Infinite Path

The latest punches in the increasingly hostile fight for online domination between Google and Microsoft have been thrown. The Internet search company has launched a software application which lets users run its Chrome browser inside Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

The fight between the two companies has turned nasty since Google’s decision, with Microsoft reacting angrily to claims that the Google Frame makes IE faster and allows it to cope with a larger range of more sophisticated web applications. Microsoft have, in fact, launched a sneaky attack of their own in retaliation to Google’s apparently unfounded claims by stating that anyone who uses Google Frame leaves themselves open to potentially serious security infringements.

Google will hope that this latest move provides Google Chrome with the much-needed boost it needs to start competing seriously with Microsoft in the web browser market, with the long term ambition of exerting as much control as possible over how individuals experience and use the Internet. Chrome had just over 3 per cent of the market share last month, with IE still dominant at just over 65%.

Their latest move is a direct challenge to Microsoft, as so many of their recent decisions seem to have been. However, they may find that winning this battle will not help them to win the war. Google still suffer from the fundamental problem of people being nervous or simply unwilling to change web browser. Microsoft IE may have its problems, and speed is certainly one of them, but for the large majority of online users, it works.

Microsoft, PCs, and web browsers have been almost synonymous with each other for years now and it is going to take something monumental to alter in the way that most people think when they consider online activity for that to change in Google’s favour.