What is Google?
Google is one of the world’s most popular brands, and is known for its search engine and the wide range of other products it offers. The company was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and is based in Mountain View, California. Google’s full name is Global Organisation of Oriented Group Language of Earth, and its mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
Most Internet users know about Google search and Gmail, but may not be aware that the company has many other products as well. Some of these include Google Maps, the Chrome web browser and Waymo self-driving cars. Google also operates a fiber-optic internet service called Google Fiber, which is available in some areas of the United States.
The Google Chrome web browser is a free program that lets you access the internet and use web-based applications. The browser is based on the open source Chromium project and is updated several times a year. It’s available for Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS and Linux desktop operating systems (OSes), and the Android and iOS mobile OSes. Chrome has several features that set it apart from other web browsers. For example, the Omnibox search feature combines Chrome’s address bar and search box into one integrated tool. It also lets you highlight text on a webpage and right-click to perform a search.
Other products from Google include Google Drive – a cloud storage service that lets you share files, documents and photos with others, as well as create, edit and manage spreadsheets. It has an excellent web-based document editor and allows you to sync your bookmarks, folders and webpages across multiple devices.
Earlier Google programs and services include Picasa – a photo organizer and image viewer for Windows, Mac and Linux computers; Orkut – a social networking site for friends and strangers worldwide; and YouTube Video Editor – a program that let you add effects, music and more to videos on YouTube. Many of these were eventually killed by Google and replaced with other offerings, such as Google Photos, Google Drive and YouTube Music. See the Killed by Google page for a complete list of the many computer-related products that Google has killed over the years.
Founded in 1998 by Stanford University graduates, Google’s original mission was to organize the world’s information and make it widely available and useful. Since that time, the company has expanded from a small research lab in a garage to an international technology giant. It is now the most valuable brand in the world and handles more than 70% of online searches. Its parent company is Alphabet Inc, and its stock is traded under the ticker symbol GOOG.
