Google Chrome: smoke or roast?
September 3, 2008 6:24 pmSound the trumpets please .. announced by all the major newspapers of the world is finally available on "Microsoft Killer" (as defined by many) Google Chrome.
And when I say daily .. I do not mean that we read the usual Bischerate us Geeks .. talking about the run or Le Monde. And not in some back cover .. the front page!
But What Is Chrome you say? And why half the world's newspapers and talk about it? The first question I can give you an answer, the second is not 
Chrome is simply a web browser. You know Firefox or IE? Here's the same thing, only it has been developed by the stronger existing trading today on the Internet: Google. Just a web browser.
Just a web browser?!?! No, a Google product intended to destroy the world as we know it today more or less like the new particle accelerator at CERN that will create a huge black Boco `suck us all!
`Laughter aside, Google is the big voice meddling in an area where Microsoft had resisted until now (with some success) only one solution open source (Firefox fact) and of course it does so in large, pulling out as a beta product that has the air of being already like its competitors.
Who reads me a long time knows that I have some sympathy for Google, but lately things are changing (I've heard that the cafeteria have limited to two meals a day .. a real scandal 
): Just download available to me are obviously slingshots to download.
After a nice cartoon-style presentation that will certainly have delighted `friends Aizercast, I admit that I was very skeptical .. All the Buzz that yesterday I had read would have been justified? Here's the synopsis of a day's use.
First bad surprise, the version for Linux is still available: give us your email and we'll let you know .. humm you get hurt 
Ok we go to the laptop on which I have a WinXP ready to support (and endure) testing. Download, install and launch.
First impression: a lightning! It just opened, without changing any settings, the graphic layout is exactly the same as that of my office Firefox full screen (in Firefox only that I need at least 4 add ons for it).
Start browsing some simple page .. everything runs smoothly and fast as I had never seen a browser to go. I do not speak for speed of downloading of course, but for speed of rendering, a real spectacle!
Ok the basic text is passed .. is time to start with something really interesting, my Netvibes page. Everything works and is indeed very fast!
It seems to be ready for the big road test .. day-use only, leave Firefox: value then all data from Firefox (cool .. also imports the password confirms the fact that the security of Firefox password manager leaves much to be desired!). I started my day at work.
After a couple of hours of use are becoming more enthusiastic: very usable, very fast, low memory usage and now there is ever planted. In addition thanks to the "Task Manager" I can see the resources used by any web page .. definitely something I missed in Firefox.'s been three hours: first crash. The pc is become extremely slow and I realized that there were two processes that were running chrome .. perhaps one from a window had been closed earlier. Unfortunately I have no choice, I must kill the process. And here's the first problem, I have kept reopening the tab above! This could definitely be a reason to return to Firefox .. Activism in the (few) options available to reload the tabs left Open the last time you restart anyway to navigate from where you left off: I have a habit of leaving a dozen tabs open to read when I have time .. ` which may mean after a week ..
More hours passed, the baby has not had more problems, and while I found other really nice functionality: When you open a new tab you get the white page from Firefox, but a page full of ideas: the list of most visited sites, some with all the bookmarks and history. All very well prepared .. pero `impractical for someone like me hardly off the fingers from the keyboard. They should add some shortcut in more.
Application shortcuts are also very interesting, combined with Google Gears could really replace many stand alone applications (MS Office you feel?).
Another thing so cool that I discovered in a moment of pause (so I use the browser for personal reasons): the Incognito mode. You can surf all the sites you want and they will not be "traced" from the browser. Nothing in the history it references the sites most visited: Definitely useful if you want to navigate to some vessel in northern waters with the laptop work
Little gem: if you go to a page and right click you can choose "Inspect Element. A crazy cool, lets you navigate the structure for each element of the page shows a lot of information, properties CSS, time to lie down, any errors. All with a visual interaction with the page itself (if you go with the mouse over an item, it is highlighted in yellow on the original page!
We're almost an hour to go back to the little family waiting for me .. time of the last test: open many tabs. And when I say so many .. I mean really many, I have a folder in my bookmarks that contains more than a hundred links, they ALL open in a new window chrome. I admit that I expect a crash .. but that `me loads them all, very fast!
The application is still stable, I can switch from one tab to another without delays. A real surprise! Firefox would have already kicked in the ass if he tried Here's proof
At the end of the day, I can only answer the original question by saying that I think it's roast .. Roasted much! Google gone down there `` heavy, pulling out after two years developing a product that far exceeds IE7 (how much time / money invested Microsoft?) and in some ways even Firefox (not sure of this to be able to cheer).
If you add that Chrome has been released as open source (although the style of Goolge) and lays the groundwork for what we shall see in Android, the future seems ever more under the wing of the big G.
