Jeffrey Zeldman asks: how will the Google browser, Chrome, compete with other, better established alternatives? In other words, how will web users be enticed to make the switch to Chrome?

By offering a fast and responsive user experience? Or possibly some yet to be seen bells and whistles that can only be brought about by way of proprietary technology?

To compete with Microsoft, the new browser must offer what other browsers do not. The risk inherent in that proposition is a return to proprietary browser code. It is not yet clear to me whether Chrome will compete the wrong way - offering Chrome-only features based on Chrome-only code, thus prompting Microsoft to rethink its commitment to standards - or the right way. Competing by offering features other browsers do not (easier downloads, streamlined user interface) or by consolidating other browsers’ best features (Opera’s Speed Dial, Firefox’s auto-complete) avoids this risk, as improvements - or at any rate, changes - to the browser’s user interface have no bearing on the display of existing web content.