This could be the threat that Microsofties have feared since the 1990s, analysts say
(Computerworld) Google Inc.'s unveiling yesterday of a new browser is not really about trying to outmuscle the other top browsers, it's a key weapon in the company's effort to kill Windows, according to industry observers.
A beta version of the open-source browser, called Chrome, is set to be available today. Chrome includes a new JavaScript engine that Google says will power Web applications better and faster than other browsers. Google Gears, which will provide offline access and local storage for Web applications, is also embedded in the browser.
Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, said Chrome could be the key piece in Google's effort to convince users to replace packaged software with Web applications.
"This is the potential threat that Microsoft has been worried about since the 1990s," he said. "You've got Web apps running inside isolated processes. It really sounds a lot like Google trying to take the Web application model and make it more viable as a replacement for the desktop PC application model. This is Google trying to really push applications to the Web and make that the way people do computing."
TechCrunch blogger Michael Arrington added that Chrome is "nothing less than a full on desktop operating system that will compete with Windows." Because Google has built its own JavaScript engine, he said, Ajax applications like Gmail and Google Docs should "absolutely roar," he added..............
More: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9114004&source=NLT_WK&nlid=2
(Computerworld) Google Inc.'s unveiling yesterday of a new browser is not really about trying to outmuscle the other top browsers, it's a key weapon in the company's effort to kill Windows, according to industry observers.
A beta version of the open-source browser, called Chrome, is set to be available today. Chrome includes a new JavaScript engine that Google says will power Web applications better and faster than other browsers. Google Gears, which will provide offline access and local storage for Web applications, is also embedded in the browser.
Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, said Chrome could be the key piece in Google's effort to convince users to replace packaged software with Web applications.
"This is the potential threat that Microsoft has been worried about since the 1990s," he said. "You've got Web apps running inside isolated processes. It really sounds a lot like Google trying to take the Web application model and make it more viable as a replacement for the desktop PC application model. This is Google trying to really push applications to the Web and make that the way people do computing."
TechCrunch blogger Michael Arrington added that Chrome is "nothing less than a full on desktop operating system that will compete with Windows." Because Google has built its own JavaScript engine, he said, Ajax applications like Gmail and Google Docs should "absolutely roar," he added..............
More: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9114004&source=NLT_WK&nlid=2