Chrome: Caesar or Napolean
November 13, 2008
I enjoy Datawocky, a Web log written by a Google observer. The most recent post is “Google Chrome: A Masterstroke or a Blunder?” You can read the full text of the essay here. My take away from the September 7, 2008, write up changed over time. When I first read the essay, I thought it was quite balanced. I revisited the article today as I was preparing to write my KMWorld column. On the second pass, this passage caught my eye:
Two striking historical parallels come to mind, one a masterstroke and the other a blunder, in both cases setting into motion events that could not be undone. In 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army, triggering a civil war where he triumphed over the forces of Pompey and became the master of Rome. And in 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte had Europe at his feet when he made the fateful decision to invade Russia, greatly weakening his power and leading ultimately to his defeat at Waterloo. It will be interesting to see whether Chrome ends up being Google’s Rubicon or its St. Petersburg.
The historical parallel on my second reading struck me as odd. Arrogance, pride, and confidence in power brought about the downfall of both Caesar and Napoleon. Both leaders ended their lives in nasty circumstances. Furhtermore the aftermath of both leaders’ lives was continued momentum for their policies.
What does this have to do with Chrome? I think Chrome is one piece of the Google technology puzzle. It is a bold play to allow Google access to information of many types. Once in Chrome, a user cannot easily determine what is Google and what is some other service. In fact, when one navigates to another Web page is it necessary for Google to hand off that user? Google can easily serve some information from its cache. Google could become the Internet for a Chrome user or for a Google phone user.
Please read the Datawocky essay. Let me know if you think the distinction between Caesar and Napoleon is a valid one? Then let me know if you think Chrome is a browser or just the front end to a Google-intermediated Internet.
Stephen Arnold, November 13, 2008
Comments
2 Responses to “Chrome: Caesar or Napolean”
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If I’d read this article yesterday I’d probably consider you an alarmist, but today I’m wont to agree. I run a little RSS aggregator on my web server for personal use (I use the awesome Rnews software- http://rnews.sourceforge.net) which alerts me if a site redirects to a new RSS feed. More and more often my feeds are being redirected to a Google RSS repeater server.
Seems a little strange, considering so many bloggers’ complaint that Google gives preferential rankings to scrapers than the original content (as mentioned recently by QuadsZilla – http://seoblackhat.com/2008/11/10/nice-fucking-serps-g/).
Brian,
Thank you.
Stephen Arnold, November 13, 12008