Comments on: Google steps on Firefox with its new Zune...err, Chrome browser

It has the brand equity to make people pay attention to Chrome in the way start-up Flock never did, but could Chrome be Google's Zune moment?

[brianwestchest]

I hope you're right. I think Google's intended target is IE users. But, those who care enough to switch browsers are probably already running Firefox. The browser most at risk from Chrome is Firefox, which would be a real problem for those of us who have come to rely on Firefox for both the PC and Mac platforms.

[fazalmajid]

Before we get carried away with psychodrama of Google vs. Mozilla, one of the people quoted in McCloud's comic explanation of Chrome is Ben Goodger, the father of Firefox. So yes there will be tension with Mozilla.com and its $600K/year CEO who leeches off Google affiliate fees, but not with Mozilla.org and its volunteer coders who might reuse some of Chrome's contributions. I'm not sure if Brendan Eich will appreciate V8 competing for mindshare with TraceMonkey.

[skillingssucks]

Learn what the world "leach" means.

[gggg sssss]

leech - a useless, ugly parasite that sucks the blood out of its host. leach to leak chemicals out of something.

Which meaning do you, skillingsucks think is right? leech obvioulsy is the right term.

[rjlaws]

I can't wait to try Chrome. If it is faster and easier to use I will abandon Firefox without looking back. I have IE, Opera, Firefox and even SeaMonkey on my desktop and each have their place and time. This isn't about brand loyalty - it's about using what works best.

[gstarnes]

I have been an avid FireFox user since it's inception. However, oddly and unbelievably, FireFox 3 does not play well with GMail! I had to completely uninstall it and go back to FF2 to use GMail without constant crashing. No one at Mozilla seems to notice this, and Bugzilla doesn't think the incompatibility is either real or important. So for me, I will be looking into Chrome as a way to move on.

[LesleeC]

I have had exactly the same problem, along with a few others. I have been very disappointed in Firefox this go-'round, after singing their praises to everyone. Anyone know if Mozilla plans to fix this?

[Imalittleteapot]

I use FF3 and Gmail works just perfect for me. Perhaps that why no one notices it. Perhaps it only affects a few users. Has a bug report been filed for it? I'd think if Gmail didn't work with FF3 for a lot of people they would notice.

[dom2008]

I'm getting a little scared at the power Google is building. For a company with a code of conduct "Don't be evil", they seem to be doing a good job of monopolising the web. What next?

[Xtoo]

And what corporation is not evil? Google has a rep of being a nice company but that is orchestrated by their PR department. Corporations are here for only one reason: to make money. They don't care about you or me or anyone else; well they care about us as long as they make cash from us. The monopoly with Google has been going on since day one. Some just happen to notice now. Don't be naive. And for the record, I like Google.

[eltoro2827]

what he said.

that reminds me...ie8 download after the jump...no chrome for me,,,

[gsekse]

All I really care about is to get web designers to STOP making IE only web pages. If I could just use Firefox to view any web page, better yet would be that any browser can view any page. That was the original intent of things...

[georgiarat]

Amen! I had two sites that I frequented that were IE only. One was my OLD bank (I changed) and the other is a business site that I have no alternative for at the present time.

[gggg sssss]

web designers care more about the 80 percenbt who use IE, rather than teh 20 percent that use FF, Wouln't you?

[Clarious]

After reading all kind of comments here and there, I see that there are a lot of people says bad things about chrome like "Why do we it another browser?", "Isn't Firefox good enough?", "It will help google spy on us further", etc... and i'm quite disappointed with them, it isn't bad to have another browser, users will be the one who benefit from this, it doesn't take anything from them anyway. And it is open source software, mean that you will know it immediately if google try to spy on you! And if you don't like tab over address bar, just change it or wait for another one to do it.

Some web developers complain that they will have to add support for another browser, if I am not wrong, Chrome use webkit for rendering web pages, and webkit it the engine that scored highest on Acid 3 test, Safari uses Webkit too, so if it work with safari, it will also work with Chrome.

And I am not a native Englsih speaker, so please pardon for any mistakes I may have caused.

[Seaspray0]

I congratulate you on learning english. You do not need to ask us to pardon any mistakes you make in the language. You did well enough in your message.

[smilin:)]

"Ars technica thinks Chrome sounds really innovative, what with its ability to segment the processes running in different browser tabs, among other things"

Not sure about Firefox, Safari & others but this is a feature that's already in IE 8. In addition to the added security boundary it makes the browser more survivable if 3rd party add ons fail (The #1 source of crashes). If one tab crashes the browser will continue running. In fact if the whole browser process goes down it will recover with all tabs and history intact.

I don't really think the world needs another browser. Firefox rocks and it's put fire under Microsoft to reinvest into a software that had gotten R&D neglect for too long.

Google just wants to be sure that it's monopoly on search and advertising do not get any competition.

