ambient

In the last week or so Mozilla, Microsoft and Google all announced similar, separate strategies for dominating the next evolution of the web (and search) through significant change in the way people use browser technology. Much of it centers on that little search box at the upper right hand corner of the browser. In general, however, it’s the ongoing recognition that the browser, along with open technologies (JavaScript, HTML, etc.) and “cloud computing”, is the future of application development and deployment.

I’ve put down some notes and some relevant links in order to capture my thoughts about these changes. I wouldn’t look too hard for a coherent narrative. These are just notes, like I said.

First, a quick recap of what’s happened.

Microsoft releases the IE8 beta and unveils a strategy that takes the focus away from individual search engines and puts it on search functionality in context. The IE8 context, that is.

Mozilla Labs announces the Ubiquity project and unveils a strategy that takes the focus away from individual search engines and puts it on search functionality in context. A Firefox based mashup context, that is.

And finally, Google announces the Chrome browser, based on the acclaimed WebKit browser, and unveils a strategy that takes the focus away from individual applications on the desktop and puts it on standardized, sandboxed functionality in context. Google’s new OS application layer browser context, that is.

Where does Yahoo fit in? Ya-who? Actually, there may be a very important role for them if they can turn BOSS into a success but they have to act quickly and execute flawlessly.

What does all this mean to publishers and advertisers? As a result of my last job, I’m forever infected with questions like “how do I, in an automated fashion at global scale, optimize content to show up first, more, better, higher, etc. than everybody else?” Well, the game is changing and I have some unique ideas on this but you have to pay me to get those.

Will Google and Microsoft’s ad platform be extended to this new browser context? You betcha.

Let’s look at Google, albeit the most innocent example. Remember this from the book? (You read it, right?)

In the little space to the bottom right in the image above, place an AdWords widget gadget (another key part of Google’s cross-platform strategy - don’t forget it when looking at this browser). I would have done it for you but the CC license prevents derivative works, so you’ll have to imagine it.

Google, Microsoft and Mozilla all want to move the search engine results page (SERP) into smaller spaces. The address bar. The little search bar in the upper right. They’re getting merged into the Omnibar and you won’t have to hit enter anymore to see a list of search results. So figuring out how to show up in that tiny little space is going to be very, very important.

One of the risks that Google is taking is dividing users away from growing Firefox’s market share and letting Microsoft reap the benefits of a simple divide and conquer approach. If their browser is either good enough to swallow the necessary market share from IE or sucky enough that it has no effect on the current balance, then Firefox should be fine. It will be bad for users if Google lands somewhere in the middle.

My gut feeling is that all of this is going to happen very quickly and the impact of these changes will be upon us before we know it. I certainly have been following these trends and am seeing a core part of my strategy for Gridjit fall into place. It’s a good time to be developing on the web. Suffice to say, there is rich opportunity for developers to create even better, more interactive sites on the web. My only concern is that the big corporations mentioned above don’t succeed in monopolizing the way applications are developed out of interest for capturing ever more ad revenues. For that is surely what they are all after.

By the way, I think Jakob Nielsen is mostly (not theoretically, just pragmatically) wrong about tabs. Let’s move on, with all due respect.

Recommended reading / viewing:

• Strategy Letter VI - Joel on Software
• Google Chrome, Google’s New Browsing Project - Google Blogoscoped
• A Fresh Take on the Browser - Google Blog
• The Cloud’s Chrome Lining - Nicholas Carr
• This is the Web OS, make no mistake about it - John Battelle
• Google and Firefox together until 2011 - WebProNews
• Google’s Embracing New Media Empire Role with Agencies - New York Times

Recommended for developers:

• Google Chrome Process Manager - John Ressig
• TraceMonkey Updates - John Ressig
• Accelerators in IE8 - Microsoft
• Inquisitor - Spotlight for the web (acquired by Yahoo)
• Creating WebKit Plugins - Apple.com
• A List of WebKit Based Browsers - Wikipedia
• Ubiquity User Tutorial - Mozilla Labs
• Ubiquity in Depth - Azarask.in
• Ubiquity Author Tutorial - Mozilla Labs

I’ll try to add more as I find them.

P.S. Chrome Messenger bags look pretty cool. I wonder if they will get lift out of this.