The Browser Wars Are Back
51 CommentsPublished September 2nd, 2008 12:59 PM EDT By Yakov Shafranovich
Google shook up the Internet earlier today with an announcement of their own browser to be called Google Chrome (announced via a cartoon). While the browser is not yet available for download, there has been some basic information released:
- The rendering engine will be WebKit, which is the same engine as Apple’s Safari and originally descended from the Linux KDE Project’s Konqueror browser. It is interested to note that Google is snubbing Mozilla’s Gecko considering their historical support for Mozilla.
- The Javascript engine will be a new faster engine from Denmark-based team called V8 (contrast with Safari’s upcoming SquirrelFish and Firefox’s planned TraceMonkey that focus on the same goal)
- Each tab will run in its own process, insulating the other tabs from crashes (somewhat like IE’s “Launch browser windows in a new process”)
- Open source but no word on what type of license (interestingly enough there is a Google code project called “chrome” which is currently forbidden for access). Mozilla and Konqueror are open source, but Safari, IE and Opera are not (while Safari’s rendering engine, WebKit, is open source, there are many parts of the browser that aren’t).
- Includes a list of malware sites which will auto-synchronize from Google (probably the safe browsing API that Firefox uses and similar to Opera’s feature)
- Lots of nifty visual tricks
Two additional very important points:
- Bundled with Google Gears which lets web application take data offline
- Lets web application launch in their own window (similar to Mozilla’s Prism and Opera’s Widgets)
The overall impression seems to be that Google wants a browser that is faster, specifically on Javascript performance which is important for today’s AJAX heavy web apps like Google’s own, more stable (especially with tendency of the same web apps to crash browsers more often), desktop/offline integration features for web apps and security. Of course one cannot miss the promotion of Google’s own Gears and Safe Browsing API.
This of course happens while Microsoft is working on IE8, Mozilla is making plans for its next version of the browser with faster Javascript, Apple’s is preping Safari 4, and Opera is working on version 10). There is also talk of HTML 5 support before official approval by the W3C, in browsers. So the browser wars are heating up again.
The offline/online intergration is particulary interesting in the light of the fact that Adobe is beginning to push its Flash and AIR technologies for richer offline/online web app intergration, while Microsoft’s Silverlight is pushing in the same direction as well. Google Gears seems to be pushing in the same direction while staying within the conventional HTML / Javascript standards used today.
Of course the basic question with Google is that of motivation. Google is not a software company like Microsoft, Apple, Opera or Adobe which sells auxiliary software, hardware and services around their free browser or plugins. Nor is it a non profit like Mozilla which has an inherent mission to develop a better browser.
When it boils down to it, Google derives virtually all of its revenue from advertising within its search engine and other applications like the free version of Gmail. But, majority of its revenue is delivered via a channel that it cannot control – the browser. Microsoft’s IE currently controls majority of the browser market with Mozilla’s Firefox second largest. The next version of IE, IE8, has some planned features that may block advertising including a possibility of blocking Google’s own ads. Firefox has a famous AdBlock extensions which blocks ads as well.
Perhaps Google simply wants to secure a beach head in the browser market that will allow an unencumbered way to deliver its advertising as well as auxiliary web applications that draw people back to its search engine. Only time will tell.
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using
looking forward to Chrome for efficiency’s sake; Google seems to make consistently high-quality software in any case
using
“Bundled with Google Gears”
Speaking of which. When will we have Gears for Opera? Any information on that? It’s the only reason I have to use Firefox for RTM, so that I have offline access to my todo list.
using
I liked your point about Google’s concern with advertising.
Would this pave the way to a return of in-program adverts in our browsers I wonder…
using
Concerning Ad-Block:
Chrome will have support for plugins, so there will probably be an ad-blocker sooner or later.
using
Downloading the beta on my Windows box now. Things are going to be very interesting.
And I’ll second the question about Gears for Opera: I haven’t heard anything since the press release in May that it was supposed to show up in the next version of Opera Mobile. Then the beta of Opera Mobile came out, with no mention of Gears.
using
This browser is awesome!
using
Google Chrome destroys Opera 9.52 and 9.60 easily. V8 is amazingly fast, Squirrelfish can’t compete with it at all.
using
Google Chrome is very stable.. it pass the Acid 2 test easily! Great! It is very fast and Open Source, now can use it on my job, great!
using
As Google states in the comic, they borrowed many concepts from other browsers, tabs on top and being able to tear tabs out of the main window coming from Opera. What will Opera “borrow” from chrome?
