Will Google Chrome Be Late?

Google Chrome have decided to go with Gtk+ for the Linux version. However you still see mentions of Qt in the developers mailing list. I too had wondered the same after Qt went LGPL.

However, I wonder if Google will arrive a little late on the scene. The arena is already buzzing with WebkitGtk browsers like Midori and soon Epiphany, and QtWebkit browsers like arora and foxkit. Then there is Kazehakase which offers both to its users. All of these are already snappier than Firefox on Linux. Chrome will anyway not suit the Opera and Firefox addicts because they need their environment.

If Chrome wants to appeal to the users of these browsers, it needs to offer something exceptional. Maybe Google can learn something from some problems Firefox is facing, or why Opera has not been able to grow its user-base in spite of being a fantastic browser.

I was excited about Google Chrome earlier, but the wait seems to have converted the early adopter in me into a skeptic. Sometimes I wonder if Google could have adopted one of these existing browsers and build on it.