Browsing a la Google?
Posted by Harry McCracken | Thursday, September 23, 2004 8:23 AM PT
Word on the Web is that Google may be thinking of releasing a Web browser--possibly one based on the open-source Mozilla code. The company now owns www.gbrowser.com, a URL that would certainly make a logical companion to GMail's home at www.gmail.com.
With the introduction of GMail, the recent purchase of photo software company Picasa, and other moves, Google is clearly branching out from its traditional role as the Greatest Search Engine on Earth; there's also been talk of it releasing a hard-disk searching utility of some sort, which would pit it more directly against Microsoft in the world of systems software.
What Google does, it usually does not just competently but inventively--GMail proved, to my surprise, that you can still build a better browser-based e-mail client. But I do worry a little bit about cool companies that try to do everything; it's tough to do that and do everything well.
That's one of the lessons of the portal wars of the late 1990s, when search engines such as Yahoo, Lycos, and Excite reinvented themselves into one-stop megasites that were often hit-or-miss in terms of quality. When Google came along and did great Web searching, pure and simple, it quickly became the gold standard in its category.
If GBrowser does come to be, it'll be interesting to see if it's simply a rebranded Mozilla with a few minor tweaks, or a truly innovative product. Stay tuned...
This is bad news for Internet Explorer. With the browser wars starting again, a well known name carrying a Mozilla engine would spell doom for Microsoft's current browsing monopoly.
gbrowser.com owned by google.com? no it's not. the only link to google is the dns-admin@google.com as the email address. the rest of the information pertains to another company.
compared to most other sites google still remains uncluttered and simple... google news is a fantastic little page, while i dont find froogle quite as useful. Having tried mozilla i firmly believe that google could challenge microsoft should it decided to branch in to the fight of the browsers
Google, is by all means a phenomenon, actually the search engine co-exist with Explorer, in huge number by adding the Google Task bar, It will make all the sense in the world to have a powerfull browser that can integrate the search engine with all its features: Image, news, groups, froogle etc. Email capabilities, Messengers, all in one simple browser, secure, reliable and fast...
Registrant:
Google Inc.
(DOM-1278108)
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View
CA
94043
US
Domain Name: gbrowser.com
Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com
Registrar Homepage: http://www.markmonitor.com
Administrative Contact:
DNS Admin
(NIC-1467103)
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View
CA
94043
US
*********@google.com
+1.6503300100
Fax- +1.6506188571
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
DNS Admin
(NIC-1467103)
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View
CA
94043
US
*********@google.com
+1.6503300100
Fax- +1.6506188571
Created on..............: 2004-Apr-26.
Expires on..............: 2006-Apr-26.
Record last updated on..: 2004-Apr-26 16:46:39.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.ALLDOMAINS.COM 64.124.14.32
NS2.ALLDOMAINS.COM 209.25.143.102
Google could come up with an excellent browser. Basing it on Mozilla would be a great start. I have a hard time believing that Google would simply "rebrand" the Mozilla browser. I hope that Google goes forward with this. Thuis far Googles other products have been great for their purposes.
lysol must be sniffing too much Lysol because a simple whois lookup clearly shows "Google Inc" as the registrant for www.gbrowser.com and even goes on to list the contact info for Google Inc. Get the facts *before* opening your mouth.
Yes! it is www.gbrowser.com is owned by google.INC but its Registered with www.markmonitor.com,Its a domain Management company .Defenitly google will click in Gbrowser too if it maintains the same quality as maintained in google.com search engine.!!!!!!!!!!! ( farhanr@ureach.com)
Tying into an open source software platform would be too limiting for Google now that they are a public company. Better to expect something developed in house, or llok for an acquisition. I could foresee a buyout of Opera, which would provide a solid standards based, but proprietary, browser for further development.
Tying into an open source software platform would be too limiting for Google now that they are a public company. Better to expect something developed in house, or llok for an acquisition. I could foresee a buyout of Opera, which would provide a solid standards based, but proprietary, browser for further development.
could anybody define the phrase "Intelligent Search". I think google should spend more of its resources in search research considering the growing number of wanabees out there!
