One on One with Google about Chrome

After the surprise release of Google's new Chrome browser [1] last week, I sent Google some questions about the reasoning behind releasing its own browser, and what they hoped to achieve. While Google didn't let me interview a product person, they did send me some answers. Although these answers don't give you deep insight into the product by any means, they do give you some idea of what Google was thinking.

FCM: Why create your own open source browser when Firefox is so popular?

Google: When we began thinking about innovations in the browser industry, we realized that we could gain a lot by building a browser from the ground up, making a fresh start. Working in a small team on a brand new product, we were able to implement a number of innovations, and incorporate great aspects of other browsers very quickly. The great thing is that by building Google Chrome we have given users more choice. And because Google Chrome is open source, any developer can take any of the code and make it their own--including Firefox.

FCM: What is your strategy around this browser? What do you hope to achieve that you can't with the current crop of browsers?

Google: We built Google Chrome because we believed we could add value for users and help drive innovation on the web. Let's look at each in turn. First, and most important, our ability to add value to our users. Google Chrome is simple to use--its sophisticated technology makes it fast and stable, too. Second, innovation. By making it open source and developing a powerful new JavaScript engine, V8, we believe developers will be better able to develop the next generation of web applications. This is good for users, and good for Google as we benefit directly when the web gets better.

FCM: Why put so much support behind Firefox, only to create a competing product?

Google: Obviously we are now in the browser space, but we remain great supporters of Firefox. After all it was Mozilla that kicked off most of the innovation we have seen in browsers over the last few years (including features such as tabs, search boxes in the browser chrome and extensions); and proved that you can build a mass market software product using open-source technology and through collaboration. Competitive open-source projects are good for the industry because they allow developers to make advances and share them quickly. We continue to have a valuable partnership with Mozilla. Many of our engineers, for example, actively work on features in Firefox through Mozilla's public participation process.

FCM: It appears that Google wants to become the OS via the browser, whether on the phone or on the desktop. Can you confirm and articulate why you are pursuing this strategy?

Google: I wouldn't call it that. Google Chrome is an open-source web browser. The code is being released under the name Chromium (www.chromium.org) so you will be able to see exactly what we're working on. [FCM: I would call it exactly that.]

FCM: How can users deal with yet another browser? If they are happy with what they are using, what can you offer that will convince them to switch?

Google: There are already great options out there today. And users will decide which browser is best for them. But here are a few things we'd like you to remember about Google Chrome. It's simple and easy to use--we've designed Google Chrome to be as unobtrusive as possible--taking up the minimum amount of space on your screen, and you can search and browse all from the address bar. Its sophisticated technology makes Google Chrome fast and stable. For example, we've designed each tab to act as a stand-alone browser. So if you have lots of tabs open at once, and one crashes, they don't all go down. And its powerful new JavaScript engine, V8, helps speed up your web applications.

FCM: How does the browser relate to your overall corporate strategy, and where does it fit in the bigger picture?

Google: Our goal is to help more people find more of the information they want. And we do that by building technically sophisticated products that are easy to use--like Google Search, Google Earth, Gmail and Google Chrome. We also want to help drive innovation on the Internet. This is good for users and for Google, because we benefit directly when the web grows.

Finally, shortly after Google released Chrome, a storm developed over the terms of service, which suggested that all content produced through Chrome belonged to Google. As you can imagine, that didn't go over too well in the Internet world, and Google quickly backpedaled. Right after this developed, I sent an email to Google and received an answer immediately, this time on the record. According to Rebecca Ward, Senior Product Counsel for Google Chrome, Google was changing the text.

"In order to keep things simple for our users, we try to use the same set of legal terms [our Universal Terms of Service] for many of our products," Ward wrote. "Sometimes, as in the case of Google Chrome, this means that the legal terms for a specific product may include terms that don't apply well to the use of that product. We are working quickly to remove language from Section 11 of the current Google Chrome terms of service. This change will apply retroactively to all users who have downloaded Google Chrome."