There as those who refer to Chrome as the foundation of operating system that, when complete, will allow Google to compete more directly with Microsoft for control of the desktop.
I remember a time when people said that Java was the desktop of the future and that soon applications would "live" one level above the operating system. Goodbye Windows, hello apps! Or so the thinking went.
While that has not happened yet, Chrome certainly helps Java work faster and also separates browser sessions so that if one crashes it will not slow down the others. That would be an important feature for a browser looking to become an operating system.
But, what of ? Google already has a real operating system for mobile devices, one that some say is poised to overtake the functionality of the forthcoming iPhone 3.0. There is speculation Android will find its way onto netbooks and wild speculation it will morph into a desktop OS.
I have written previously that I don't think Google needs for Android to become a desktop operating system.
There is plenty of action and opportunity in the handset and netbook space that doesn't require fully building out a desktop OS. Google can avoid a head-on with Microsoft where it's strong (on the desktop) and compete where Redmond is weak (on mobile platforms).
Using Chrome as an environment that competes with the operating system as an enabler of applications makes much more sense than turning Android into a desktop OS. It also has the potential to support applications capable of running on any platform that supports the Chrome browser.
I think that approach makes a lot of sense, but is not limited to Chrome. I keep expecting Apple to do something with on Windows that gives the company a greater role on that operating system.
Internet Explorer could someday support extensions typing it to Microsoft's cloud computing and web-based applications, though anti-trust considerations make it hard for Microsoft to do anything that might lock-out other browsers.
With Google, Microsoft, and Apple all claiming their new browsers significantly improve the speed of Java apps, it is easy to imagine the companies plan to link their browsers to an applications strategy.
Such a strategy, however, could also break the ability for all browsers to run all Java apps and that is something with serious consequences.
Turning the browser into an operating system replacement won't be easy and it's hard to see any company being able to do something important that the others cannot soon copy. If anything, the current crop of browser betas seem to be converging despite each developer's attempt to innovate.
I'd like to say I've teased "the future" out of this confusion. My bet is we will not see specific browsers become tied to specific web application suites in the immediate future, yet I am surprised in some ways that it has not happened already.
Regardless, it's fun being treated to a new "browser war." So far, users seem to be the only real winners.
David Coursey still has scars from the first browser wars. Write to him using the contact for at .