First Germany, now France are warning their citizens to find an alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

Germany recommends users switch to Firefox or Chrome.

It’s true all browsers have security flaws, but to have 2 national governments speak out against your browser? That says something.

Whatever ultimately happens, Google’s browser share just got a shot in the arm.

Full BBC article by Jonathan Fildes is here.

Post from: The Chrome Voice "The Chrome Voice" is your source for news and information about the Google Chrome browser.

Another win for Chrome Browser: France and Germany warn against Microsoft IE

Today, we’re in the world of WinMobile failing, the Chrome OS around the corner, announcements of Android based netbooks and rumors of the Chrome OS rolling out soon in China on non-Intel processor machines.

Reminds me of Sun Tzu’s Art of War:

• “Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.”
  
• “Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”

Or more directly, don’t attack the enemy (Windows/Intel/monopoly) head on, instead go where they are weak (Mobile/Netbooks/open market).

Is there any question on we’re watching a well organized world revolution in progress?

No seriously, any question at all?

Post from: The Chrome Voice "The Chrome Voice" is your source for news and information about the Google Chrome browser.

The Google Revolution and Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”

Do you want to know what Google is thinking about the future, the future of Chrome and the apps you run on it?

They talk about it all the time. It’s just a matter of putting all the pieces together. 

The very smart Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, shares his thoughts in a post to the official Google blog.

A summary of his thoughts on the future:

• In the next decade 70% of human race will have mobile or fixed Internet access at gigabyte speeds. 
   
• Our devices will automatically reach out and connect to other local devices, offering benefits and services which will seem almost like magic (my words not his).  He uses the example of asking your device (think your handy dandy gPhone) where your reading glasses are and having it reply with the last location where the RFID tag was seen. 
   
• Streaming content will become as interactive as static web pages are today. 
   
• Devices in our homes will connect with consumable products (your refrigerator knows the food in it, your washing machine knows the detergent on the shelf) and we’ll be able to measure and control aspects of our lives most important to use (power consumption for example). 
   

Of all of Vint’s observations, one stands out as a beacon of clarity for Google’s vision for the future.

He comments that we’ve learned that “the Internet is essentially a software artifact” and that “if it can be imagined, it can be programmed“. 

Imagine with me for a moment this future he’s outlined. 

Smart devices everywhere. Small compact smart devices. Appliances which have interfaces to display their content, their status, and allow us to interact with them in a smarter more complex way than we can imagine today. 

The software powering everything will have to be a small, tight, well written and fast performing.

This software has to be less about the features of “itself” and more about exposing the features of the machines, and devices using it. 

This software would need to effectively act like a “window into the functionality of the device”, and in the process, make sure that it doesn’t get in the way of your interaction with the device itself. 

If any of this is sounding familiar, here are a few quotes about Chrome from Sundar Pichai, Google’s Vice President of Product Management:

• “We think of the browser as the window to the web”.
   
• “it’s a tool for users to interact with the web sites and applications they care about, and it’s important that we don’t get in the way of that experience.”
   
• “we’re going to make you a great tool that’s very important to the things you do, but at the same time, we’re doing everything we can to be an invisible part of that process.”
   

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Chrome’s Critical Role In Google’s Vision of the Future

How has it been “Living In The Google World”, only using Chrome and online apps?

Ok, I have a confession to make. Actually a few of them. 

The last 2 days have been relatively light in terms of producing work online. There was a good amount of offline things I’ve had to do (if you filed for an extension on your taxes in April, you know they’re due now).

I also started using my hard drive for storage. More on this below.  

In any case, I have done some work and have a few new insights. 

1.  I’m crawling along still without Robofrom, but things are getting easier on the password front because Chrome is remembering all of them. Unfortunately my upgrade to the Chromium nightly build means I’ve had to re-enter the passwords I had already stored in Chrome. 
 

2. I ditched the online storage issue. I’m sure there’s an answer out there somewhere waiting to be found and I’ll find it sooner or later, but right now, I store images on my hard drive and then upload them to Amazon’s servers. Doing this made my life MUCH easier. I can still edit in Photoshop.com but not having to save the image over to Picasa Web Album removed a few steps and reduced frustration. 
 

3. Chrome is a little finicky with the refresh on some sites, Awstats (stats program that shows information about your website and it’s visitors) is one of them.

When I hit the site’s “update” link, the screen flashes like it’s doing an update, but then I have to do a “refresh page” with Chrome to get the page to redraw.
 

4. When I select a bit of text to copy, I sometimes stumble into the situation where the whole page is selected by Chrome. This means I have to unselect, go back and more carefully select the text I want.

I think this happens more often when I’m selecting text in a text box, but I’ll keep watching and see if I can figure it out. 

So there ya go.

Not much drama, but then again, I wasn’t doing much hard core work online today. Tomorrow will be a much different story as I have a couple of deadlines to hit. 

I haven’t bit the bullet yet to convert all my email accounts to flow through Gmail, but I always know it’s there for me. 

If someone knows of a simple and transparent “online hard drive“, please post a comment.

Post from: The Chrome Voice "The Chrome Voice" is your source for news and information about the Google Chrome browser.

“Living In The Google World” – Day 2 and Day 3

So the idea of a cake with a stick of dynamite in it isn’t new.

But what about the idea that Google’s Chrome is actually a “gift” in many ways to Microsoft? 

Let me explain a few obvious examples of what I mean. 

1. History has proven time and time again that Microsoft is great at taking competitors ideas, incorporating them into their own software and selling a bunch of copies.

With Chrome, Google just gave Microsoft a whole lot of ideas. 
 

2. Chrome signals a new paradigm for the future and possible scary competition to Microsoft. Ever the competitor, this “crisis” gives credence to the demand for “CHANGE” and is many ways a “license” by the public for Microsoft to take bolder steps than maybe they felt comfortable with in the first place. 

In other words, Microsoft can now go into “Battle mode”, making rapid changes, upgrades, etc. which will all more likely than not, be better for their users. 
 

3. Chrome is a great example of the concept of completely separating the app from the OS. Sure it runs “web pages”, but when normal users start creating little desktop short cuts to their “Chrome Apps”, people look at things differently.

Indeed, given the release of Chrome, it makes sense now for Microsoft’s to release a slimmed down Windows 7 OS that encourages users to run online apps using Windows Live, eliminating the need to bundle Windows Mail, Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker with the OS. 

4. Chrome inspires new thinking and new creativity. Combine it with Android and “WOW”, everyone’s imagination is fueled. Beyond more ideas to copy, web developers and programmers everywhere are inspired by it.

It’s likely that some of that inspiration and new creativity has touched some of the developers at Microsoft too. It will be great fun to see what pops out of it. 
 

See the idea now? We already know Chrome was Google’s gift to the “ecosystem”, but it’s also a gift to Microsoft as well.

If you know of other examples on how Chrome is a gift to Microsoft, speak up and post a comment. 

Post from: The Chrome Voice "The Chrome Voice" is your source for news and information about the Google Chrome browser.

Chrome: Google’s Present To Microsoft