Keso’s understanding of Google Chrome

4 Sep 2008 (Thu)

GOOGLE’s NEW CHROME BROWSER, launched yesterday, promised to be faster, safer and smarter than other browsers. Key features include an Omnibox (where one can type in a website’s address or any search term), a Privacy mode (which ensures that traces of an Internet session are erased the moment one exits the browser) and Smart tabs (where tabs run on separate “processes, so if one website takes up too much resources or causes a software app to crash, that tab can be shut down individually).

Google's new Chrome browser

For some reason though, I didn’t manage to install or run Chrome on my desktop PC yesterday. Still wondering whether that has anything to do a coincidental Windows update on the PC just before that. Anyway, I’m intrigued by what Keso has written about Chrome, in particular:

I think the real reason for Google to join the browsers bandwagon two years ago are this: Google needs control of a browser that has sufficient influence. It also needs to set up de facto standards through something that can be controlled and demonstrated.

Therefore, what’s important about Chrome are these two things: A new JavaScript engine V8 and a “Webified” version of the desktop app Gears. Both are part of Google’s key strategy to expand browser functions to better support future Web apps.

We often naively assume that Desktop battles are waged for the purpose of establishing Trojan horse pipelines. Actually, the smarter purpose of such battles is not for thievery or user base, but for the establishment of de facto standards that are advantageous to one’s future plans. For Google, this standard will enable its apps to run perfectly regardless of the platform or terminal that anyone may use. In order to better release its “cloud of accumulated energy”, Google needs a well-supported standard and a popular browser.

Therefore, Google has chosen not to integrate many of its own products and services into Chrome. Some people complain that one can easily install Google Toolbar on IE, but not on Chrome. Actually, there’re many more things that one cannot do on Chrome: visit Gmail with one click, publish easily from Blogger, upload video to YouTube, and even customize the default search engine…

Like Chrome, V8 and Gears are released as open-source projects. This will undoubtedly enhance their neutrality and therefore appeal to developers. It doesn’t matter how much market share Chrome will claim eventually. The key is whether it can provide the best demonstration of Gears and V8, thereby enabling them to become de facto standards.

Some people say that the target of Chrome is neither IE nor Firefox but Windows. Considering the line of “cloud”, apps and browser, I basically agree with this judgement.

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Posted by J.K. in *Insights, Business, Possibilities, Strategy | blog reactions | |

Response

16 Comments »

• COMMENTS SO FAR:

  1. Sample Resume says:

    Google and launched very good browser
    considering the line of ”cloud”, apps and browser.

  2. Jack says:

    Awesome article! Congrats!

  3. software says:

    hi google chrome is increasing its roots inside the internet world and lanuch of chrome is just an addition to it soon more services will be launched by it.

  4. Jarod Clark says:

    It will be interesting to see if Google continues to be the primary contributor to Mozilla. Google signed a 3 year extension, but Firefox is going to need to find a new source of revenue, should Google pull the plug.

  5. BigSky says:

    It’s hard for me to believe that at some point Google won’t integrate their other services at some point down. From a business perspective it just makes sense to have them in there. I can’t help but think that within 1-3 years time you’ll start seeing one click Gmail, maps, and even adsense ads

  6. JK says:

    Hi, BigSky, et al.

    I agree that Google will eventually integrate their other services, especially within 1-3 years’ time.

    By the way, I’ve finally installed Chrome on my notebook PC. Still wondering whether this has anything to do with that Service Pack 3 update from Windows. This time, I’ve chosen not to run the update before installing Chrome. The other time, after installing SP3 on my desktop, the Chrome installation software simply froze indefinitely.

  7. Lois says:

    I’ll give this chrome a shot

  8. Agnus says:

    It will be interesting to see if Google continues to be the primary contributor to Mozilla. Google signed a 3 year extension, but Firefox is going to need to find a new source of revenue, should Google pull the plug.

  9. Time Tracker says:

    Google has certainly heated up the browser wars again with Chrome. I’m not sure I fall into the ‘disenfranchised’ group with firefox, but I really haven’t seen anything come out of Chrome yet that’s blown me away. Sure, I get the sandbox architecture, and that I like, but I’m still not willing to trade off all the amazing (and business vital) extensions available to the firefox community.

  10. Skip Hire says:

    I am using google chrome at the very first day and found no different form firefox.

  11. alphonses says:

    I have tried many browsers and up to now firefox has given me a great experience. Let me evaluate chrome and I will share my experiences.

  12. IRS liens says:

    Google Chrome looks nice but it is still slower then the firefox.

  13. Marble says:

    according to me firefox is far most better than chrome

  14. Granite says:

    i have used opehra,firefox,IE,netscape and chrome and found that firefox is better than all

  15. MP3sale says:

    They (google) need to work much hard fro chrome if they really help the user.

  16. Musical Instrument says:

    chrome is better than firefox..

 

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