What did google actually do

I realized. Just. Probably, I am a brake ... but so far this thought has not been voiced anywhere.
So, while everyone is arguing about how good the Chrome browser is, they measure up with tests and wait for ports on Linux and Mac, the main revolution will not happen there.
It lies in a small invisible button "to create application labels."
Using this function, you get a shortcut on your desktop or in the main menu to your favorite site, which will open without the navigation bar and other unnecessary elements. For example, I first created such a shortcut for Google Reader. And he was surprised how quickly he began to work. Well, actually, nothing surprising. Surely for their applications, Google has optimized JavaScript and its own engine.

Well, that's not the point. What did I get? I got a great, convenient, smart RSS-reader, which is not inferior to its traditional counterparts. Then I came across a funny article about how you can get a good calculator in the same way. And how many small, pleasant services exist in the network? Here and calendars and text editors, and even complex graphics applications.
And now we remember what the main features of the new browser from Google are: the optimization of JavaScript (acceleration is just a few!) And independent streams for each window. That is, one crooked application will not suspend and fail the others (now it can, but this will be fixed). As a result, we get ... an almost perfect platform for applications.

Complete cross-platform. HTML and JavaScript are at least, but they work on any operating system (where Google Chrome will be). Ease of development and a huge number of ready-made frameworks. A huge number of convenient free editors and development environments. Solving the problem with software updates. The user automatically works with the latest version. Great feedback and statistics. You will absolutely know exactly which functions of your program are most in demand, whether users evaluate your brilliant ideas or use the application in a completely unexpected way. By the way, do not be surprised if Chrome has a built-in statistics collector that sends a lot of interesting information to Google Evil Corporation . But I would not be surprised if it is not built in there. :)
')
Now the next subtle point: an open source browser. It means that the developers of other, alternative browsers will be able to use the developments of Google. Even a great and terrible IE can enable similar features. And that's just what Google is for. Why spread your browser if the main feature can be advanced by the hands of competitors. And even if the share of Chrome will be two percent, but if at the same time all other browsers will support Internet applications, Google will achieve.

And he will achieve what he has been striving for for a very long time: the mass migration of users to web applications and services. And it seems this time he will succeed. Yes, serious software, tied to complex calculations or requiring low-level work with hardware, is not going anywhere. But see for yourself your desktop. Are there many such applications? And how many small utilities for daily work? But a decent amount of them can work through the web, without losing any functionality.
By the way, no one bothers to make a link to a local copy of the website. And do not be surprised if tomorrow your favorite program X will be released not as an executable file, but as a heap of HTML and JS code unpacked onto your hard disk.

In general, we will soon find ourselves in a new world. Who will rule not Microsoft, but Google.