Sure .. All is not gold that glitters: Google is preparing to invade our desktops with the missing piece of the chain, buying more or less full control over our activities. It is always discussed the monopoly imposed by Microsoft, I think it's time to begin to shift the focus and attention on other fronts. (and do not tell me that to ask which search engine you want to use immediately after installation is a test of good faith in Google ...)
From the point of view of innovation I would sing the miracle .. bottom with Firefox and some add-ons already available you get more or less the same results. Basically this is a browser, it is that one might expect that those who know!
I would not still be in the shoes of the project leaders will have to justify ... IE Why a team with virtually unlimited financial resources is not managed to produce something equally competitive: how they managed to "lose" the race in a market that will virtually undisputed leaders saw first against Firefox and now against a very young product like Chrome?
In the meantime came the first reactions, were found the first bug (I've seen a couple myself) and the first safety problems. Normal for a young product, nothing to worry Google.
They came also the first confirmation: Chrome is fast .. fast. Several tests (more or less independent) give better results with Chrome and Firefox or IE.
In conclusion, if like me you use linux, go and put some candles (and give your email to Google to show that the Linux market and there is urgent) to get Chrome to a little more quickly, but if you use Windows .. Try it and I'm sure many of you Firefox andra `retired.
I personally will be is still a bit of time with Firefox because Chrome does not yet support some additional components that I need, but use `every time you want anyway Chrome browser is a stable and fast.
Tags: browser, Chorm, Firefox, google, linux
10 Responses to "Google Chrome: smoke or roast?"
Confirm the impression of speed, but Firefox (and its extensions) are even higher. Obviously things will get better is just a beta. I sent into retirement rather than IE6 and IE7! ... And look how wrong I opened http://www.microsmeta.com (With FFX, IEX and Safari on Linux, Win and Mac display is perfect ...)
Welcome back in fashion GEEK!
I think the problem of extensions will be solved soon, I would not be surprised if in reality the entire development platform was already ready, and many extension developers had already been contacted ..
Indeed there are some problemini the rendering of some pages and some fonts, but on the superiority of Firefox do not agree.
From my experience, Chrome is more stable, more fast and more usable in Firefox without extensions. Eventually the extensions I use daily are only two ..
You're the first blogger that I read a review of this Chrome .. and I must say that at the end so "reading" seems a good product to be a Beta. I say "reading" because I have no intention of upgrading to Vista just to try a software ... wait patiently for the Linux version, where I really need a second browser. If the Linux version will be on par with the Windows version I will be happy to use it! I try to answer your question "Why a team with virtually unlimited financial resources is not managed to produce something just as competitive?" Mica people working for Google is the same as working for Uncle Bill
If it takes 8 pairs of genitalia to enter the big G a reason there has to be! And the products are necessarily higher ...
Confirms the initial impression. It is a great product.
I hope to see the Linux version out quickly, but as I've written does not need sight, just a XP (even in a VMWare) to try and realize what they did.
Compared to the second part of your post, unfortunately it seems too simple to limit the matter to the men recruited. Not that Microsoft is taking dogs and pigs .. I believe that the prestige of working for MS or for bigg is more or less comparable. In my opinion we must go back to the processes, the definition of roadmaps and probably the same vision we have of the market.
Eventually, the developers do what they are asked to do, that is MS or Google or Apple changed very little (so that much of the development is then given to external society perhaps in India or Croatia). The problem seems to be the basis for decision making: as if MS is not able to meet more demands of the market with their products .. IE and Vista are two examples, but also in the corporate field is starting to feel what it is on the backoffice and on that server.
Perhaps have never been able to clone that wizards at Bill?
Hello Andrea
thanks to your review I've also tried Chrome, not being a coach like you I am only prove to be a simple man of the street.
Anyway from what little I could see it seems to me that fully respects your proof, only one thing I can not do or to download directly from sites like Jamendo. With Chrome when I try to download an album from J, instead of starting me in direct download window opens with the great "Q" for quick time and start to make me listen to the songs, I think it's an issue of settings and therefore depends on me I might say how can I do to fix it.
Hello Alexander.
Ale you've identified? I believe that by default does not specify Jamendo album downloading, but when you take you are logging your preferences and then makes you do the download without problems.
I just tried and everything works fine.
Let me know.
Hello Andrea
at this time are with chrome on Jamendo, identified. I'm trying to download the "Drop Alive" but the window of preparation is in a constant load and I did not start the DL. He says "Please wait, the download file is preparing ..." but nothing happens.
Hello Alexander.
Watch coincidences
when last night I did the test to be sure not to write stupid things, I downloaded that album 
I have not had any problems. I just tried again.
Maybe it was a temporary problem Jamendo ...
Hello Andrea
maybe it was just like you said, a problem of Jamendo, the fact is that now I am unable to download an album.
Thanks for everything, Alessandro.
I noticed that I CAN NOT COPY MY MP3 ON THE PODCAST RADIO RAI, which I do NORMAL IE. Does anyone know how to get around the obstacle?
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