In Pictures: B is for browser - a homage to 12 Web greats

C is for Google's Chrome, poised to be the ruler It earned the right to IE's throne, 'cause, face it, it's much cooler

Where Netscape and IE were in the mid-1990s, Google Chrome is now. Launched in late 2008 as Firefox and IE were mired in incompatibility and instability, Chrome's speed, minimalist interface and rapid release schedule grabbed headlines from the get-go. (Shown here: Apps tab in v. 24 with third-party skin.)

Today it's perceived as stable, secure and slick enough to outdraw the other browsers on the market, and it's gobbled up market share. While browser usage stats vary wildly depending on who's measuring, most Web analytics sites place Chrome firmly in first place with about 30% of the market. And with versions on all the major desktop and mobile platforms (including its own OS), Chrome seems poised for the long haul.