Google Chrome

I was surprised to hear that Google is releasing its own web browser, and even more surprised to hear that it's not based on Firefox. As a company built on the concept of an open and flexible Internet, I assumed Google would want to do everything it could to make its services work flawlessly on all of the browsers that are out in the field- not require people to download a special Google browser to have a first-class Google experience.

By releasing their own web browser, my thinking went, Google was essentially turning themselves into a software company- the complete antithesis of a web services company.

Check out the comic book Google created to explain Google Chrome. I was also skeptical about the very concept of releasing a comic book to explain the project.

But check it out, and it all makes sense. I think this is open source software at its best- a large company with a ton of resources and vision, trying to bring an industry forward by doing some hard work and then putting it out there for everyone to play with and take for free. Freedom and openness for all, but let the market decide what to do with it.

I can't wait to try it, and I suspect we'll all be using browsers that incorporate many of the architectural ideas embodied in Chrome in the future.