Google Chrome
Google presented today a comic that described their project for their new browser which will be available this night. From an artistic point of view it is really nice. They clearly were able to explain a non IT-professional what they want to realize and why the features of this new project might concern any web user. This kind of communication is really brilliant.
Unfortunately I was quite disappointed by the content. Most of the time I had the impression that Google explains the new functionalities of the new Internet Explorer 8 from Microsoft ;-). Especially the fact that each tab will we an isolated process is one of the major features if the IE8 which you already can test in the new beta 2. Whereas three points in the comic were quite interesting:
- The tabs above the URL-bar which is quite logical and I’m wondering that this isn’t already the standard.
- The virtual machine for JavaScript which is indeed necessary.
- Drag and drop of tabs from one Window to another which would make it for example possible to regroup interesting tabs in one window and look in another for other interesting sites.
Obviously Google wants to have their own browser as an "advertising-publishing-platform" in order to be less dependent to other products (like Safari, Firefox, Opera and of course the IE) for their own applications like their office suite and different web-applications like maps or gmail. Maybe Google is afraid of browser-technologies like the InPrivate-browsing functionality of the IE8 which might harm their business with adds, too.
I’m curious about anonymous browsing, since user profiling is the core business of Google. Should I confident all my confidential data to a system that is provided by a company that makes their money with my personal data ? Well, I’m after all not convinced that this browser is the right choice for me and so I’ll download the new browser this night for testing purposes on my virtual machine, but I still will continue browsing on my Firefox and IE…
UPDATE (04/09/2008):
I’m quite surprised when I noticed that the license has been changed since the changed since Tuesday evening. Especially the point 11 was quite remarkable:
By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a
perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive
license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly
perform, publicly display and distribute any content which you
submit, post or display on or through, the services. This license is
for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and
promote the services and may be revoked for certain services as
defined in the additional terms of those services.
And was changed now into:
You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.