Google's new battleground

03-09-2008

by Ralph Averbuch

We're now in the year of our maker 2008GC. In what feels like the quickest announcement and product launch to date, Google Chrome is now part of the browser landscape. And it's a crowded one. How things have changed from the time Netscape got thoroughly trounced by Internet Explorer during the 1990s. From then on it seemed like IE would rule supreme and without challenge. But the conflict was just dormant, not dead. Whilst Microsoft clearly won that battle, this time things are looking decidedly shaky for Internet Explorer. The problem for Microsoft is that people, thanks to Firefox's success, are now far more receptive to the whole idea of a different browser. And whilst that's probably very good for Google Chrome's chances of gaining rapid traction, the casualty in this next skirmish will quite probably be Firefox. However, that's hardly a reason for Google not to compete. Firefox must survive on its own merits, and if it does it will be because it continues to innovate and improve. Meanwhile Google's new and very fast browser will put much greater pressure on Microsoft (and the rest) to raise its game and make real qualitative improvements to a product line that had, for quite a long time, been left in the doldrums. But let's not ignore the motivations of Google here. If we were to believe the fluffy cartoon explanation it's all about making things wonderful for everyone. The reality is that Google is a money-making enterprise and it sees its long term goal as taking ownership of the interface to the internet. If and when that happens, what does it matter what OS you have, or whether you even need your old office applications?