Comments on: Google 'starting from scratch' with own browser, Chrome

Google is reportedly working an open source browser that would compete with Firefox and the other popular browsers. It appears that Google has ambitions to create a complete Internet operating system.

[theBike45]

".....starting from scratch."
How about some truth for a change. The Google browser was lifted practically en toto from Firefox.
Google continues to steal everything that isn't nailed down.

[limefan913]

I can understand it in part, but in another way, it's not a great idea. A mobile browser? Sure, and they have one. But a desktop browser? That' a terrible idea.

[rp69]

I applaud Googles efforts as they have release some very useful applications and tools but honestly ... do we really need another browser!? Between Opera, FireFox, Safari, and of course Internet Explorer, I just don't get all that jazzed about browsers any more.

[iRhapsody]

too bad....they ain't the originators...simply the fact is that they buy out the start-ups and rename them and release them as their own originality

[Imalittleteapot]

Cool for Google, but I'm sure developers will love this. That's exactly what they need. One more browser they can write a ton of Javascript workaround code to make sure their web pages work in yet another browser.

[markdrury]

Eric Schmidt is in bed with Steve Ballmer and this browser is their misbegotten love child. Seriously, as an avid user of most Google apps I greeted this announcement with an ear-to-ear yawn. Perhaps the only thing that would make me dump Firefox is if Chrome ministers to my dome while browsing, and I don't see that in the feature list (yet).

Mark

[eltoro2827]

Google is a pathetic company...no thanks.

[mbenedict]

Obviously bad news for Mozilla in the long run as Chrome will eat into Firefox's market share.

It's also bad news for KHTML projects like Konqueror and Apple's copy^h^h^h^h derivation WebKit aka Safari.

The question is how much it can challenge the vast IE "use it because it's there" installed base?

I love how Google "thanks" Mozilla while shafting them at the same time. ;-)

[benjimen]

...great, because there aren't enough browsers already...

[liyanxin]

so cool,I am waiting for

[Kwasiowusu]

@ future5000ad, Chrome will change our web browsing experience like Google Talk changed our web browisng experience, which was like NOT.
Outside search, Google has not been able to win even one market on the internet.

[wagadog]

"Open sourcing the code is a smart way to avoid the 'Google wants to take over the world' fear, but it seems that Google has ambitions to create a comprehensive Internet operating system, including a browser, applications, middleware and cloud infrastructure."

Wow. Spoken like someone who's written a lot of kernel code and actually knows what an operating system IS...

NOT.

[Penguinisto]

...heh; I just find it interesting that Google chose the name "chrome" - I wonder if they're using Mozilla code? (hint: google for both "chrome" and "Mozilla"...)

(hint to the trolls and etc. - FF is open-source, so no big if "Chrome" is using chrome code...)

[Jonathan]

The reason Google is doing this is so simple its outright obvious. The answer is Android. Android will be with us in a matter of months. Google needs a browser that is robust yet has a small memory and process footprint. As good as Gecko and FF 3.0 is its still bloated for a mobile device, and unfortunately Mozilla isn't currently developing Fennec for anything other then Windows Mobile. So Google needed something and that something is their own browser. Porting it to the desktop was simply the next logical step.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ future5000ad aka "Rajesh:. Google browser is like a comic book?
So why don't you retire into your mommas's basement and enjoy that Google browser comic book then? The rest of us like to do some real work during the day, instead of just reading comic books.

[tonybove]

I think Chrome's legacy is to become the design standard for mobile browsing and it may have a serious enough impact on desktop/laptop browsing to free Web designers from the constraints of designing for Internet Explorer. That would be a very good thing. Innovation can occur anywhere, but innovation that sticks requires major marketing mojo, and Google has that mojo. For my blog on this, see http://www.tonybove.com/blog/?p=59

[Solaris_User]

Oh.. I think it hurts Microsoft about 70% and Firefox about 20%. ;-)

[Wolven Spectre]

I am a regular user of Opera and Firefox, of which Opera is my preferred browser. Of all the new features they are touting, I found only three things that aren't in Opera, and those features are in Firefox and Safari.

Google Gears Extensions = Firefox Extensions
Incognito Tab = Safari's "Porn Mode"
Inline Spellcheck =Firefox's Inline Spell check.

It appears to be nice and stable but as an Opera 9.52 user, Chrome is almost painfull to use, but is still better than any version of IE I have seen. I haven't seen IE 8b2 yet though. The manual Text box resizer is enough for me to want to uninstall it.

[marikavs]

Hooray! Um, on second thought, I'm still using FF2 because the Google Browser Sync doesn't work with FF3. It's *nice* to be able to pick up where I left off, be it from a Windows machine or a Mac. But then again, Chrome is Google-stuff, so just maybe... (I'm full of hope, but haven't seen anything about that yet.)

[reza_shahbazi]

I think this browser is going to be useful for our application (SunTrack http://www.bract.us/suntrack)
Because, we have a dispatch dashboard which requires a full browser's real estate. We have users (drivers) are using mobile devices and again real estate is important to show the content.

[mattnnz]

I will be surprised if this browser doesn't remain a beta version for years to come. The other problem I have with Google's way of doing things is their tendency to collect data that can then be subpoenaed by the government. The only good place to keep your private data is on your own hard drive. In the US they need a warrant to search your computer and if it is encrypted, they cannot make you give them the password.