Google Chrome is a free web browser program created by the Google.
It was initially launched as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September
2, 2008, and as a steady open releasing on December 11, 2008.
As of August 2015,
StatCounter calculates that Google Chrome has a 56% overall domination ffer of web-browsers as a desktop browser
software. It is most famous brwoser for smart-phones. Its prosperity has
prompted Google expanding the "Chrome" brand name on different items,
for example, the Chromecast.
Google released
the majority of Chrome's source code as an open-source project Chromium. A
notable component that is not open source is their version of the built-in
Adobe Flash Player, called Pepper Flash Player.
History of
Google Chrome Browser
Google CEO Eric
Schmidt opposed the creation of a new web browser for six years. He said that "at the time, Google was a small company," and he did not
want to go through "bruising browser wars." After co-founders Sergey
Brin and Larry Page hired several Mozilla Firefox developers and built a
demo of Chrome, Schmidt admitted that "It was so good that it
essentially forced me to change my mind."
Rumors of Google
developing a web browser first heard in September 2004. Online journals and U.S. newspapers stated at the time that Google was hiring former Microsoft web
developers among others. It also came shortly after the final 1.0 release of
Mozilla Firefox, which was surging in popularity and taking market share from
Internet Explorer which was suffering from major security problems.
Public release of Google Chrome
An early version
of Chromium for Linux, explaining the difference between Chrome and Chromium. The browser was
first publicly released for Microsoft Windows (XP and later versions) on
September 2, 2008 in 43 languages, officially a beta version.
On the same day, a
CNET news item drew attention to a passage in the Terms of Service statement
for the initial beta release, which seemed to grant to Google a license to all
content transferred via the Chrome browser. This passage was inherited from the
general Google terms of service. Google responded to this criticism immediately
by stating that the language used was borrowed from other products, and removed
this passage from the Terms of Service.
Chrome quickly
gained about 1% usage share.After the initial surge, usage share dropped until
it hit a low of 0.69% in October 2008. It then started rising again and by
December 2008, Chrome again passed the 1% threshold.
In early January
2009, CNET reported that Google planned to release versions of Chrome for OS X
and Linux in the first half of the year.The first official Chrome OS X and
Linux developer previews were announced on June 4, 2009 with a blog post saying
they were missing many features and were intended for early feedback rather
than general use.
In December 2009,
Google released beta versions of Chrome for OS X and Linux. Google Chrome 5.0,
announced on May 25, 2010, was the first stable release to support all three
platforms.
Chrome was one of
the twelve browsers offered to European Economic Area users of Microsoft
Windows in 2010.
User interface
By default, the main user interface includes back, forward, refresh/cancel and menu buttons. A home button is not shown by default, but can be added through the Settings page to take the user to the new tab page or a custom home page.[130]
Tabs are the main component of Chrome's user interface and as such, have been moved to the top of the window rather than below the controls. This subtle change contrasts with many existing tabbed browsers which are based on windows and contain tabs. Tabs, with their state, can be transferred seamlessly between window containers by dragging. Each tab has its own set of controls, including the Omnibox.
The Omnibox is a URL box that combines the functions of both the address bar and search box. If a user enters the URL of a site previously searched from, Chrome allows pressing Tab to search the site again directly from the Omnibox. When a user starts typing in the Omnibox, Chrome provides suggestions for previously visited sites (based on the URL or in-page text), popular websites (not necessarily visited before — powered by Google Instant), and popular searches. Although Instant can be turned off, suggestions based on previously visited sites cannot be turned off. Chrome will also autocomplete the URLs of sites visited often. If a user types keywords into the Omnibox that don't match any previously visited websites and presses enter, Chrome will conduct the search using the default search engine.
One of Chrome's differentiating features is the New Tab Page, which can replace the browser home page and is displayed when a new tab is created. Originally, this showed thumbnails of the nine most visited web sites, along with frequent searches, recent bookmarks, and recently closed tabs; similar to Internet Explorer and Firefox with Google Toolbar, or Opera's Speed Dial. In Google Chrome 2.0, the New Tab Page was updated to allow users to hide thumbnails they did not want to appear.
Starting in version 3.0, the New Tab Page was revamped to display thumbnails of the eight most visited web sites. The thumbnails could be rearranged, pinned, and removed. Alternatively, a list of text links could be displayed instead of thumbnails. It also features a "Recently closed" bar that shows recently closed tabs and a "tips" section that displays hints and tricks for using the browser.
Google Chrome logos. Top: 3D motif from project start until March 2011. Middle: 2D motif from March 2011 to present. Bottom: Material Design motif used from September 2014 to present for mobile version.
Chrome includes a bookmarks submenu that lists the user's bookmarks, provides easy access to Chrome's Bookmark Manager, and allows the user to toggle a bookmarks bar on or off.
For web developers, Chrome features an element inspector (Inspect Element), similar to the browser extension in Firebug, which allows users to look into the DOM and see what makes up the webpage.
Chrome has special URLs that load application-specific pages instead of websites or files on disk. Chrome also has a built-in ability to enable experimental features. Originally called about:labs, the address was changed to about:flags to make it less obvious to casual users.
In March 2011, Google introduced a new simplified logo to replace the previous 3D logo that had been used since the project's inception. Google designer Steve Rura explained the company reasoning for the change: "Since Chrome is all about making your web experience as easy and clutter-free as possible, we refreshed the Chrome icon to better represent these sentiments. A simpler icon embodies the Chrome spirit – to make the web quicker, lighter, and easier for all."
In September 2013, Google started making Chrome apps "For your desktop." This meant offline access, desktop shortcuts, and less dependence on Chrome- They launch in a window separate from Chrome, and look more like native applications.
Desktop shortcuts and apps
Chrome allows users to make local desktop shortcuts that open web applications in the browser. The browser, when opened in this way, contains none of the regular interface except for the title bar, so as not to "interrupt anything the user is trying to do". This allows web applications to run alongside local software (similar to Mozilla Prism and Fluid).
This feature, according to Google, will be enhanced with the Chrome Web Store, a one-stop web-based web applications directory which opened in December 2010.
Chrome Web Store
Announced on December 7, 2010, the Chrome Web Store allows users to install web applications as extensions to the browser, although most of these function simply as links to popular web pages and/or games, but some of the apps like Springpad do provide extra features like offline access. The themes and extensions have also been tightly integrated into the new store, allowing users to search the entire catalog of Chrome extras.
The Chrome Web Store was opened on February 11, 2011 with the release of Google Chrome 9.0.
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Google Chrome logos. Top: 3D motif from project start until March 2011. Middle: 2D motif from March 2011 to present. Bottom: Material Design motif used from September 2014 to present for mobile version.
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