Google Chrome: The Story After the Story
It never fails to amaze me how one event in the Internet industry can lead to other events. Just two weeks ago, we saw the release of Google Chrome - Google’s open source web browser.
To the layman or the small time businessman (me! 
) we all think that “Oh, Google is out to take over the browser market and Microsoft must be enraged!”
I realized that that is such small thinking. Really. I thought that was it. I had that thinking… until I read today’s ZDNet Article Google steals Microsoft code and you should cheer:
Both Google and Microsoft have drawn enormous benefits from Chrome. Google has gotten a place at the browser table. Microsoft has a new browser under Windows, and its open source code may be a key reason why that is so.
Chrome was built with the Windows Template Library which has been open source since 2004, and the fact that Google has made Chrome open source also has quite a few implications, according to the article.
… These are concepts Microsoft can now use to improve Internet Explorer, because Chrome is open source…. All this provides an important lesson to the rest of us. While proprietary companies may be to-the-death adversaries, open source changes the rules of that game in fundamental ways.
The stories behind the two words “open source” are really really fascinating… not only because it allows free and stable software, but from it, we can learn how markets work - how two companies which are obvious competitors can still collaborate in the same market.
So, the big question here is: Will Microsoft embrace open source and make the next version of Internet Explorer open source? Well… from the looks of it, I doubt so. At least, the people from the IE blog don’t seem too excited about the idea - that’s what I can see. 
Tags: google, google chrome, internet explorer, microsof, open source
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Tan Kian Ann is blog marketer based in Singapore. He now works with individuals and small businesses reach out to the world using blogs. 
September 16th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Visit Shi Heng Cheong
I wonder why Google only has the Windows version of Chrome. I thought open-source should at least have Linux version. Google Chrome is not OS independent, is it? I still have to install Windows and only Microsoft Windows to use it.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Visit Kian Ann
Hahaha… maybe not yet release for Linux and Mac? From what I understand, Chrome uses the Firefox (Mozilla) engine…
September 16th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Visit film fan
i keep learning about more and more little advantages and quirks with Chrome, with security, for example; now if only they would take care of it’s cookie management glitches…
September 16th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Visit Internet Marketing Beginner
Interesting, I had no idea that Chrome was built on partial open source code and with the Windows Template Library. Seems very strange to me. I think there is something larger at work, because I don’t think Google is seriously trying to take over the IE or Firefox domination. I think something more sneaking is going on…
September 16th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Visit Kian Ann
I would give Chrome some time to stabalise - and I think it can replace firefox (at least on my desktop) I like the clean interface, but as of now, I still like the firefox plugins!
So yea, I guess Google will take some time to iron out the glitches.
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:25 am
Visit jessica
I might use it but would always need to keep both Firefox and IE as backups for different purposes