The easy reattach of the tabs back into the window from where it is torn from, and the sand boxing of processes are two i would love for opera
And from IE8b2 and Chrome InPrivate/Incognito modes would be another good borrow too.
Or are the opera devs way ahead of them and have many of these or similar things in store for Peregrine, and i should just cool my heels and wait for Opera 10 beta to pop up.
And why do i get the feeling that opera is going to suffer from any gains Chrome makes in marketshare?
using
“Google Chrome destroys Opera 9.52 and 9.60 easily.” Does it? Where’s the inline email client? Where’s a feed reader built in? Where are any skins or other ways of personalizing it. It’s fast to be sure but it’s got nothing going on so it should be fast.
using
It also comes with the same annoying no WYSIWYG in the Typepad.com blog editor. Opera suffers from this as well. I am still an Opera fan. Chrome is going to have to come a long way to compete and there’s Peregrine to look forward too – which now, can’t come soon enough.
using
Finally, they explain it this way “So why are we launching Google Chrome? Because we believe we can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web.” They forgot to add, “Like MicroSoft we want to monopolize and drive huge revenue our way.”
using
> Open source but no word on what type of license
A BSD-style-license:
http://src.chromium.org/svn/trunk/src/LICENSE
using
I have to say I’m liking what I’ve seen. I was expecting it to be somewhat slow with the talk of separate processes per tab and all the sandboxing, but no complaints here in regards to speed.
The comic they have is actually very interesting if you want to know more about chrome from a technical viewpoint, in particular the javascript vm and why they’ve gone one process per tab. From many of the descriptions of chrome, it just seems like a ff/opera/safari ripoff, but it’s not.
I also like that the default layout is minimalist! (unfortunately it doesn’t seem like you can customise it). I also like they have built something like firebug in.
using
Google Chrome is actually very impressive. Although many features from other browsers were integrated into Chrome, it still functions in a very unique way.
The screen space that is open and available for pages is unreal when compared to other browsers. Short and simple with a very aesthetically pleasing interface. It also has inline spell checking by default.
With Webkit as the browser engine, it should be obvious that the standards support is very strong and I still have not come across a page that just didn’t render correctly.
I don’t think that I will be switching browsers completely just yet, but I am most likely going to make Google Chrome my alternative browser to Opera for the time being. Especially since (from what I’ve seen in XP and Vista) Google is respectful of the familiar feel of a browser or product that ties into the operating system that it is being used on and doesn’t just use a generic theme for all. Google Chrome looks great with Vista Aero!
At least the release of Chrome will shock the other browser developers once again so we can start seeing more improvements. When the innovation is slow for one group it seems to slow them all down, but hopefully Opera, Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer will start working double time to make sure they can hold on to their current users.
War is never very pleasant, but sometimes it’s just necessary.
using
nice post, can I traslate to spanish and publish in my blog, with the link to yours? thanks in advance
using
I was actually surprised to find a pretty primetime-ready product. It is probably the fastest browser I’ve ever tried, from a page loading standpoint. Their ripoff of Opera’s speed dial (automatically set to recognize your favorite sites) is, in theory, a good idea, but is a mess in practice: just because I visit these sites today (e.g. for research purposes) does not mean that they are my 9 all-time favorites…
I love the added competition, but it remains limited. Productivity-wise, Opera still remains at the top of my list.
using
(PS: I am using Chrome on Vista, not Safari 525.13 on Mac OS X)
using
Okay, I’ve posted my first impressions of Chrome here…
using
I’m trying out Chrome right now and I have to admit is freaking awesome. Lightning fast with very subtle GUI. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next release. Add Mouse Gestures and a true Speed Dial and I might just make the switch tomorrow. :O
using
Why my comment about this subject was not accepted in the previous post?
using
I have to say, Opera is in for a good run. I’ve been using Google Chrome for a few hours and I hate to say it, but in its Beta form it rivals Opera.. looks like its going to be more then just a “browser war”.. with Googles market Share its gonna Browser world war 1!!
using
- It is good
- it is fast
- it has essential features
- it doesn’t have non-essential features
- while being beta it’s very stable
- it claims being open source, which is a good thing comming from google.
