Unintended consequences: why Windows’ new browser choice screen will only help Chrome
What we’ve got, then, isn’t a case of locking the stable door after the horse has bolted: it’s a case of locking the stable door after the horse has evolved opposable thumbs, learnt to drive cars and driven through the stable in a Challenger tank. It’s far too late for Netscape and Microsoft’s browser share will never recapture its near-total control of the internet.
It’s not going to make much difference to the minority browsers, either.
9 Responses to “Unintended consequences: why Windows’ new browser choice screen will only help Chrome”
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McGazz on March 2nd, 2010
I’m beginning to rather like Chrome – as well as being fast and simple, it allows me to avoid using IE without becoming a Failfox bore.
Why does Microsoft want control of the browser market anyway? Browsers cost money to develop and, as they’re all free, they neither make money, nor stop a competitor from making money.
Not only that but, while Microsoft make their money from software, Google make theirs from web advertising, so developing a free browser for people to visit google.com with seems like either incredible altruism or incredible stupidity on Microsfot’s part.
Gary on March 3rd, 2010
Don’t forget that Microsoft’s in the search advertising game too. That default search engine in the browser search bar is a really important bit of real estate.
It’s about more than ads, though. Microsoft’s concern in the Netscape days – a concern that’s largely come true – is that the move from desktop to web makes operating systems less relevant. By having a big player in browsers you can get big market share for proprietary tech (eg Silverlight) that you sell the creation and editing tools for; you can transition desktop apps to the Web without relying on rival commercial firms’ technologies, etc.
Squander Two on March 5th, 2010
Is it true that Chrome even reports back to Google things that you type into the search/address bar but then delete without entering?
Gary on March 6th, 2010
Sort of. It fetches search suggestions as you type.
tm on March 7th, 2010
To be fair, the current google versions of the top right search htingy in both firefox and IE do the same. I think the bing one does too, but it’s soo long since I used it I can’t recall clearly.
Gary on March 8th, 2010
Yeah, and if you don’t want Chrome to suggest things you can turn it off.
Squander Two on March 8th, 2010
Hmm. The more I see of Google’s attitude to privacy, the less inclined I am to even try Chrome, no matter how good it is. Rightly or wrongly, I just don’t think Mozilla or Microsoft would go through my shredding, tape it back together, and sell the information if they had the chance, whereas I don’t think Google would even acknowledge that there was any conceivable reason not to.
Hadn’t thought about the Google plug-in at the top-right of Firefox, stupidly. I’m going to stop using it from now on.
Gary on March 8th, 2010
Oh, and… *waves* Hope you’re good. Played Bioshock 2 or Mass Effect 2 yet?
Gary on March 8th, 2010
Sorry S2, replying down here because of thread width limit, or whatever it is :)
> I don’t think Google would even acknowledge that there was any conceivable reason not to.
Yeah, I think Google’s mentality is largely “if it can be done, it should be done (unless it’s about Eric Schmidt)”. The outcry over Buzz shows how misguided that can be.