What is the deal with all of these web browsers?

Question

why is it such a big for companies like google and microsoft to make web browsers

what does it do for them

how do they make money for it?

Answer 1

Making a browser is a huge deal for Microsoft.  Since Internet Explorer comes bundled with Windows it's one of the most widely used browsers.  Microsoft intentionally doesn't support web standards with their browser, instead using proprietary technology.  This makes a lot of money for Microsoft since Internet Explorer only works on Windows.  In order for a web developer that uses a Mac or Linux to test their web page in the most common browser they have to buy Windows.  A web page that displays correctly in any other browser (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera) won't display correctly in Internet Explorer.

Google has entered the browser market since they obviously have a vested interest in how well the Internet works.  If Google can provide a better, faster browsing experience they can make more money with their other services.  Since they are more motivated by providing a better browsing experience than making money, their technology is open source.  Google has stated that even if the only result of Chrome is a better, faster IE9 then they have succeeded.  This is based on the fact that Google has determined through research that if a web page loads even a few milliseconds faster, it can make more money.  It also is based on the fact that all (most) real web developers, including Google, don't like how Internet Explorer ignores standards since it costs the web based companies more money.

Answer 2

Well its a good question to ask. I have thinking about this and I think one of the reasons is that for example they try to be compatible with certain sites or software on the internet. If they will be compatible people will start to use them and also the sites may pay these companies some money to view their staff

Answer 3

If you are referring to Google's Chrome actually- google does not make money out of many of its great products - maps, calender,reade etc, so this nothing new for them to do.. Its just that they want their brand to be popular and get more gets in adsense.

Answer 4

Compatibility, they want you to use their browser so your forced to use their softwares or applications. Microsoft wants to force you. Google thinks your more likely, if you use there browser your more likely to use their search engine and services like gmail since they integrate so easily. They can also use the browsers to send back information to their server for whatever they do with it.

Answer 5

Advertising...that's what it all comes down to. Advertisement is the single most profitable internet business out there.

It also where most of Google's massive revenue comes from. So, if you're google, it is in your best interest to get people to use your search engine (that is where your ads are). Best way to do that is to make it the default search engine on a browser (look at how IE tried to get LiveSearch going that way...it would be completely dead if not for that).

That is how they helped Firefox become profitable, in fact. They made FF ship with google as the front page of the browser.

Now, Google is bringing it closer to home. They created a browser that in not only highly ambitious for the times, but it has Google Search in there, and it has the name "Google" all over it.

So in the end, they just want you to use Google to find what you're looking for on the net...this new browser is how they plan to get more of the Search market share.

Answer 6

More web browser options means more competition, which means better service for us, the consumer as they different web browsers improve to compete.