Among them is Google Gears, a browser plug-in that allows developers to create applications that function offline and across different browsers. Never
mind the security implications, but the overall goal of Gears is to make the Web browser--and not operating systems like Windows--the center of the computing experience. Web-based Google, after all,
doesn't have an OS. Google Gadgets, another API, encourages developers to create mini-apps that reside in the Google homepage or in Google desktop.
"...open source is popular because it gives the customer, the developer, leverage again, said Chris DiBona, Google's open-source programs manager As Google sees it, useful Google mash-ups, better Google tools and better Firefox plug-ins that use those tools, mean more Google searches and less reliance on Microsoft.