Google about to launch new browser!

[Gazz]

Google to launch browser to compete with Microsoft


[COLOR=#333333 ! important]Chrome intensifies the battle between the tech giants and continues Web software's drive to supersede the operating system.[/color]
[COLOR=#999999 ! important]By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 2, 2008[/color]
SAN FRANCISCO -- Bidding to dominate not only what people do on the Web but how they get there, Google Inc. plans to release a Web browser today to compete with the likes of Internet Explorer and Firefox.

It's yet another salvo in the company's intensifying battle with Microsoft Corp., which last week released a beta, or test, version of Explorer 8 that makes it easier to block ads from Google and others.



"This is the first truly serious threat that Microsoft has faced from a well-funded platform," said technology analyst Rob Enderle, president of the Enderle Group.

A beta version of the Google browser, called Chrome, will be available for download by Windows computer users in more than 100 countries. Chrome will offer features that make it easier, faster and safer to browse the Web, the Mountain View, Calif., search giant said in a blog postMonday.

Google has long ruled how people search the Web. Now it is going after how they navigate it, analysts say.


"We like this move by Google and believe it can help to increase or at least maintain its leading search market share," Needham & Co. analyst Mark May said in an e-mail. "As the starting point for nearly every user's Internet experience, the browser is important online real estate. The market share gains by Firefox in a short period of time show to us that users are looking for better browser experiences."

One feature will allow consumers to run Web-based applications independently, which means that if one program crashes it won't take down the whole browser.

By improving the reliability of such online services, Chrome could mark another step in the Web browser's drive to supersede the computer operating system in importance, said Matt Rosoff, analyst with Directions on Microsoft, a research firm focused on Microsoft products and business strategy.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft holds a virtual monopoly in operating systems, but their importance in the computing landscape is diminishing as Web-based programs become the starting point for many users.

Chrome will be an open-source product, meaning anyone can modify the software code and add features.

Internet Explorer General Manager Dean Hachamovitch said the browser market was "highly competitive," and that he remained confident consumers would stick with Microsoft's product.

Google executives have expressed concern over the years that Microsoft could use its dominant browser to route consumers to its own search engine, which has sputtered despite years of effort and billions of dollars in investment.

Internet Explorer 8 lets consumers surf the Web without having the websites they visit tracked. Google and other Internet companies -- including Microsoft -- use such information to finely target the ads they display.

People who use Chromecould give Google even more information about their Web-surfing habits.

Launching a browser war with Microsoft is a bold move for Google because Microsoft controls nearly 75% of the market. It also could spell trouble for Firefox, a free browser that is gaining popularity but still trails far behind Explorer.

The Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit organization that runs Firefox, has benefited from engineering help and money from Google. In 2005, Google hired the lead engineer behind Firefox, who splits his time between Google and Mozilla. Just last week, the two extended their partnership, which makes Google the browser's default search engine, through 2011.

Also potentially vulnerable in a browser war are Opera and Apple Inc.'s Safari, which have captured a much smaller fraction of users.

News about Chrome, though rumored for years, broke Monday after the website Google Blogoscoped reported receiving a comic book from Google that outlined the details of the new browser. A Google blog post later explained that it had inadvertently released the news.

"We believe we can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the Web," the post said.

The browser, which Google says was built from scratch, has been in the works for two years. It is intended as a "modern platform for Web pages and applications" that can run faster and be more responsive, according to the post.

Even coming from a universally known brand such as Google, a browser might not catch on. Google may encounter resistance from consumers, who typically switch browsers out of frustration, not for new features, Enderle said.

Rosoff said Google will attract its share of "curiosity seekers" and can rely on distribution deals to increase its market share.

"I think this could be a real contender," he said.

And while MS was focussing on their hardware failure project called the 360, Google stabs them where it hurts the most and Linux has just overtaken the biggest new market in the world (CHINA, you dumbasses!). Not counting illegal copys of Xp there btw since those are not bought and create no revenue.



Now MS faces a adversary with a huge wallet and incredible advertising reach. Let the games begin.

[interman]

Don't see any reason to migrate from firefox

[Gazz]

Originally Posted by interman

Don't see any reason to migrate from firefox

Neither do I (yet?!), but I will surely download it and give it a spin for funs sake.

[interman]

Ok so I'm using the beta right now. Early impressions are pretty good. It's definitely faster than firefox 3. Faster scroll speed, which is nice. I do miss some of my extensions from firefox (which is one reason why I won't migrate at first), but still, not a bad browser.

Go here to get it Google Chrome - Een nieuwe browser downloaden

edit: ok the radio buttons look kind of gay, and the drop down menus are wonky sometimes. Some people have been reporting problems with youtube, google apps, gmail, facebook, and some other sites, but most of those work perfectly here.

[Slaymate]

I've been test driving the new IE8 beta. Some sites don't seem to load right but it has a compatibility mode that seems to fix the problems I've seen so far. I've just never been a fan of firefox. I might give the Google browser a try, but I'm reluctant. I thought Google was in with Firefox, it seems that they just stabbed them in the back. That's just not Kool in my book.

Edit:
Here's a link to an article questioning some of the Terms of Service that I'm sure no one read.

Be sure to read Chrome's fine print | Beyond Binary - A blog by Ina Fried - CNET News

[Gazz]

Originally Posted by Slaymate

I've been test driving the new IE8 beta. Some sites don't seem to load right but it has a compatibility mode that seems to fix the problems I've seen so far. I've just never been a fan of firefox. I might give the Google browser a try, but I'm reluctant. I thought Google was in with Firefox, it seems that they just stabbed them in the back. That's just not Kool in my book.

Edit:
Here's a link to an article questioning some of the Terms of Service that I'm sure no one read.

Be sure to read Chrome's fine print | Beyond Binary - A blog by Ina Fried - CNET News

Interesting terms. Then again, every program has some weird parts in their terms. Those of IE, FF and Safari aren't to write home about either.

Firefox is great, but if you are reluctant to try it you can compensate for some of it's unique features by downloading and installing IE pro. A add on for IE which copyed all great FF plugins to function on IE. Don't know if it works on the beta yet though.... IE7Pro - The Ultimate Add-On for Internet Explorer

[interman]

Nice blog post about why Chrome's future looks good Why Google Chrome Will Dominate | HaveMacWillBlog (aka Robin Bloor?s Blog)

[AKADeadly]

Ive tried IE 8 Beta 2 and Chrome.... I'm going back to firefox

[Magus]

I actually like chrome. Hoping it will take away more people from IE, EVEN if they have a web standards mode, I still don't like it, it's sluggish and evil

Chrome is now the fastest browser i've seen, faster than firefox, opera and safari. Not going to mention IE cause that one falls miles behind!

[GMtm]

Google's Chrome is based on the Apple Safari Web Rendering Engine and as far as I am concerned it has the same pitfalls. The fastest, most compatible and most stable browser I have used recently is still v2.0 of firefox.

More competition is a good thing, but only if the technologies are separate. Using someone elses code and labelling it as your own is just wrong. Google are becoming the next Microsoft and that is definetly not a good thing.