DorobekInsider.com: Google’s Chrome browser

You’ve heard of Internet Explorer and Firefox. Well, today, search giant Google launched its browser: Chrome. And it’s back to the browser wars.

Windows users can download the Google browser by going to www.google.com/chrome.

There were all sorts of stories about Chrome today, including a piece in Government Computer News, and Google offers something of an explainer. The tech site CNet offers complete coverage including a warning to read the fine print on the Chrome terms of service, which allows the company to install updates automatically, among other things. I’m sure government security czars will love that, right?

What it probably will mean is that browsers are going to start getting better and more innovative again — ah, competition!

I have not downloaded Chrome yet because… well, I have a Mac at home and Google doesn’t have a Mac version yet. Given that Microsoft abandoned support for Mac IE a few years ago, I’m stick with Firefox and Safari.

One quick aside: One of the most novel things about Chrome (pun only partially intended): Google announced the release… by comic book, as Good Morning Silicon Valley noted.

Setting aside the notion that only geeks read comic books, here’s why it’s brilliant, not juvenile: It gets the non-geeks curious, and explains the technological underpinnings and goals of Chrome in an accessible manner. It’s much more effective than, say, a bulleted list on PowerPoint. This is important because many people may not bother to download Chrome when they already have IE so conveniently available on their PCs. (Why, it’s right there at their fingertips, imagine that.) If they read the comic book and understand whatGoogle’s trying to do — something pretty cool, I have to admit, even though I am pretty loyal to Firefox — they may feel compelled to give Chrome a try. Also, the comic book makes the Googlers seem so smart yet non-threatening, albeit a little one-dimensional. They’re Supergeeks out to do no evil, honest. And if you just live for all things Google, the comic book gives you a nice memento for your digital collection, and another reason to brag about how cool Google is.

To be honest, I saw the comic strip, but… I moved on, but I probably don’t qualify as a “supergeek.