Google Redefines Browser As Platform

According to StatCounter--one of several sites that keep statistics on Internet usage--Google Chrome became the most widely used browser in June on a global basis. Basing its information on tracking more than 15 billion page views, Chrome surged past Firefox late last year and overtook Microsoft's Internet Explorer in the May-June time frame.

The principal reason for this success, I believe, remains the aspect that initially distinguished Chrome when it was released: its speed. It loads pages visibly faster than all other browsers. Part of this speed is attributable to Google's excellent V8 JavaScript engine, which converts JavaScript into native machine code. The company's relentless pursuit of speed, however, does not stop there. For example, Chrome was the first major browser to render PDF files directly in the browser, rather than calling a plugin that loaded the Adobe Acrobat reader. As a result, PDF documents sprang to life in Chrome, while they seemed to trudge along slowly and inexorably in competing products.

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