Yesterday, page I blogged about the Interbrand 2009 list of 100 Best Global Brands and how it showed that Google was getting big, salve and I mean silly-big, link fast. I mused about how this might impact their ability to deliver on their internal motto: “don’t be evil“. Now I learn from TechCrunch that Google is now offering a service called Google Chrome Frame that will helpfully turn your Microsoft Internet Explorer browser into Google’s Chrome browser.
Basically, it’s a way of allowing IE users to access some Google technologies that Explorer doesn’t support. TechCrunch says:
Yes, it’s both hilarious and awesome (or hilariously awesome, if you will) that Google seems to dislike IE so much that it has spent its own time improving it. Google claims its goals are noble. Talking to Group Product Manager Mike Smith and Software Engineer Alex Russell, they tell us that they simply want to make a more seamless web experience for both web users and developers.
Is that the sound of (somewhat) evil genius laughter I hear in the distance?
Download the app here:
Bill Gates reacts to new Google Chrome Frame:
A YouTube introduction to Chrome Frame:
This hip young Google engineer couldn’t possibly be the face of evil could he? Look again at his shirt. Is that a giant mutated monster about to gobble up a helpless little browser… er… victim?
The only problem I can see with it is, if people are frustrated with IE, and they know about Google Chrome Frame, they probably also know about getting a totally new web browser – like Google Chrome. Unless people really love the IE design so much that they don’t want to lose that particular interface, I can’t see this working well. I suppose Google are working for a niche market here, but it seems a bit pointless to me. [Personally, I got out of IE as soon as possible, and use Firefox]
it might be niche, but there are a few situations where ChromeFrame helps:
a) Enterprise users who are stuck with IE
b) Users in Internet Cafes
c) People who simply want to stay with IE (yes, they still exist!)
I think the biggest audience for Google Chrome Frame is frankly, us. That is, industry watchers (and talkers) who will see this as a jab at Microsoft and will give them free publicity for it. It’s a not-so-subtle way of re-introducing Chrome to the inertia-laden browser market.
And for the record, I’m an IE user by default, who occasionally fires up FireFox. But lately, I’m becoming a big fan of Chrome for my blogging. WordPress just seems to run 3X faster on Chrome.