I know, we shouldn’t be getting the pallbearers ready just yet, but after the release of Google’s Chrome it does raise the question of how it will affect Firefox & the Mozilla Foundation.

The Foundation is largely funded by Google so it presents a complicated situation for the two groups. On one side you have Google, with an open-source, Google branded browser - and on the other you have a foundation that receives funding from Google, with their own browser already available and widely adopted. Competition you could say. So can Google justify investing in Mozilla when they have Chrome?

You could argue that the two entities are approaching the browser from different angles. In my opinion, Google are looking to create a modern, stable browser, capable of running their web apps as quickly as possible (hence the V8 rethink), and at the same time make it all open-source for the good of other browsers that might want to adopt the code. Whereas Firefox is looking to be the Swiss Army Knife of the browser market with add-ins that make it capable of doing everything you need (and at the same time making it slower because of this), a really good grip of web standards and a very large and dedicated community base.

Both of these browsers are competing with Internet Explorer’s dominance (and to a certain extent Opera and Safari). They’re aren’t fighting side by side, however, but rather in their own respective corners - and I can see only one winner from the two if Google want to get serious. But are Google going to get serious? It’s interesting when you realise the exclusive Google search contract in Firefox - based on referrals (which by the way generated 85% of Mozilla’s funding in 2006 - or $56 Million) is up for renewal in November of this year. Is it just coincidence that Chrome has been launched now?