A month or two ago when Google made it’s announcement concerning plans for a Chrome OS, I predicted it would spell the beginning of the end for the Google/Firefox relationship and financial support, and thusly the beginning of the end of Firefox. It looks like that scenario is starting to unfold.

It seems that in the source code of Google’s Chrome Frame, it’s plug-in that effectively changes Internet Explorer to Chrome on the inside, there are provisions for releasing versions that convert both Firefox and Opera as well, basically to turn all the major browsers into Chrome clones…or perhaps I should just say “assimilate them” because you know you’re thinking it so why not be open about it? Considering the current cold war between Google and Apple, can a Safari version be far behind?

Mozilla, the creators of Firefox, are none too pleased and for once aren’t being quiet about their displeasure with Google.

Computerworld is reporting the following…

Mike Shaver, Mozilla’s vice president of engineering said that Chrome Frame, which is open source, includes technologies that could be destined for Firefox as well as Opera Software’s Opera browser. "They’ve chosen not to ship yet," said Shaver, talking about plug-ins for those two browsers. "I hope they won’t."

Mozilla staked out its position on Chrome Frame Tuesday, when both Shaver and Mitchell Baker, the former CEO of Mozilla and currently the chairman of the Mozilla Foundation, took swipes at Google for releasing the plug-in.

Both Shaver and Baker called the plug-in a bad idea, with Baker arguing that it would confuse readers over which browser was rendering a site, divide personal details like site passwords and browsing history between two applications and cede control over users’ browsing experience to site designers.

Shaver, meanwhile, panned Chrome Frame for some of the same things that Microsoft used to hammer Google earlier, including breaking IE’s private browsing mode.

Even if one ignores the arrogance of the Google crew when they said that they opted to create the Chrome Frame after choosing not to bother making their upcoming Google Wave suite compatible with IE, the browser that around 90 percent of the internet uses, this is another development that reminds us that Google’s “Do No Evil” creed is a thing of the past. Google has shown again and again that it intends to use it’s stranglehold on internet search and it’s good reputation to take control of as much of the internet experience and modern media as it can. Chrome Frame is just another step in that direction.

Considering the anti-trust headaches IE causes for Microsoft, I wonder how those regulators feel about Google making a play to turn all major browsers into Chrome, therefore giving them the power to dictate the standards and technical direction of the net?

Zealot (468 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

By day a department manager and writer for a major network device vendor...by night Zealot stalks the mean magnetic streets, striking fear into the hearts of bandwidth abusers and theme park mascots. Zealot has been involved with mobile devices for more than a decade now, starting off with dumb phones, moving to PDAs and then to smartphones, notebooks and netbooks with the odd PMP thrown in. Most of his mobile time currently is spent on a Treo Pro, Zune HD, Thinkpad T61, Gigabyte M912M or a Hackintoshed Compaq Mini 704. He proudly groks the Geek community and considers himself a Neo Maxi Zune Dweebie (thanks Will Wheaton!).