[rapier1]

You are right, this is already in IE8. If a single tab crashes the browser will stay up. The only thing that seems interesting is the ability to peel a tab off into a new window. At least I think they said Chrome can do that.

[DrtyDogg]

rapier: that is cool, though I don't think I'll use it much now.

[mikemcfee]

The word is reigned as in a ruler reigns, not rein as in hold the reins.
All your speculation is great but the one thing I have seen in my 10 years observing the internet and how people use it, is that good things get adopted and frivolous things do not. People went to Zune for 2 major reasons: 1. They hate(d) Apple, and 2. The itunes interface.
I for one anticipate the introduction of a new browser. I do not like Firefox as I don't like things not working until I hunt down the appropriate plug in and install it. There are some things that are nice in Firefox and some things that are nice in Internet Explorer, and while I use both I have to use Internet Explorer to do some of my work as I cannot get Firefox to "find" the correct plugin for me to use.
As to Google apps, I use some of their web based applications and I think you will see more of that as the marketplace adopts more portable devices with limited storage space.
While I appreciated most of what you had to say, I think it may have been a little early to deliver too much of an opinion.
Mike McFee

[rapier1]

I don't mind Apple. I own two Macs after all. I hate the iTunes interface though so I bought a Zune. Its a damn fine device and the software is actually pretty damn nice. I don't feel like I'm using spreadsheet with it.

[jfenwickar]

I presume you mean 'reign', not 'rein'. Of course, you could mean that iPod controlled - the direction - of the market, as with reins, , instead of iPod controlled the market, wearing the crown, as in reigned.

"In the media player world, the iPod reined despite Microsoft coming out with a good-but-not-good-enough"

[4score20]

I, for one, welcome our new browser overlord! This is Kent Brockman for Google World, a subsidiary of Google Universe. ;)

[tang889]

Tonight during computer maintenance class would be a good time to try it out.

[MadLyb]

Don't see any upside to this product..

Most folks that use IE couldn't care less what browser they run, and most that do already run Firefox.

All this will do is dilute share for alternatives to IE making it harder for them to compete.

[ashwinkn]

Whenever an alternative is released, Firefox has been the one to benefit. Since the introduction of Firefox, Apple has spruced up marketing efforts for Safari, including distributing it through Apple Software Update. Microsoft has made significant improvements with IE7. Opera has become free. With all of this Firefox has been gaining market share. You need to be more open minded. If Google Chrome offers significant improvements over other browsers that users appreciate, all competitors will scramble to implement them, which can only be a good thing, no matter what browser you use.

[tomvons]

A browser from Google won't hurt anything, competition is good so long as everyone plays fair. Besides, web browser have been fairly stale in recent years, the last big advancement was probably tabs or Firefox extensions.

I'm mostly curious about this wave of Javascript performance boosts that seem to be hitting browsers. I first heard about SquirrelFish, then TraceMonkey and now V8.

[bighard]

It´s all about new web application and java script speed and this will kill ie 6 + ie 7 and will be a big problem for ie 8.

[ismetd]

what a ****-up title is this one? ~ do you even think you are funny?

[atinius]

IE will not be displaced as long as there are so many apps that support only IE. Even Oracle, Microsoft's arch-nemesis, only supports IE in a large number of their apps.

[Calico321]

BEWARE OF EVENTUAL MONOPOLIST ASKING FOR BROWSER DOMINANCE - If Microsoft has taught us anything, it's that you don't give software monopolists control of the browser market. Google is doing exactly what MS did when it decided to introduce its browser. Guys we've seen this before, I hope everyone isn't fooled by the glitz and glimmer. Doesn't anyone remember that "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" ?

[pjhenry1216]

Someone is jumping to conclusions. The things that Google has created a virtual monopoly with (at least comparable to MS IE's monopoly) are still doing well. Microsoft created a monopoly because of business practice. Google creates monopolies through innovation. Monopolies are inherently *not* bad. Its the misuse of a monopoly that causes problems. Microsoft never said they'll play nice with others. Google has always been about playing nice with others. Comparing Google and Microsoft is relatively silly.

[ballmerisanape]

As long as they make a standards (open) complaint browser.. I am not worried. The problem with MS is that they continue to ignore standards... and that's a problem.

[kwhsy82]

Even if some IE users will never switch to Chrome or Firefox, Chrome will keep IE honest. MSFT won't want reviewers hammering on it for say bad Javascript performance, even most IE users may not even now what Javascript is.

Also, with a spouse who is superbly non-technical, if she starts to hear this "runs Google better", she may switch. She is hooked to Google.

[eheia1]

This is the dumbest article. Developers didn't care about 'developing for flock' because it runs on the gecko engine. if it works in FF it works in Flock. Same with this. Chrome will use the same engine as Safari, which developers should already be developing for. I for one welcome any browser that runs on a standards-compliant engine and could take away market share from IE.