Google Browser Rumors Continue

Posted on February 3, 2005

Google continued the rumors that it might be launching a browser when it hired Ben Goodger, the lead programmer of the Firefox browser. TechNewsWorld.com reports that Google acknowledged hiring Goodger and said the "move was based on his solid engineering skills and not necessarily his browser-building experience."

The rumored Google browser has been dubbed the gbrowser by bloggers and industry insiders speculating on a possible launch. Google has even registered the gbrowser.com domain name. That name is not great but the idea of a browser is a good fit for Google. It certainly ties in well with its search engine and other Internet services targeted at consumers.

InternetWeek.com reports that Google has since hired a second coder from Mozilla, which developed Firefox. There is also speculation that Google is contemplating the launch of an operating system, or Google OS.

Hiring two people behind the Firefox launch seems pretty clear that Google is working on a browser. They could also be using these experts to better understand how Google search performs within Firefox.