gBrowser (Chrome) and 2009
Chrome, Googles own Browser, has many new concepts in web applications to concider. Many wonder, why would Google even release a browser, when Firefox is so popular, including a multi-million dollar deal with Mozilla, the company behind Firefox. Many wonder if this will ‘cut in’ on Firefox, therefore the Open Source communities war between Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
But, I see Chrome as an ‘inside browser’ released to the public, to ‘do with as they may’ browser ‘product’, rather than Google’s attempt at trying to strangle hold Firefox’s growing popularity, and Mozilla’s Ad revenue deal with the Search giant.
Chrome is not being pushed as the Firefox killers. In fact, Google took Chrome out of beta recently, which is completely unorthedox for Google. Gmail has been in beta, as well a Google docs, for years now, as an example.
What Google presents to the web browsers, is a prototype for ‘how the web could be’. How the web could be, is exactly what Google wants, and is their primary goal. Because, the more prevalent the web is, the more people use it, the more Ad revenue Google ultimately will profit from.
Google could throw literally millions or even Billions into the gBrowser. But, why? Firefox is already doing great. However, Firefox is slowly becoming more bloated, has a slow render engine for javascript and Google has very close business relations with Firefox (mozilla).
Chrome is a prototype browser. It doesn’t have the expansive plug in system, like Firefox has. Therefore, will never become as popular as Firefox. Google could easily instruct their coders to implement such a plug in architecture, but that could mean the end (or at least the break down) of Mozilla’s Ad profits it gets from the Google search bar. So, Google takes Chrome out of beta, without a plug in system, but leaves the exciting and important aspects of what a browser SHOULD have in Chrome, for Firefox and the world to use and improve upon.
Here is what Google wants to see Firefox, Opera and Safari, excel in, or surpass.
1) Javascript execution engine that is fast, VERY fast.
2) Web App Desktop Short cuts, to promote Web Apps like Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Google Docs and the like.
3) A browser that has advanced Tab capabilities. Just drag a tab off Chrome and a completely new process is made. This guards against crashes, by isolating web pages (tab) from another, and gives the user more options.
4) Make the browser load fast, run fast and feel more responsive.
5) Continue to be standards compliant. Chrome is yet another browser that joins the pack along with Firefox, Safari and Opera against the non-standards complaint Browser known as, Internet Explorer.
6) Chrome comes stock with Google Gears. Maybe the other browsers will do the same, which is just ‘offline mode’ for Web Apps.
These are a few of the things, the wizards at Google, want to see in Firefox, Safari, and Opera, particularly, Firefox. Firefox is an awesome browser, but you have to admit, it is slowly becoming bloated, loads slower, and the Javascript execution could be sped up.
Well, Chrome not only sparked a (whose javascript can execute the fastest) ‘race’, but it also will make the developers of Firefox think about how it can make Firefox load as fast as Chrome and maybe even implement Chromes powerful ‘Tabs’ and Web Application Desktop shortcut innovations.
In all, Google’s Web Browser, Chrome, kick the ass’s of all the other browsers, and ultimately made them rethink about how the browser SHOULD work. Again, this only makes Web Applications more popular, and benefits Google Docs, Gmail and all of the Internet’s ‘up and coming’ Software as a Service, Computing Cloud concepts.
Thanks Google. You did NOT decide to kill Firefox, but instead provide a browser ‘to look up to’ and get ideas from, only to become better.