Perhaps Google could go one step further - write an entire OS!
The nice thing about the GPL or any of the open source licenses is that if you make enough of your own changes you can change the licensing scheme, so theoretically if you took somthing like mozilla, and changed it enough to be your own you could change the licensing of it to market it as your own product, and why wouldnt Google use somthing like Mozilla, Moz is the standard for *nix based operating systems and google runs a nice big *nix based cluster, it just makes sense because then every operating system out there could use somthing with googles name on it. Now the question is after it is done, will you have to get an invitation to use it?
I have downloaded Mozilla Firefox and it made a shambles of my computer. I uninstalled the program but keep getting error message that Windows cannot find Firefox.exe which denies me access to menu items on the Desktop of Windows 98. Even after reinstalling this program I keep getting these same error mesaages. Can anyone help in how I can overcome these problems and return my computer to normal?
Yea, install windows XP or Linux.... 98... pshhhh! lol
run internet explorer, go to the options page and find the one that says "set internet explorer as my default web browser". if that doesnt work then throw your computer out the window and buy an apple.
Every PC running XP Pro here were I am the IT Manager has now had Firefox beta installed on it.
It's fast, reliable, and more secure than IE. I love it.
I hope google keeps up the good work they have done with search engine and gmail.
"The nice thing about the GPL or any of the open source licenses is that if you make enough of your own changes you can change the licensing scheme"....
No that is not true neither in GPL or MPL that is the licence governs Mozilla, it says:
"The Modifications which You create or to which You contribute are governed by the terms of this License"
where ''Modifications'' means any addition to or deletion from the substance or structure of either the Original Code or any previous Modifications
look at
http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/MPL-1.1.html
Same here, firefox installed on 200 public machines where I administrate (library). We used to have the older mozilla, firefox is great.
Apple, I wish we had some apples here... maybe next move will be linux on all the browser PC's.
James,
How did you uninstall it? It sounds like you just deleted it while it was still the associated application for certain file types.
All you need to do to open them is highlight the icon of the item you want to open, and do a shift+rt. click to get the "open with" dialogue. Choose that and then associate that type of file with some other program that is still on your hard drive. Make sure to check the "always use..." box.
Will Google become the next Microsoft? Will Google be any different than Microsoft? With great power comes great responsibilty - Power corrupts - Ultimate power corrupts ultimately. Will we be cursing Google on down the road - just as we do Microsoft now?
This should most certainly be interesting to see. There is already a GMail File System. Taking over the world one product at a time. :) Hey, you can't beat good services.
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As of today, M$ reports that it will only provide security updates to IE in XP only! 99USD to upgrade or 199USD for XP (non-upgrade). Upgrade to receive security updates? no thank you. I'll find another solution (firefox or opera).
It is unlikely they would buy Opera, Google Mail already does not support Opera.
Running DNS queries on different DNS servers can return very different results. So it is likely that lysol was simply using a sub-par dns server.
What might go into a google based browser?
What about a browser that could remember bookmarks regardless of what machine you were on - after entering user name and password?
Or a product that displayed advertising based on your surfing habits?
Wow... If Firefox had the real Google Toolbar (which I'm sure is what Google has in mind), then you could really switch to Firefox completely.
Until then, I use both browsers, and when I when I know I have to do intensive searching, I have to use IE, just because I'm so co-dependent on the Google Toolbar. The google toolbar is incredibly good, vastly superior to the builtin or currently available add-in features to Firefox.
There is a google toolbar for Firefox - I use it constantly - They just updated it for version 1.0 of firefox. Just use the tool drop-down and click on extension. Additionally - I have a few computers running 98 which are also running Firefox with no problems.
for a Google toolbar in Firefox
http://update.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=33
How about a browser that stopped when you clicked stop? Or if you're clicking in the address bar while it is going it doesn't replace what you're typing with what you didn't want to go to in the first place. How about a spyware/hijack resistant browser? How about a browser that would open your favorite three web pages with one click?
"What about a browser that could remember bookmarks regardless of what machine you were on - after entering user name and password?"
