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Google Announces Chrome Web Browser

by , 8:05 AM EDT, September 2nd, 2008

Internet search company Google introduced a public beta of its own WebKit-based Web browser, dubbed Google Chrome, on Monday. The announcement marks Google's entrance into the Web browser market, but the open source application is Windows-only for now with Mac OS X and Linux versions on the way.

Google's plan was to design a new Web browser from the ground up based on technologies on WebKit, just like Apple's Safari Web browser, and Mozilla's Firefox. The result is a browser that Google claims offers a more streamlined user experience for people that spend most of their working time in a Web browser.

Google Chrome will also sport performance enhancements compared to other browsers, including sandboxing for individual browser tabs so that if one tab crashes the rest of the tabs and the Web browser will continue to run. The browser will also include what Google called a "more powerful" JavaScript engine, V8.

The introduction of Google's Web browser could spell even more trouble for Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The Microsoft Web browser has been losing market share to Firefox and Safari for well over a year, and Google Chrome could eat into Internet Explorer's eroding dominance even more.

To help explain Google Chrome and to illustrate some of the technologies behind the Web browser, Google has also released its own Web-based comic book.

Google Chrome is free, and the public beta should be available for download some time on Tuesday in a Windows-compatible format. A Mac OS X version is in the works, but Google hasn't said when it will be released.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:Guest
Subject: Google takes over the world

I think Google is taking over the world, but I don't mind because everyone thing they put out is quality!z

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

Hurry up and release it already, I want to try it.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: i knew it!!!

google is headed on the road to creating their own operating system ... i am certain this is going to happen...

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

Go Google go.... Conquer the Web!
Please come up with the Mac version soon.

Close Name:geoduck Posts: 1917 Joined: 30 Dec 2003
Subject:

I was very dubious of this. After all, the browser wars are over. What else could you do in the browser world?

Then I went out and read through the comic book. I was very pleasantly surprised. They have some very good innovations, like each tab being its own process. I am actually quite impressed. Plus, with them Open Sourcing Chrome I can see this taking off.

Iwould love to see Apple using this core as the basis of a future generation of Safari, if it ends up being as good as advertised that is.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: For Androild

It seems to me that their main reason for developing this (other than sticking it to MS just a little more) is for Android to have a reliable browser.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: release it!

HERE, HERE!!!

Close Name:Guest
Subject: The New Google

Frankly, for me it sucks...I used gmail mostly, browsing is a minor thing in my life; I get all my work via email, and Googles new set up makes that so difficult, actually not even a reply button ... and switching back to the "old" version is unsteady, to say the least; so I downloaded Firefox, and they import all my gmail in the "old" version without any problems at all.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: chrome

pictures and video on www.webxact.co.uk

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Dreamersland

And this surprises anyone????

Close Name:Guest
Subject: YAWB - Yet Another Web Browser

As a developer of web sites, I am not best pleased by the entry of another web browser into the market place. There is already too much time and money spent on making web sites work well with the current set of browsers, adding another to the mix will only increase the cost. If Google wants to do something useful, they should focus on pushing the existing browser companies to standardize.

Close Name:Intruder -   TMO Mac Specialist Posts: 3144 Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Subject:

Quote
geoduck wrote:
I was very dubious of this. After all, the browser wars are over. What else could you do in the browser world?

Then I went out and read through the comic book. I was very pleasantly surprised. They have some very good innovations, like each tab being its own process. I am actually quite impressed. Plus, with them Open Sourcing Chrome I can see this taking off.

Iwould love to see Apple using this core as the basis of a future generation of Safari, if it ends up being as good as advertised that is.


Isn't Webkit already the core of Safari, at least for iPhones?

Close Name:Guest
Subject: FireFox

I think this browser is still beta, and not yet launched. I think the next safari will be much faster even than FF. But i'd wait a bit to fully rely on Google Chrome, it's fairly new. Beside i have my firefox with all the plug-ins and add ons i need right now.