- constraints are less important considering what the browers does right now
For the middle user it can be an Opera replacement just as it is. I’ve been using it for a couple hours and it just works, it does the job.
I just hope you where prepared. This is software, not religion and if it is that good it will kick many as*es including yours.
using
sorry, opera, chrome justve killed you
it works, it is a quality that opera doesnt have since release – there always are some ‘but’s and because’s’ this doesnt work, that doesnt work, and there is no function A or B on this webpage..
chrome WORKS with no buts and becauses – and it does it faster, prettier and in general – better.
ff3 is impressive, but it is ugly and.. i dont know, i dont like it, opera has terrible GUI (that new skin, cmon..) but somehow was still my browser of choice, after i saw chrome.. there is no going back
and guys, chrome has better developer tools than Dragonfly. yea, they are limited, but they dont seem to be javascript based.. and you dont need to reload your page (absolutely terrible design choice)
as a sidenote – googleUpdate.exe is there in the process list after closing a browser. I DO NOT LIKE IT!
using
@Vítor I: Because on the other post, it was off-topic. Also, by the time I saw it in the moderation queue, this post was already up, providing a better place to discuss the issue.
using
> War is never very pleasant, but sometimes it’s just necessary.
The definition of the browser war is that it hurts the web. It benfits to no one except the dominant browser vendors.
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browser_wars#Consequences
Read page 36 of the comic. It clearly states that they will push non-standard technology. Who cares of open-source if the features are proprietary. The philosophy of Opera as always be the opposite : closed-source for open standards. And it is much better.
So developers, prepare to cry again. A new war is coming.
using
@David: way to completely misinterpret the comic
As a developer I’m happy as heck that google have released a browser. There’s a good chance that those still using IE would try a browser from a company they know, love and trust. IE is holding back the web and chrome may finally break its dominance – you feel that IE may only need to lose another 10% share for this to happen and the web to open up.
One thing I’ve noticed in chrome is that the inline find is a whole lot better that what’s in ff, opera (except that it can’t be trigged by slash). Search something – see there’s a counter, cues on the scrollbar as to where the matches are. Try selecting something. Try switching tabs and searching something else and switching back.
using
“Where’s the inline email client? Where’s a feed reader built in? Where are any skins or other ways of personalizing it”
Email Client: GMail
Feed reader: Google Reader
Skins: for ****.
using
Chrome is very fast but its definitly lacking features compared to Opera.
Look at the context menu, no feed-reader, no customization, no searchkeys, no hotclick, bookmarks only through that bar? etc.
There ist imo still a long way to go for Chrome.
btw: You should uncheck the user statistics thing in the options.
using
I just fired up WinGoGi (Opera’s core version which passes acid 3 test) to compare… Hmm, Opera already got a *Google Chrome*… Add a few features, and voila… Opera Lite
Funny, suddenly lack of features is desired :right:
(Chrome replaces FF as my emergency browser, for a few sites not performing in Opera. That’s all. Can’t trade Opera features for nothing…)
using
This is one nifty minimalist browser. Worthy as an alternative to Opera. At least I have a reason not to use FF for a long time.
using
In 1 day Chrome has MORE users than Opera and IE8 combined.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2528
“Based on NetApplications data, Google Chrome market share peaked at 1.48%, well above the August market share for Opera.”
“Another site collecting data is GetClicky, and this site currently shows Chrome having a global market share of 2.74%, again, well above that of Opera.”
“It’s too early to draw any meaningful conclusions from this data, but the fact that Google Chrome managed to beat Opera’s market share in a matter of a few hours must be a worry to the folks behind Opera.”
Open source is the superior development model. Opera can’t even hope to compete against an army of enthusiastic developers and end users working on improving the browsers, Firefox and Chrome with their limited resources and programmers.
using
““Based on NetApplications data, Google Chrome market share peaked at 1.48%, well above the August market share for Opera.””
hilarious.
problem with chrome is, that i think about it as a very serious privacy problem
first – it constantly calls home ‘for phishing detection’.. okay..
second – it does it even after closing a browser (googleUpdater.exe)
third – it makes it autostart WITHOUT your permission.
ergo – i do not trust this browser, no matter how crazy good it is, i only hope, that if it is open source, somebody will rip that spying **** out of it and make something great.
btw. opera is now officialy screwed – they do not have a competetive browser, nor a market share nor a respect in developers (dev tools… Dragonfly failed miserably)
using
Oh, the open source browser development is really a myth. For example, a whole army of dedicated developers could not do anything to FF (for example, fix up memory issues or improve the GUI or for that matter ripping off Opera’s features and marketing as their own). Each browser has it’s plusses and minuses. To claim that your plus is better than all the minuses sticking out like a sore thumb is not fair. One uses which works for him/her. Explorers dominance is by default because people stick on to Windows.
