September 2, 2008

Google debuts a hot new browser

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

In a bid to expand its Internet dominance, Google today released a trial version of its new web browser, dubbed Chrome, for Windows. (A Mac user? You're out of luck for now, but Google says it's working on a version for you.)

The Google team says it accidentally alerted the public to the project yesterday by unwittingly at first – and then deliberately -- releasing a 38-page comic book detailing the software's capabilities.

Google says on its official Web site that its goal was to build a browser from scratch designed for today's multimedia web applications with "a more powerful JavaScript engine, V8, to power the next generation of web applications that aren't even possible in today's browsers."

Google claims that Chrome is speedy, secure, and more stable than traditional browsers. If one tab within the browser crashes, for example, other tabs will live on. The software also features an address bar that suggests Web sites and search terms.

Consumers will have the pleasure of probing their past Internet use in a flash with Chrome's searchable history option – not to mention accessing whatever content their hearts desire without leaving an electronic trail, thanks to an "incognito window" or special privacy mode.

Google plans to make Chrome's entire code public so Web developers around the world can take a stab at improving it. Bloggers expect Chrome to compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8, released last month. "Google Chrome is a warning shot over the bows of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera," says CNET's Stephen Shankland. "The open-source software project should dispel any lingering thoughts that the browser wars are over."

Image from Google Chrome Web site.

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