But still interesting to have another option.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: WebKit!

That now makes at least 3 WebKit-based browsers for Windows: Safari, Adobe AIR, and Chrome.

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

Quote
Guest wrote:
As a developer of web sites, I am not best pleased by the entry of another web browser into the market place. There is already too much time and money spent on making web sites work well with the current set of browsers, adding another to the mix will only increase the cost. If Google wants to do something useful, they should focus on pushing the existing browser companies to standardize.


That's exactly what they're doing by basing Chrome on WebKit--the new standard and fully standards compliant.

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

Quote
Guest wrote:
I think the next safari will be much faster even than FF.


Safari is already faster than "FF."

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Chrome / WebKit

Google Chrome does a lot more than just use WebKit as the basis for layout. There are innovations here that could make Safari better. Read the Google comic explaining Chrome.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: google chrome

This browser looks strikingly similar to Oprah web browser...Google strikes again

Close Name:Guest
Subject: No Mac version

"Wait indefinitely for the Mac OS X version".... off to a great start, Google

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

and thats exactly why this entire browser is Open Source - to build a standard basis for browsers to work with

Quote
Guest wrote:
Quote
Guest wrote:
As a developer of web sites, I am not best pleased by the entry of another web browser into the market place. There is already too much time and money spent on making web sites work well with the current set of browsers, adding another to the mix will only increase the cost. If Google wants to do something useful, they should focus on pushing the existing browser companies to standardize.


That's exactly what they're doing by basing Chrome on WebKit--the new standard and fully standards compliant.

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

yes it is

Close Name:Guest
Subject: xdrive

found download link for
google chrome browser here http://www.omegasigmaphi.com/links.htm

Close Name:Intruder -   TMO Mac Specialist Posts: 3144 Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Subject:

Or, rather than giving somebody ad revenue for hits on their site, just go to

http://gears.google.com/chrome/?hl=en

Works with a Windows browser, or with the user agent on a Mac browser set to a Windows browser agent.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Learning experience...

Google could turn the browser into the platform, optimizing it for their own Apps-as-Services, much the same as Microsoft made IE pivotal in Windows (to their disadvantage, IMHO). Of course the difference would be that Google is accomplishing something people might want to use, Microsoft only makes people miserable.

Google has had a great rat-laboratory load-testing extravaganza for their new suite of web apps, as they design their Android phone OS. It's possible that the Android OS will make the jump from phones to PC's. It's not hard to imagine the OS running on those little green OLPC's. Barebones Linux kernel with an X-Windows interface doctored up to resemble the phone. Keep document file formats the same and there you have it.

Google may be learning from both Apple and Microsoft, from good lessons and bad. Google better be get patents, Microsoft will put them out of business over the page-up page-down thing.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: .

#@!$ Google! Release Mac and that clusterfuck Vista at the same time!

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Trying it for the first time

Just added Firefox 3 chrome to my mac - hope it is an improvement, sounds wonderful. Here we go.... Stef

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Agreed

Here's hoping the next thing they make is an Operating System.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Google Chrome VS Safari, Firefox and IE for Mackintosh

Well, I admit I do have a PC, but I have mac laptop. I have downloaded google chrome on my PC, and it seems to have a web browser different from safari, firefox and IE (Personally I LOVE IE.), like it has a different color and it has new graphics and google search engines. I cant wait to test out chrome. On my PC it just as well as Internet explorer, safari and fireofox, but for some reason chrome made Internet Explorer load faster...

Thanks

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Safari and Chrome use WebKit

"Iwould love to see Apple using this core as the basis of a future generation of Safari, if it ends up being as good as advertised that is."

Both Safari and Google Chrome use WebKit as their rendering engine. HTML pages should be nearly identical on both, depending on which version they pin down on.

They use different JavaScript engines, however. So JavaScript-heavy pages will perform differently.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: NOooooo way

<script>alert('xss')</script>

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