Chrome is going to alter the dynamics but then it’s a new baby on block. I feel that like all Googles products, this too would remain a beta.
using
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabbed_browsing
“IBrowse was one of the first tabbed browsing interfaces, it was followed by Opera in 2000, Mozilla in 2001″
“IBrowse was one of the first browsers to include tabbed browsing as early as 1999.”
When will Opera users learn the fact that Opera didn’t invent tabbed browsing? Ripping off features? What a laugh.
Also if you haven’t used Firefox 3.0 or 3.1, don’t even say about memory issues, those only happen on Firefox 2.0. All the review have shown Firefox 3.0 is superior to Opera 9.5 in memory management and use less memory. With Tracemonkey, Firefox 3.1 will be significantly faster than Opera in Javascript execution. Even Firefox 3.0 is faster than Opera 9.5.
With all the bugs in Opera 9.50 final, many Opera users were disappointed and downgraded back to 9.27, thats a fact. Even today with 9.60, it’s still buggy as hell, looking from the feedback on the Desktop blog.
using
Where was tabbed browsing mentioned?
And FireFox (Phoenix) started at the end of 2002.
There are many plugins that “ripped off” features from Opera, not that I would care much.
You know, thats what the Opera Desktop Team blog is for, to get feedback about betas oder even alphas…
using
Sorry, wrong language. :/
…betas or even alphas…
using
“There is also talk of HTML 5 support before official approval by the W3C, in browsers.”
Of course there is. W3C specs can’t graduate to Recommendation status until they’ve ALREADY been implemented by major browser makers. I’d have to double-check, but I believe that HTML5 requires 2 or 3 of the 4 major vendors to have support already.
using
Oh my, the trolls are out in force today!
Google Chrome: “Google Chrome destroys Opera 9.52 and 9.60 easily.”
Nope. Or are you referring to those artificial benchmarks that only measure one thing – parts of JS?
Google Chrome: “V8 is amazingly fast, Squirrelfish can’t compete with it at all.”
Wrong again
Firefox is ahead again.
Google Chrome: “In 1 day Chrome has MORE users than Opera and IE8 combined.”
It’s being pushed on google.com, one of the worlds most visited sites. What did you expect? But no, it doesn’t have more users than they do combined, sorry. Net Applications are completely unreliable.
Google Chrome: “Open source is the superior development model. Opera can’t even hope to compete against an army of enthusiastic developers and end users working on improving the browsers, Firefox and Chrome with their limited resources and programmers.”
Yawn. Chrome is the result of professional developers working on it for more than two years. Chrome is not the way it is today because it is open source. There were no end users working on Chrome. In fact, Firefox, the one where they brag about end-users helping, is lagging way behind Chrome! LOL.
Opera can compete just fine. Google spent TWO YEARS with an army of engineers… for this basic browser?!
chrome: “sorry, opera, chrome justve killed you”
Yeah, a browser without any of the essential features Opera offers just “killed” Opera. LOL.
chrome: “chrome WORKS with no buts and becauses”
Actually, it crashes a lot and a lot of sites completely fail, seemingly randomly.
using
‘LL KILL FIREFOX. GREAT!
using
Uninstalled Chrome…
* Too heavy on my hard disk (46,57 MB)
* I can’t accept license agreement (Spyware)
* I don’t like googleupdate.exe running
* Browser adds nothing (lacks too many Opera features)
* I’ll use IE as my emergency browser
(Note uninstalling Chrome in Windows add/remove program menu doesn’t remove googleupdate.exe files. Had to use search in hidden folders to find and delete it)
using
I really can’t understand some very irritating guys…
I forced myself to use FF for a couple of weeks, loaded with a dozen of add-ons in order to make it descent and I returned to Opera since I found it very buggy. I never went to the FF forum/blogs to just say that Opera kicks their a***s! Probably because I’m an adult and I respect other people’s work…
If Google manages to make a bug-free Opera clone, I will switch…
using
Interesting… Few years ago people was happy about new browser “Firefox”
Same arguments: good, simple => most secured, fast, open source,… What happened with Firefox? 
using
You can also change your browser settings, particularly the size of your cache. Vehicle
using
“Where’s the inline email client? Where’s a feed reader built in? Where are any skins or other ways of personalizing it”
Email Client: GMail
Feed reader: Google Reader
Skins: for ****.
