Google Unveils Open Source Web Browser "Chrome"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 2, 2008 - 9:20am.

Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) on Tuesday announced the beta launch of Chrome, a new open-source web browser initially available in more than 100 countries and 40 languages. The streamlined browser includes features like a combined search and address bar, isolated tabs to limit browser crashes, and a new JavaScript engine called V8.

"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," said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at Google.

"Just like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome has a simple user interface with a sophisticated core to enable the modern web."

The company added that Chrome was built using components from Apple's WebKit and Mozilla's Firefox, and said it will make all of the code behind Chrome open source as well.

Poll: Will Google's New Web Browser Chrome Be A Threat To Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft IE?

http://snipurl.com/3mbq5 (CNET News.com)

http://www.google.com/chrome