I realize that a lot of diehard Google kool-aid drinkers would suggest that this would be going to heaven instead but this isn’t even close to a theological discussion. This is a discussion on how today Google may have just succeeded in changing the work flow patterns for a hellva lot of people. As much as I might not want to say this and I know the ribbing will start the moment a few people read this post but the fact is that Google has indeed changed the work flow patterns of at least one person – me.
They did this with one simple thing. It was a simple thing that they have been denying rumours of for almost two years now. Google release the first iteration of their Chrome browser and if unlike their other products they keep moving this forward things on the web and the desktop are going to change. Some folks are calling this the Internet Explorer killer or a shot across the bow of Microsoft in a fight for the cloud. The fact is that this – right now – is highly unlikely as the chances of Chrome breaking out of the narrow confines of the tech blogosphere and early adopters is pretty slim.
The browser that could take a real hit though is the current darling of the techies is FireFox. From working with it today I would think that if there is a solid mechanism in place for user scripts and serious work starts on converting FireFox favourites over to Chrome it might spell serious trouble for FireFox. An interesting thought as well is that because Chrome uses the same rendering engine as Safari that browser could improve significantly as more web developers start contributing to Webkit project.
However that isn’t really what I wanted to talk about in this post. As cool as it that Chrome is faster and uses less resources that isn’t where I think the real importance of the project lies. What I do believe is that Chrome is giving us a whole new way to create a usable work flow. It isn’t perfect yet and there are something that people may have to re-learn – just as I have been today – but once they begin to experiment with some of the things that Chrome can do the light might go off.
For the longest time I have been a desktop applications type of person. I never have been able to get my head wrapped around the idea that trying to do everything within the framework of a browser – as we knew them – was a good idea. For me the idea that having to switch between tabs of a program that was slowly consuming more and more resources as it was being used only to be able to maybe cut and paste a paragraph; or use a word processor when instead you wanted to check your email. Productivity from an overview perspective just didn’t make sense when using a browser for all your computing and web needs.
Now I don’t presume to suggest that this is the case for everyone but for my applications for the most part needed to living on the desktop as separate entities. I like all my programs that I use on a daily basis to be robust and responsive and for the most part I never got that from web based applications. Then on top of that having to work in a tabbed environment wasn’t productive for me. I wanted my FeedDemon as a separate application. I wanted my Windows Live Writer as a separate application. I didn’t like the idea of being locked into the tabs of a browser – especially ones that no matter what you did slowly consumed resources.
Google Chrome changed all that.
Not only have they made the browser experience faster they have also made one that doesn’t feed off of your resources like they are a never ending buffet. That though, is only the tip of the iceberg. they have also given you the ability to launch those separate web applications as separate desktop entities. No longer are you tied to the confines of the tabbed interfaces. You can have GMail as a application on your desktop. you can have FriendFeed as a separate work environment on your desktop. It doesn’t matter what is spread out there on your desktop they can all; to a point, talk to each other. click on a link in one of the satellite applications and it will load up in the main browser in a new tab. Want that tab as a one off item on your desktop then grab the tab and pull it over to the desktop area and let go. Voila you now have that as a separate application and when you are done with it you can either pull it back into Chrome or close it out. You can literally create a fluid desktop on the go and without devouring your resources in the process.
Like Chris Messina said today in response to Chrome making its debut – “To put it mildly, things just got a whole lot more exciting.” Once people begin to realize that it isn’t just about the speed or the smooth looks and begin to look at how their work flow can be improved then we might begin to realize just how the desktop has been changed.
My desktop with Chrome & 1 tear off & 2 applications
