I think the next next browser war will be about how to integrate online services into the browser itself - search plugins were only the beginning. As more and more people rely on things like GMail, Google Docs, Google Reader, and Google Maps it will only be natural for Google to integrate its online services into its Chrome browser. The question will be whether this is anticompetitive at all in the sense that the "hidden" APIs in Windows were considered anti-competitive. I do think Google will make its server-side hooks open and transparent (because it benefits by having other browsers integrate their services).
I agree with you. I find it very interesting to observe the activity occurring with browsers. As a person who has done some web development it will a relief when we can code a website without having to add IE hacks.
IE8 and now Firefox are changing their browser behavior so that each tab has its own process which would make it so that the browser wont crash as easily.
Hi George – long time no speak!
Actually I wasn’t aware that Firefox was changing to the process-per-tab. I know IE8 and Chrome do that.
I think Microsoft will continue the one or two great or “great” (depending on each person’s point of view) features will quietly implementing older standards to fend off having to answer in the courts. The reason Google hasn’t caught much if any real fire is because Microsoft remains predominantly in everyone’s mind as the villain. How and if Google will take advantage of this over the coming years remains to be seen.