Hello HTML 5, Goodbye Gears

Before discussing how HTML 5 has the power to change the web and Google's important relationship to it, it's crucial to understand the role that Google's Chrome operating system has in all of this.

Basically, Google Chrome is an open source operating system created to work exclusively with web applications. Though it was announced just this past summer and is currently being used by a very select few, Chrome OS won't be released publicly until mid 2010.

According to Google, the new operating system is based on Linux and will run only on specific hardware. Also, the user interface is said to be very minimalist, greatly resembling the already-existing Chrome web browser. The Chrome browser will be the only application used, which is why the Google Chrome OS is aimed at users who spend a majority of their computer time online.

The main difference between the new Chrome and other operating systems is that applications and other materials that have always existed on on hard drives will now "live online." The reason so many believe that Google is dropping Gears is because many of the features found in Gears are now being adopted by HTML 5, but it's also being built into the Chrome browser. Until an official announcement has been made, however, Gears continues to feature a number of tools capable of being opened using Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The first beta version of Chrome has been released for Macs, and around the time of that release, a Google spokesperson made some confusing remarks about the future of Gears, especially considering that HTML 5 isn't quite ready to be used yet and that most browsers aren't yet equipped to support it.

"We are excited that much of the technology in Gears, including offline support and geo-location APIs, are being incorporated into the HTML 5 spec as an open standard supported across browsers, and see that as the logical next step for developers looking to include these features in their websites," the spokesperson said. Shortly after, when speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the same spokesperson clarified by saying, "We're continuing to support Gears so that nothing breaks for sites that use it, but we expect developers to use HTML 5 for these features moving forward as it's a standards-based approach that will be available across all browsers."