The Scribe

After endless speculation, a Google rumour has come true. Google is developing its own web browser, called Google Chrome. Its open source. Got the information from Google Blogoscoped, check the site for more technical information. They apparently got a mail (snail one at that!) with a comic book from Google, illustrating the various factors went into the browser development. You can read it here. Very interesting read to say the least!

According to the comic, apparently the development started after Google Gears developers complained about the lack of multithreading facility in current browser.
Some statements that hit me from the comics were:

Wouldn't it be great then to start from scratch and design something based on the needs of today's web applications and today's user?

We want others to adopt ideas from us, just as we've adopted good ideas from others.

Sounds like a pretty sincere development to me.

Following are a few key features:

• WebKit is rendering engine used. Its the engine behind Safari (from Apple), Konqueror etc. I have been hearing lot of good things about it, primarily, itbeing the best out there!
• Multithreaded
  
• New open source JavaScript engine
  
• Anonymous browsing mode and integrated Google Gears.
  
• Webapps launching in their own window (much like Mozilla Prism)
• Speed dial and Address bar auto completion ala Opera and Firefox 3 respectively

To be frank I am a bit uneasy at this development. Primarily because this may fracture the Firefox user base more than that of Internet Explorer. Then again, competition is best for everybody. Everything ends well, if the user is happy at the end of the day.