You can check Amazon subsidiary A9.com for a future like this. I also found the diary future very useful. A9 is google supported, so probably a gbrowser will have similar features.
I for one would be jumping for joy if Google would create an OS that would rival M$. Am really fed up with M$ products and tactics. Each time I download a 'security fix' my PC acts up for days and gets increasingly slower. Must be a contract between M$ and the PC manufacturers to ensure that consumers upgrade their PCs on a regular basis to the latest spped and capacities available. I use all the Google products that are presently available including Gmail and love every bit of it. Hopefully, Google will continue the trend to make things smoother, easier etc, than M$.
They already have a Google Toolbar for Firefox. Check it out on http://worldwideforum.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=53872
It would not be hard to get Opera to work with Gmail though. The new beta version from Opera already does.
What google needs to do is to make an operating system. They can do it. Someone needs to kick microsoft's ass and google just might have the foot for it.
Firefox is an excellent browser. The problem, as always, is that when any browser except IE is ran on a windows platform, it will behave just that much less effectively than IE.
I foresee many things coming- and this wasn't one of them. It would be a marketing oasis if google got it's name on people's web browser. It's on mine already with the EXCELLENT google toolbar. However, this is sitting right alongside my MSN toolbar. The do the same, except the MSN toolbar has the MSN Messenger button - when will google grow into this zone aswell? It makes you ask the question - how far are Google going to go until they monopolise your desktop and web experience entirely? Google is already great at searching, image searching, news and the other things it does. If it's going to do this browser thing, it's going to do it properly - none of that open-source stuff, no re-brands. It is going to be original and great, and whatever they come up with it's more than likely that it's going to hammer Internet Explorer into the ground. To the future - google on your browser? Probably. Google on your phone? Already (wap.google.com). Google on your desktop? Could happen. Google OS? Don't be silly, it's only Google. Or is it?
For good or ill, there is no IE killer and never will be unless it uses the IE engine, not the Mozilla one. It will occupy a niche, but being based on Mozilla has some significant draw backs. Don't get me wrong, I love Mozilla, it's an awesome browser and offers features that put IE to shame, but first and formost a browser needs to display content as developed and it's html engine works differently than IE. More and more companies only worry about the IE market and develop specifically for it. Robust testing of Mozilla based browsers is often flat out ignored, especially with corporate intranets where they can specify users browse with IE. Right now, the future isn't so much alternative browsers like Firefox, but ones Such as Avant, which offer almost identicle features to Firefox, but is really a shell on top of IE so renders code the same way.
if ie was safer had tabs liked me and stoped when told stopd oh and also wouldnt have that annoying easy to make 'provided by yourmom' then i would eat my hair because thats what i want and i have no hair
Just reading about the google toolbar for firefox. Can i just point out that this toolbar is not an official version for Google. It does clearly say on the extensions page:
http://update.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=33
I personally would prefer an official version Google itself.
;)
It will not matter what google does. It might gain a few percent of the browser market but the vast majority of the market just wont care what browser they have and this will stick with what came preinstalled in front of them cause it's easy. It's the truth, more so now then ever. The browser wars are long since a dead issue and it would be stupid for any company to try and fight a fight that can not be won.
Wow. The possibilities are endless. What if, after spreading its wings, google makes an OS?!??!?!?! That would be awsome. Simple. Effective. It would destroy Microsofts view that "Bigger is Better." Ahhhh. Nice, Simple Google.
How about Google IM?
Goog Market Cap $32,497.896 Mil
Cost of running Windows? Priceless
Google's strategy of launching their own browser, certainly is a sure winner. Coz. they have a proven record of launching winners like Google News and Gmail which are redefining the rules of the game. This effort by Google will complement their web strategy, perfectly.
Imagine www.gos.com
a whole operating system would
be interesting to see.
I'd like to see microsoft sweat some more
so they can drop there prices
Off the subject on this sorry, does anyone know how to default Firefox to not load their version of the Google toolbar on startup. I have installed the extension version but everytime I close and reopen Ffox the builtin Google bar reappears.
Hail Google, just as long as they don't buy in to the American values of greed! ;-)