deals with web applications (let's say writing html and js) to download a browser's source code (like Chromium) and learn how the engine works (renderer, javascript vm, network processing, etc.)?
What is the value for a web developer to be familiar with the source code of a web browser?
web development;browser
It is more important to understand HTTP, client server, web standards and specifications (HTML 4, XHTML, HTML 5, CSS 2.0, CSS 3.0, Javascript) and the differences between the different browsers and browser versions.Understanding the inner workings of a single browser engine can be useful in the same way that understanding how an engine works will help a driver get the most out of his car, but some of the knowledge will not transferable to other browsers.