Browser is good for Google, perhaps for Googlers, too

But Chrome's debut may be a big threat to Microsoft

With so many Internet browsers to choose from, who needs another one?

Search engine giant Google Inc., that's who. The company's Chrome browser, released yesterday in a beta test version, is designed to make the world a better place for Google's suite of Internet-based software applications. Yet consumers could stand to gain, as well, thanks to Chrome's new features

"This is about more than just the browser itself," said Matt Rosoff, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, a research firm in Kirkland, Wash. "This is about Google promoting its own Web applications."

Google's archival, Microsoft Corp., earns billions each year from the sale of office software, including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and e-mail programs. But Google has begun peeling away Microsoft customers by providing free access to similar software. In the process, Google attracts more users to its immensely popular search service, which brings in billions in advertising revenue.

But Microsoft's software, which runs on each user's machine, offers advanced features Google's online programs can't match, partly because of the limitations of today's browsers. By building a better browser, Google can build more sophisticated applications that can measure up to Microsoft's best.

"That's probably Microsoft's biggest threat in the consumer space," Rosoff said.

The word chrome is software jargon for the toolbars and task bars that cling like barnacles to most computer programs. Ironically, Google Chrome has eliminated nearly all these ornaments. Instead, the new software relies on a tab-based interface that hosts multiple Web pages in a single browser. There's also a single window where users can type both Web addresses and Internet search requests. Google is the default search service, of course, but it's easy to select an alternative.

Chrome boasts some slick new interface features. Each tab in the browser can be dragged onto the desktop, where it instantly forms a new browser window. File downloads no longer generate an annoying pop-up window. Instead, they're simply dumped into a standard download folder, and a small window at the base of the browser keeps track of them. At a click, you can drag your downloads onto your desktop, or pretty much anyplace else.

Browsers normally keep a record of the sites a user has visited. But a user who shares a machine with others might not want them to know about his surfing habits. For them, Chrome contains an "incognito" setting. When the user turns it on, surfing activity won't be recorded.

One of Chrome's most significant features allows users to treat Google's online programs as if they resided on the local computer. With a click, it creates a desktop icon that links directly to Google Docs word processing or the e-mail service Gmail. There's no need to launch a browser first; just click the desktop icon and the Google program appears. It's almost as transparent as launching a document in Microsoft Office.

Equally important is a new technology called V8, a system that's supposed to do a better job of running JavaScript, a computer language used to compose many online applications. Better JavaScript performance could pave the way for more sophisticated and powerful Web-based programs.

For now, Chrome works only on computers running Microsoft's Windows XP or Vista software, though Google says it's working to produce versions for Apple Inc.'s Macintosh computers and machines running the Linux operating system.

Chrome also lacks popular features found on other browsers, like Microsoft's Internet Explorer or the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox. For instance, Chrome won't let users install software "extensions" that add new abilities to the browser - one of the most popular features of Firefox.

Still, Google plans to add extension capability in later editions of Chrome. Besides, the browser is "open source," meaning that any company or individual can copy it and add innovations.

"We wanted to make sure that everything we do here is available for others to use and improve upon," said Sundar Pichai, a Google vice president.

After all, if every browser uses Chrome technology, every Web surfer will find it easier to run Google's online applications.

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.