Chrome makes 8 major version releases in 2011
How many browser versions did you upgrade this year? I was on v8 of Chrome on New Years day, and now by Christmas I’m on v16. So that’s 8 versions in a year… what the hell? And I remember the time when IE6 to IE7 took 5 years to release. So what exactly is going on with Chrome?
Chrome Accelerates
Chrome is accelerating their release cycles. This year they released a new major version every 45 days on average. This makes the browser very fluid.
FireFox Catchup
It seems FireFox got the message. From March, they’ve jumped from v3.6 to v9. Their major releases are almost monthly now. IE on the other hand still has the traditional approach of long major releases.
Why the Fluidity?
Chrome is making version numbering obsolete. It’s almost comparable to the apps experience on your phone. Do you really care which version of GroupOn’s app you run? No, as long as it works. This is also what users have started to expect from browsers…
- that there browser works well
- and is secure
This is what Chrome is offering… making version numbering meaningless.
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