The Browser War is flaring up once again with the release of Google Chrome. Google Chrome is a new browser based on many freely available open source components such as WebKit and Firefox. Chrome is bare bones, chromeless, browser with very little UI fluff and decoration. It is interesting to note that the UI for the Google browser took a note from the companies colorful logo, the Chrome UI is very cartoon-like with a blue pastel color scheme.
Many of the features that are high lighted in Chrome are not necessarily revolutionary, instead I would say that the Google browser is retro-evolutionary. Chrome basically reduced the browser to the location bar, tabs, and content page.
The most touted features in Chrome are its crash control, incognito mode, and safe browsing. Chrome runs each web page on its own process so that if one page fails only that page is effected. Incognito mode is like Safari’s Private Browsing, aka Porn Mode, it allows you to surf the web without caching cookies and history of the sites you visit on your local computer. It’s safe browsing feature will help you to identify web sites with malicious code or applications. Many of these features are not entirely novel, so why would Google go to the efforts of creating a new browser?
What I think is novel is that Google decided to release yet another browser. The browser space is already crowded with Firefox, IE, Safari, Opera, Konqueror, and Flock to name just a few. It is clear that Google will align Chrome with its properties, search, applications, development tools, and user generated content sites. Seeing Google take this approach I wonder if other companies follow suit and release internet browsers that compliment their business. Can you imagine a custom browser from Adobe, Mcaffee, Oracle, Amazon, or EBay?
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Technorati Tags: google, chrome, firefox, ie, browser, adobe, oracle
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3 Comments
I think you are underestimating the benefits Google is trying to get from the improvements in the Javascript engine, the benefits of isolating each sites process, and the usage of Google gears. Google has a strong interest in not having the majority of future web development go to the Flex and Silverlight path. Even if Chrome doesn’t become a dominant browser they are trying to shape browser development.
I almost want to think that Google is just trying to show people “how it should be done”. not necessarily trying to take on the “big boys.” They did say in there description that, hey its open source, take our ideas and improve on yours… aka firefox. I wouldn’t be too surprised if ff4 had separate process and what not.
@David – Without a doubt Google will put enough engineering resources to give other browsers a run for their web standards. You are right, Google has a very strong interest on shaping the future of web development with their online applications, GWT, App Engine, and now Chrome. But other companies also have a strong interest in shaping the web, such as Facebook, Oracle, Adobe, etc. I guess that was a key question in this rant, what would the web look like with soo many cooks?
@Brian – I think you are right, it seems like Google engineering want to show the show em how to do it. But I think they could have done it within the Mozilla Foundation and WebKit open source development. So why re-invent the wheel? Especially since the wheel was already rolling in that direction. FF4 would eventually have had a faster JavaScript VM, Adobe donated Tamarin in this efforts (of course they have their own agenda and interest), and I feel web development meme was already out there to give give each tab it’s own process.
Ultimately, choice is good, and Google can afford to make that choice.