I've written a lot on the efforts in converging web and desktop applications (Adobe Air, Mozila Prism, Silverlight, JavaFX, Google Gears etc.). Now Google ups the ante with the introduction of its new webkit based browser - dubbed Chrome (You can see a comics explanation of its main concepts/features).

Let's do a quick recap before taking more about Chrome. Basically we see all the major players trying to blur the lines between desktop applications and web applications (a.k.a. Rich Internet Applications) some players are on the offensive (Adobe, Google) and some on the defensive (Microsoft, Sun) but the direction is identical. The web oriented companies understood that RIAs are becoming more real application and not "just" web pages. They also understand they need presence on the desktop for easier accessibility and better acceptance by users as a "serious" applications. Furthermore, the fact the applications become more serious and more mission critical, along with the fact that they can (and are) be used on-the-go where disconnects occur, the need for occasionally connecteness becomes more apparent. This is where smart-clients have a lead and technologies like Gears are trying to catch-up.

Now,in my opinion, Google makes a bold move to change the rules and re-define the playground - if webapss need to run on the desktop, let's make the browser the new desktop.
What makes me say that? because it is focused on application (see the comics),because the browser runs each tab in its own process, because it has a process monitor, because it is a link on the google home page...


From the chrome "OS" point of view we can look at javascript,HTML etc. as the IL (bytecode in java speak) on which the application run. This makes cross-compilers like GWT and the good side of MS Volta (vs. the bad side) the next abstraction layer. I expect these will be more significant in the future

Anyway, you can see for yourself if you download it now from www.google.com/chrome


 

Back in April I wrote how Adobe AIR (then it was still called Apollo) marks the beginning of the invasion of the web clients into the desktop. Later I wrote about the Java and .NET counterattacks (JavaFX and Silverlight) and then I wrote about Google's answer when Google Gears was announced.

Well Mozilla "Prism" demonstrates that even simple steps can help make this transition.
The main idea behind Prism is to "integrate web-applications into the user desktop experience". Behind this fancy statement we have a very simple solution - the ability to add a a desktop/start/quicklaunch shortcut to any web application (or page for that matter)and have that show in a window that is configurable so that it doesn't waste pixels on irrelevant stuff for the applications (like navigation buttons, address bar etc.) - which makes it better then just adding a shortcut yourself. Simple and elegant. Here's what my Google reader looks like with Prism:

If you want to start using it, you can just download the prototype for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows.