September 2, 2008
Google has announced the release of a new web browser for today. Called "Chrome" is is way more than a browser, as it is almost a complete operating system in itself.
Google has announced the release of a new web browser for today. The new browser will be called "Google Chrome". See more info on:
Having read the rather long strip introducing the new browser, which details the process model (each page will have a browser process, to avoid hanging the entire browser), its memory model (tied to the process model), its user interface style (with tabs for entire pages including the URL or smart bar and detachable pages so that you can run GMail as a stand alone program), its programmers support (using extensions, Google Gears, and more)... I agree with the shared conclusion that this will be more than a browser and could easily get a large users base. Truly it might affect Firefox, but to the public at large Mozilla is not a known brand, Google is. So this is more more direct attack to Microsoft, offers a complete alternative to the .NET architecture (with its own JavaScript virtual machine and garbage collector, for example). Plus it will be open source. Not a bad move... I'm only sad I'll have little time in the next few days as I'm busy with the Delphi 2009 book.
posted by
marcocantu @ 1:17PM | 11 Comments
[0 Pending]
11 Comments
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
Shucks. Yet another browser with quirks, bugs and
misinterpreted/incomplete standards support (for each
version release thereof) for us poor web developers to
support?
Well, why not? The more the merrier!
Comment by Ken Knopfli on September 2, 16:02
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
From the Google description, I am not looking forward
to the security holes this will introduce.
Comment by Ken Knopfli on September 2, 16:05
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
the browser war is becoming very hot!
MSFT is beeing accused by many parts to try to
undermine google revenue model with IE8(see
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/08/28/microsoft-launches-browser-tech-cx_pco_0828paidcontent.html)
google obviously is not satisfied with current
browsers and it's pushing for a safer internet still
more pervasive.
in the meanwhile mobile internet is more and more
affordable and attractive with devices like iphone 3G
and tocco...
Nokia launches itself in the music online arena...
the future appears very rosy for us (used to be) poor
programmers. ;)
Comment by uberto barbini on September 2, 16:07
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
...and the "Next" link in their "comic" does not work.
They offer a help link, but it leads to a search box
which finds nothing about Google Chrome comic
problems. And there's nobody you can contact directly!
Typical Google.
Comment by Ken Knopfli on September 2, 16:10
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
Until the link to the browser appears, it may be
many things, but it is not yet a browser.
Funny thing. When Windows 95 was being touted in
stores before the release, the computer demos were
talking about how it was a multi-threaded app and
specifically singled out the browser as a case where
that would improve the experience by using multi-
threading.
Never seemed to happen thanks to things like
Javascript.
Perhaps Google should write an OS.
Comment by Xepol on September 2, 21:31
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
I Agree with Google that if the "browser" must become
an application platform the whole "browser" concept
must be rethinked - till now very little has be done
since Mosaic. THe process separation makes sense for
web applications, much less when someone is actually
just browsing pages - like reading a blog, for
example.
Only, when I look at "web applications", I find
myself jumping more than twenty years back - slow
interpreted applications, each with its own interface
and commands. Then came Windows and swept them away -
because it gave user a common approach to *any*
application.
Comment by Luigi D. Sandon on September 2, 21:38
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
Ok, Chrome is out and I have had a chance to play with
it for a bit. When I finally got the install to work
(the one at gears.google.com/chrome is f'd,
www.google.com/chrome/ is the place to go) it
installed darn fast! (shockingly fast)
I would call it a browser, but just barely. The
rendering engine is excellent, and its download speeds
are on par with IE and Firefox, and javascript is
about the same speed (unless you are trying to render
a mandlebrot, javascript just isn't the bottleneck
people make it out to be - anything serious is done in
flash anyways)
In fact, the only significant problems I found will
probably get fixed with ASP.Net get their machine
files updated for Chrome (it did not always recognize
the browser and could not, as a result, offer more
advanced rendering in some cases)
The UI also has a number of interesting elements, like
being able to drag tabs out (I've been trying that in
IE for months, and slapping my head going "Oh right,
it doesn't do that - but it should")
That said, the over all user experience with Chrome is
practically primitive to the point of uselessness.
Bookmark imports(when they work at all), create a
useless mess you have to manage. And that is a
freaking nightmare, because there is no bookmark
management except for open, drag close, open drag
close, repeat until insane or you just go back to your
browser that is already set up right.
Want to get back to your home pages? Restart the
browser - oddly, there is no other way.
Want privacy? The new tabs page certainly won't give
it to you as it lists you recent searches and most
visited pages the world.
The lack of a search box is also a huge pain. I like
being able to search in IMDB, Google, Wiki, etc etc
from the same box.
The search is kinda of hidden, but should be familar
to anyone that has used the google toolbar.
Customization? Forget about it - there are probably
more settings on your toaster. (download destination
is a great example of lack of control)
Google seems to have a solid underpinning. If they
address the hideous flaws in the bookmark management
(as in it has none) and a few other missing bits
(hello, can I get to my home pages without restarting
the freaking browser? ) and improves (dramatically)
their import (settings and bookmarks) process, it
should all be gravy, maybe even enough to be my
primary browser.
Until then, however, it will get less use than Firefox
does (I like my IE, what can I say?)
It's also worth noting that the acid 3 test site has
been brought to its knees... I wonder why :-)
Comment by Xepol on September 3, 00:37
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
>> Want to get back to your home pages? Restart the
>> browser - oddly, there is no other way.
If you rant about something please at least take 5
minutes to be sure that it can't be done. In 30
seconds I found a checkbox under "general options ->
home page" that puts the home button to the tool bar.
Yes the browser is very primitve for now, but the
important part is that the foundation seems very
solid. Memory footprint is excelent, rendering speed
also. If they keep it up, the browser could become
very good.
Comment by Iztok Kacin
[http://www.cromis.net]
on September 3, 09:15
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
Actually, I found the settings to change the
download destination. The settings page was so brief
that I blinked and missed it the first time.
As for "home page" -> Take another 30 seconds and try
it. It only takes me back to the new tab page, *NOT*
to any of my home pages (which could at least be
listed on the new tab page, but aren't)
Yes, I agree that the foundation is solid and I'll
repeat that once they fill in the gaps in the the UI
(bookmark management top of the list, if any google
bots are listening out there), there is a darn good
chance it will become my primary browser.
Comment by Xepol on September 3, 17:21
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
Memory insufficient browser.
I opened 15 pages with mostly Delphi related blogs
and it took 221MB of memory and in Opera I had at the
same time 50 pages with only 135MB of memory used.
Note in Task Manager that when you change a "tab" it
sets the base priority to Normal and the rest to
Below Normal. Also check about:memory :)
Comment by Pani
[]
on September 4, 05:05
Google Chrome is Not Merely a Browser
I'll stick to firefox.
Comment by itm
[http://www.aktivnadieta.si]
on September 12, 15:40
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