Huge Boost for Chrome

Skeithex · Post by **Skeithex** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:49 am

Mozilla's Firefox has maintained its steady ascent against Microsoft's Internet Explorer in the global browser market, hitting 22.98 percent vs. IE's 66.97 percent.

However, Sony has now given Google's Chrome browser something that Mozilla has struggled to obtain: a preinstall deal. As CNET reports, Google Chrome is being installed on Windows PCs alongside IE, with other distribution deals likely.

Finally, a clear choice for consumers.

Google Chrome still accounts for less than 3 percent of the global browser market, but it has something that even Firefox can't match: a dominant, global consumer brand. Google Chrome isn't interesting to Sony because of its market share in Web browsers, but rather because of its overall consumer brand coupled with steady innovation in browsers.

Intriguingly, this Chrome deal opens up the possibility that Sony, as well as other computer manufacturers, will eventually sign on to ship Google Chrome OS, Google's Netbook-optimized Linux operating system.

At the same time, this move may open the door for Mozilla to snag its own preinstall deal(s) with competitors to Sony, who will also likely want to buy into Google's brand but may prefer the Firefox option, given its wider adoption. Firefox users have been pressuring major hardware vendors to preinstall Firefox for years, but the best Mozilla has done is to get Firefox preinstalled with Linux-based notebooks and Netbooks.

That's hardly something to cheer about, given the small share of Linux in mobile personal computers.

This Google Chrome preinstall leaves an opening for Mozilla, but to capitalize on it Mozilla must improve its message. It has recently been claiming that we're hitting a "seat-belt moment" in which browser security could lead to consumers flocking to Firefox. But it's hard to get excited about browser security, no matter how important it is.

Much more interesting are Mozilla's plans to update its browser to 4.0 by the end of 2010 and to release Fennec, its mobile browser, before the end of 2009, according to TG Daily. Extending Firefox to my mobile device? That is something consumers can get excited about which, in turn, should stir up interest from hardware vendors that are looking to bridge their smartphone and laptop strategies.

Back to Sony. Its open-source credentials have been called into question due to its rootkit debacle and decision to restrict Linux on the PlayStation 3, but this new decision to preinstall Chrome should redeem it with the open-source community and give Sony a ready-made marketing machine.

The browser market, already competitive, just became even more so. Google is at the top of its game right now, but so is Mozilla. Microsoft, for its part, is reportedly holding meetings in D.C. that some Beltway insiders have dubbed as "screw Google" gatherings. But Microsoft probably should be spending more time developing innovative browser solutions to compete with Google and Mozilla.

source

This article brings up a good point, why is firefox not preinstalled on anything?!

Post by **froggyboy604** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:38 am

Firefox is preinstall on most popular Linux OSes like Ubuntu, Fedora, and a few others. I think the reason FF is not preinstalled on PC is because it is not as popular as IE, and there are two versions of FF which is FF 3 and FF3.5, and some people like FF 3 while other like the newer FF 3.5, and a few people still think FF 2 is the best while Chrome does not have much difference in term of looks for their different versions.

I don't really like having preinstalled software preinstalled on my PC, but I would not mind having Chrome on a PC I buy, but it would not influence which pc I get based on what free software is preinstalled on a PC.

Skeithex · Post by **Skeithex** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:19 am

instead of having IE or chrome or firefox preinstalled on a computer, they should have a program installed that let's you choose which browser you want downloaded and that program downloads and install the browser for you. It be a lot better then having a IE on your comp that you can't uninstall.

Post by **froggyboy604** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 3:50 am

That what I was thinking, too. But, IE have been improving lately, and it is good to have a back up browser just incase Firefox, Chorme or Opera breaks for some unknown reason. Plus, with the increasing size of Hard drives IE does not take up a lot of space.

Skeithex · Post by **Skeithex** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 12:32 am

froggyboy604 wrote:That what I was thinking, too. But, IE have been improving lately, and it is good to have a back up browser just incase Firefox, Chorme or Opera breaks for some unknown reason. Plus, with the increasing size of Hard drives IE does not take up a lot of space.

IE fails and always will. With firefox and chrome eating up the market I don't expect for the IE browser to last for much longer.

Post by **froggyboy604** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 12:49 am

I read somewhere that MS is working on a new browser called Gazelle. It is sad that Opera does not get much attention compared to IE, FF and Chrome quickly rising. Opera 10 been pretty good.

Skeithex · Post by **Skeithex** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:44 am

froggyboy604 wrote:I read somewhere that MS is working on a new browser called Gazelle. It is sad that Opera does not get much attention compared to IE, FF and Chrome quickly rising. Opera 10 been pretty good.

Gazelle eh? hmmm, I will have to keep my eye out for anything on that subject.