Google Chrome is 2 Years Old
Only 2 years ago, Google has released the very first build of Chrome web browser. Now, two years later, company is celebrating its browser birthday with two new releases: stable and beta.
Google Chrome then
Google Chrome now
Happy Birthday!
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Vygantas is a former web designer whose projects are used by companies such as AMD, NVIDIA and departed Westood Studios. Being passionate about software, Vygantas began his journalism career back in 2007 when he founded FavBrowser.com. Having said that, he is also an adrenaline junkie who enjoys good books, fitness activities and Forex trading.
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2 years is enough for google to make a ~5 10% marketshare browser
3 years is not enough for opera to make a decent and working developer tool. a nice perspective of why some companies are more successful than others. it all started on:
http://www.opera.com/docs/history/#facts
Developer Tools
Mar. 28, 2007: 9.20 beta
Apr. 11, 2007: 9.20 final
Spot on.
DevTools and Inspector in Chrome: Copyright (C) 2006, 2007, 2008 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
compare what was inherited from apple with what was developed in these last two years.
this webinspector part – part that novice/non techs confuse with ‘developer tools’ is only a small and relatively non important part. the most important improvements are in areas, where apple provided almost nothing – js debugger, script/net profiler, rendering profiler, resource monitor.
all these that opera dev tools lack now.
a single reminder – firebug was developed by ONE guy as a side-project in a time shorter than what opera already wasted on tools. yes, some part of the job was already in gecko, but WHO STOPPED OPERA FROM INCLUDING SIMILAR STUFF IN THE FIRST PLACE?
“the most important improvements are in areas, where apple provided almost nothing – js debugger, script/net profiler, rendering profiler, resource monitor.”
Profiler – Copyright (C) 2008 Apple Inc.
Resource monitor – Copyright (C) 2007, 2008 Apple Inc. & Copyright (C) 2008, 2009 Anthony Ricaud & Copyright (C) 2009 IBM Corp.
Scripts – Copyright (C) 2008 Apple Inc.
It is obvious, that you hate Opera. I don’t know really why. For almost every single post, you post something against Opera, even if the post has nothing to do with it… :(
Speaking of the Chrome part:
Just the usual lies from you. Chrome – obviously – was already in development for a long time before its release. What’s more, it is based on mostly Apple’s (WebKit to be exact) work – a ready to use engine – and initially V8 was a product of a Danish company. Google simple acquired them, which is typical maneuver from them.
Yeah, Opera has the tendency to hurry releases. But I hope you do aware, that this blog post is about a browser that went from version <1.0 to 7 (5 for stable releases, 6 for beta) in only 2 years…
yeah, it went in from zero to a 10% hero in 2 years. regardless of what was ready etc, it is a superb achievement
in the same time, or in fact 3 years, not two, opera managed to advance from zero to zero with developer tools.
lack of these tools is one of the major reasons why webpages are failing in opera, why geeks ignore opera in comparisons (like recent HW gfx – opera is fastest, but it is ignored), why nobody really cares for opera. why? because webdevelopers for big companies are NOT using opera. NO TOOLS = NO DEVELOPMENT = NO TESTING = NO COMPATIBILITY = NO USERS
and instead of these, opera releases widgets and then moan about browser sniffing…
moaning will not help
Yeah, it is called the power of money and advertisement. Those were the two key elements of Chrome’s success, even if the browser itself is good.
The had much to learn, hopely the Dragonfly is on track now. On the other hand, it really needed the goodies that Opera 10 and 10.5 brought by integrating Scope inside the core. Zero to zero is really a lie, and clearly shows how “objective” you are.
Besides Opera is a browser development company, most of their efforts went into… uhm browser development. And they do it well even if they unfortunately are hurrying releases.
Opera usually has vision about the future and only time will tell, if they’re wrong. They made mobile and device browsers long before others, and it took years ’till the idea became common (as nowadays). Widgets and Unite are such long-term investments.
You can try to explain browser sniffing as Opera’s fault, but you will fail miserably. Seriously why sniff a browser by sending bad code, or a message to use IE5 instead, if Opera works flawlessly with masking? I cannot find a real explanation to that. Definitely not. Standards are the way to go, and we’re heading that way today.
Developers should not use many internal dev tools, still it doesn’t mean, that the website can’t work in IE if you use FireBug for example…
Well, nor does yelling all the time at Opera. Even so, you do it every time you have the opportunity…
yelling and getting the message accross WILL help
and about dev tools, and sniffing, you are not aware of how things works on the business side of it. opera tools are so bad (and were not existant before) that developing for opera is much more costly than for other browsers. combine that with low and stagnant marketshare and you see why developers IGNORE opera.
IGNORE, not sniff against. ignoring does not require additional work. if opera is served different code, then it means that some (many?) years ago it was the way that opera required. unfortunatelly, the same forks in code are used even today, because noone took their time to update it.
remember – making websites is all about money. noone will sniff against opera on purpose. maybe to sort it off, or place it in the ‘catch(e) {opera}’ section. anything else means that someone spent money on something not required. believe me, this is a minority of situations.
will page made in firebug work in other browsers? mostly, besides ie6/7. but there are always issues that need to be fixed manualy in other browser.
you can do that in ie6/7/8 (dev toolbar + visual studio), you can in safari/chrome (webinspector with various addins) but when it comes to opera you are stuck to bookmarklet dressed as ‘develop tools’. this tool will not help you, and because of that this problem will NOT be fixed in opera.
it is not a worldwide conspiracy against opera, this is business.
if making/fixing a page for opera costs 10% of entire budget and it brings you only 2% more users there is a high chance that these 2% WILL NOT be served.
make fixing bugs for opera CHEAPER and EASIER opera!
Fact is Cousin33, obody will still be here and you will be yet another dust particle in his triumphant feat. ergo: Give up.
“When it comes to opera you are stuck to bookmarklet dressed as ‘develop tools’.”
Yes! Other browsers call extensions and developer tools programed in C++ or Pascal. :) They call same javascript dev tools too.
Developer Tools
Mar. 28, 2007: 9.20 beta
Apr. 11, 2007: 9.20 final
Opera Dragonfly debugger
Jun. 12, 2008: 9.50 final
Mar 02, 2010: 10.50 final
What nobbie fails to mention is how Google has an online advertising monopoly. Opera doesn’t have anything like that.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Chrome’s advertising monopoly is what fuels Chrome’s growth. It’s the best browser, but in the real world it’s marketing and advertising that matters.
Super fast & smart way of development!! Good.
2 years, and what 5-6 versions ?? Interesting… So we can expect Opera 12 and Chrome 12 to be released same year?
I think world need some serious standardization on software releases numbering
:P
I think Opera 11.5 and Chrome 12 will be released at about the same time (Opera 11 and Chrome 10 coming around New Year or so…)
If I may interrupt the bickering…..
…..SURE DOESNT SEEM THAT LONG.
Same goes for vista.
Chrome came, and it started kicking Firefox’s ass. Which it deserves. Google stopped advertising Firefox and started advertising Chrome, and Chrome started growing instead.
Goodbye, Failfox.
Chrome started growing instead, correct. Nevertheless, it started growing at the expense of Internet Explorer. Firefox stagnated.
Funny stuff:
http://twitter.com/opvard/status/23248892609
lol, other copy more