You’ve just nailed the point of this new browser. To get a built in Email and Google reader, you have to log in to Google. Well, well. Another captured profile for Google’s marketing men. No thanks, I’ll stick to Opera. Having said that, Google Chrome is lightening fast – but that’s it. I’m sure Opera and Firefox will react in due course. In any case, why should anyone using Opera or Firefox want to use the product of such a dominant organisation? Many of us use an alternative browser to break free of the Microsoft’s and Google’s.
using
“Interesting… Few years ago people was happy about new browser “Firefox” Same arguments: good, simple => most secured, fast, open source,… What happened with Firefox?”
it become the most used browser in some countries and second used in all others. firefox become a ’standard’ of modern, cool browser and product. it is a browser that is supported by almost every webpage on the net.
in comparison – opera still has problems with many pages not working – especialy the most important ones like social hubs, online emails, media-sharing centers etc. opera is still a browser for people ready to make compromises. problem is, that in this lazy world, that number is dwindling fast.
as for the chrome, i did some test and couldnt find a single page that failed in it. and it never crashed on me. it is amazing. problem is, that no matter how good it is, im not going to use it anymore. due to privacy concerns.
using
…or Yahoo, or Windows Live, or any other web application. (I assume you meant “feed reader” where you said “Google reader.”)
using
@ chrome
I am sure by now that you are aware that many sites that “don’t work” in opera are using non-w3c compliant code and techniques, and in the most extreme cases use browser sniffing to discriminate against opera, sending them a lower quality page when the same page sent to firefox will work just as fine in opera.
Opera devs have been working with many developers to “open the web”, and in most cases they have complied. However one of the largest companies on the web, Google, still are not willing to “open the web” and make sure their priducts and services is fully compliant with web standards.
As for me when such pages do break in Opera I use IE not that i don’t have Firefox installed, just that it had never grown on me. and the chief reason i put firefox aside is extensions. After using Opera for quite some time i have grown accustomed to things like mouse gestures and the many other innovations Opera brought to the browser. Granted many of these same features are available as extensions for firefox, but with each firefox upgrade many of my extensions that i have hunted down and installed become broken and an update is not usually available so i have to disable the functionality i needed, to get a more secure, bug-fixed browser.
It has become tiresome to “maintain” that browser, so i stick with the evil i know.
As for chrome, it’s fast, has the best tab management i’ve seen (being able to easily put the tab back into the window is great, sorry opera) and the module management is brilliant. However, its somewhat too simplistic for my needs.
I use opera for feeds and my two work emails (imap). being able to have them right there at any time i need it is sweet. especially since it means i dont have to open Outlook at all.
…
using
I’m not worried about privacy. First, Google Chrome is open source, and besides, even if it was spying on me… I don’t care (unless they stole my Paypal or bank accounts, but I very much doubt it, somehow). Even if they could see that I visited web site X or porn site Y, among millions of other users… So what? “Oh no, what if they told everyone? I’m screwed!” :p
So you could be paranoid and say the Chrome binaries weren’t compiled from the Chrome public sources… but with so many users and devs around, the slightest sneaky act of Google would be fastly spotted and exposed. These supposed privacy problems are just FUD as far as I’m concerned.
using
Interesting article here : http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/why-google-browser/story.aspx?guid=%7B7EEC2F03-A7B7-42CC-AD1B-3B1B21AD3257%7D
” This is a ‘who needs it’ effort that will be passed over by most smart users… ”
” I doubt that it was anything more than a lawyer thinking the EULA was like a “dummy contract” — if people sign on, then they are dummies… ”
using
Well supposedly Google modified the agreement terms to make things less controversial. I’m using Chrome right now, it’s fast and seems sleek but at the same time it feels like there’s just something missing. I almost feel like I’m not using a browser, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on what you use the internet for.