The Google Chrome Web Browser
The Google Chrome Web Browser
Article by Alex Bekker
The browser battle has a new major player. For a while it was Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari duking it out, but no more. Google recently introduced a public trial version of their newest browser, Chrome, and after using it for a few days, I am truly impressed. My prediction is that it will own a major share of the market in a matter of a year. The code is open source and has the backing of the web dominatrix. I won't bet against it.
The good. The browser is anything but conventional. Browser staples are different. For example, the address bar is now an address/search box, and each tab has its own. You can either type a URL or some search terms (you get suggestions with that), which I found to be very useful. There is a lot more room to see the web page, as the usual browser buttons and menus are mostly gone. Google hails the browser as "sleeker, faster, safer and reliable" and I mostly agree. I don't know about the security features, but Chrome is definitely sleek, fast, and since it crashed only once thus far (due to Flash), reliable until further notice. It is a beta version after all.
The browser runs each tab independently, so if one tabs locks up on bad javascript code, other tabs aren't affected. As a web developer, I am in love with this feature. The browser is like a stand-alone web operating system, and it is what Google meant it to be. The point of Chrome was to run all the web applications with ease, and to offer the possibility of running desktop software through the browser. Wow, who would have thought of that? Chrome also eliminates a problem that most don't deal with, but which I find to be a nightmare. If you use a browser, and keep opening and closing tabs (web developer here), you eventually eat up all of your memory and the browser slows down insanely. I have Firefox eating up over 400MB or RAM on occasion due to bad garbage collection, but with Chrome that's history.
The Chrome "home" page can be a compilation of your most visited websites and search engines. It takes a couple of days to get used to, but eventually you see the benefits of it. After using the browser for a couple of days, I stopped noticing it, which says something about the user interface design. It felt natural. Another feature I found to be slick is the anonymous browsing mode, which is like Porn Mode in the new IE8, so you can now watch your dirty videos without anyone in the household ever knowing.
Now, it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Chrome doesn't have add-ons, which are promised future additions, but my biggest beef is the whole issue of privacy. Google already collects massive amounts of browsing behavior through all of their applications, so I can only imagine what Chrome will add to that. Each time you browse the web the whole session will be recorded and used to provide you with better service and target advertising. That's a double edged sword, and I'm really uncomfortable with all of this.
Overall, Google did very well. This makes me wonder if Google could come up with an operating system to really tick Microsoft off. Then again, Chrome is meant to be a mini operating system on its own.
About the Author
I am a third year B.Eng Software student at McGill University. I run a web design and development company called Davai Design to pay for my studies, and I am a huge fan of everything technology and software project management. Read my blog at blog.davaidesign.com.
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