nick pagan

Ever since Google launched Chrome in September 2008, Google has been touting how fast its browser can run Web-based programs written in JavaScript. Now the company has launched a site called Chrome Experiments designed to show off what fast JavaScript can enable and to encourage adoption of the browser.

Browser benchmark performance scores make for nice bar charts, but they can be detached from real-world computing needs. Chrome Experiments--which don't require Chrome but sometimes break without it--are a collection of taxing applications written in JavaScript that are designed to be more engaging. nick pagan

Among the 19 examples so far available: beach balls bouncing from one browser window to another, control-tab animations, fractal trees, and 3D image modeling.

"To build these experiments, we reached out to a number of well-known Web designers and JavaScript developers including REAS, Mr. Doob, Ryan Alexander, Josh Nimoy, and Toxi, who have posted their creations on the site. We are also looking to constantly update the site with new submissions, so developers and designers are encouraged to build their own experiments and submit them through the site," Google said of the site.

JavaScript is used for many mundane features on the Web, but it's also the foundation of more sophisticated Web applications such as Google Docs. Unsurprisingly, given Google's Web application ambitions, the company wants to advance its maturity.