Smudging the Chrome: Hands-On With Google's New Browser
Yesterday afternoon, Google released the beta version of its new open source browser, Chrome. I've spent the past couple of days getting acquainted with it, and although it has some flaws this new browser definitely shows promise. You can download Chrome and check it out for yourself here.
Chrome is built from the ground up to handle robust web applications, rich media and as many tabs as you care to throw at it. It provides vastly improved control over the entire browsing experience by separating each tab into its own process and discreet hunk of memory. Since every tab is handled on its own, users will see fewer overall crashes. Additionally, the crashes that do occur will only affect a single tab and won't bring your entire browsing experience to a screeching halt.
Apart from fewer crashes, Chrome also delivers some notable features that will likely cause some die-hard Firefox and Opera users to jump ship. The first thing many people will notice is its speed. Chrome starts up ridiculously fast, and renders pages noticeably faster than my relatively uncluttered installs of Firefox and Opera. I usually have at least a dozen tabs open in Firefox, and have made my peace with watching the program chug along. Chrome's architecture prevents this from happening, and I have yet to see the program slow down--no matter how many tabs I have open.
When you first start the program, you're greeted by a Tab Page that will look very familiar to Opera users. It automatically generates 9 preview windows for the pages you visit the most, and also dynamically adds search boxes for the sites you search on the most. Additionally, the Tab Page lists recently bookmarked items and recently closed tabs. At first glance I thought it to be little more than a neat gimmick, but have found that this system creates a very functional evolving document. Power users who typically code their own homepages should definitely give the Tab Page a shot.
The address bar, or Omnibox, will pull up search engine suggestions for any non-URL text you enter into it. I especially like the fact that Chrome indexes my entire browsing history. If I forget to bookmark a page, all I have to do is type in a couple of keywords and the browser will display a list of previously viewed pages with my criteria in it.
That kind of Orwellian cataloging would normally make me pretty paranoid, but Chrome has some security features that ease my mind. Due to the program's architecture, any malware you come across is confined to the tab that it appears in and is unable to read or write information on your computer. Chrome can also prevent you from coming into contact with malicious material in the first place. It automatically downloads lists of harmful phishing and malware sites and will warn you if you are about to visit one. Also, pressing Ctrl-Shift-N will cause Chrome to create a new window in Incognito Mode. Nothing you view in this window will show up in your browsing history, and all cookies and information are erased when you close it.
Although Chrome has some revolutionary design features, it's not without flaws. The browser is currently a Windows-only application, although Google is working on Mac and Linux versions. Chrome relegates all Javascript popups to the bottom corner of the screen, and will only display those items if you click on them. That's great for eliminating popup ads, but after using Firefox with AdBlock Plus for so long, seeing banner ads plastered everywhere was a bit of a shock. Multiple users have experienced random crashes and have also reported an issue where pages scroll incorrectly. The new browser also lacks a way to quickly scroll through open tabs.
--Jon D.
Todd M on September 03, 2008 at 08:50 PM
Chrome was not built from the ground up - it is based on webkit - not that there is anything wrong with that.
Andyf on September 04, 2008 at 04:39 AM
Can't wait for the mac version...also wondering how long the open source aspect will take to add key user-driven functionality? I use Firefox but will not hesitate to switch if (a) crashes are minimized (b) it's faster than Firefox (c) it handles tabs more intelligently than Firefox. Chrome is shooting at an open goal IMO.
BTW - love the blog!
bobbbbby on September 11, 2008 at 05:31 PM
Is it merely an unfounded paranoia of mine that makes me not want Google controlling the indexing of all of the net-available info that's out there, PLUS controlling the software in my computer with which I view it, send it, analyze it, store it, et cetera?
It just all seems so eggs-in-one-baskety, 'ya know?