In 2007, a new venture started to bring fresh ideas to software and hardware. It began with promise but shut down in 2010. The main reason was low demand for the products.

General Information

• Category: Software & Hardware
• Started: 2007
• Failure Cause: No Market Need
• Closed: 2010

Description

Gears was a handy browser extension for developers. It allowed applications to work offline. By saving key resources like JavaScript, images, and HTML on a local server, it made access quick and easy.

Users could also store and retrieve data right in their browser thanks to a built-in database. A worker thread pool manages heavy tasks in the background, enhancing web app performance.

This approach laid the groundwork for how modern web applications function today.

Cause of Failure

The story of Gears is not a failure. In 2010, Google decided to stop funding it and focus on HTML5 standards instead. Yet, Gears was important in shaping those standards.

When Gears launched in 2007, simple tasks like checking email took forever. Browsers needed to make many requests to servers, slowing everything down. The W3C also moved slowly, making it hard to create faster web apps.

Google introduced Gears to tackle these issues. At first, many thought only a few users would care about offline access to web apps. It took nearly a year for people to realize what Google aimed to achieve.

Gears allowed quick access to websites by using cached data stored on local devices. It also helped browsers connect faster to the internet by running background processes.

In the end, Google submitted this technology to the W3C. It became part of HTML5, which is now a key feature in all browsers, including Google Chrome.

FAQs

– What was Google Gears?

Google Gears was a tool from Google. It helped web apps work offline by saving important files on your device.

– Why did Google stop Gears?

Google stopped Gears to focus on HTML5. HTML5 gives better ways to let web apps work offline.

– How did Gears help web development?

Gears helped shape HTML5 standards. It improved offline features and made web apps faster.

– Is Gears technology still used?

Yes, Gears’ ideas are now in HTML5. This makes modern web browsers better for users.

– Can you still use Google Gears?

No, Gears are not available anymore. It ended in 2010. Use HTML5 for offline web apps now.