View Full Version : Google Chrome
http://www.google.com/chrome/index.html?hl=en-GB&brand=CHMG&utm_source=en-GB-hpp&utm_medium=hpp&utm_campaign=en-GB
Get it whilst it's hot!
Brand new web browser from Google. For the most part you're not going to see huge differences from a purely UI perspective, about the most radical is that you can move tabs in and out of a browser window, and potentially move embedded media devices off a page, though I'm yet to try that.
However under the bonnet are some very major and interesting radical re-designs of web browser technology. Chrome should be resistant to bloat, each tab is effectively a web browser on its own. If Chrome is bloated, close the tab and the bloat is gone. It' also has some major changes for how javascript is handled, so lots of pages with dynamic content should run a) faster and b) way more efficiently than in IE and Mozilla.
The main web page renderer is based on Webkit, the same thing Safari and Konqueror use, so should be pretty standards compliant.
It is still in Beta, and I get the feeling Google intend it to be a technical showcase, pushing out innovative ideas, and trying to challenge Microsoft, Opera and Mozilla to bring their browsers up to scratch. Big advantage on that score is it's 100% Open Source, so anyone can rip it apart and understand how it ticks, and then put it into use in their own code, provided they attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
Mac and Linux versions are yet to come but I imagine should be fairly swiftly on the heels of the Windows version :)
LeperousDust
02-09-2008, 20:59
Its interesting and as you say a great demo basically. I won't be doing much more than playing with it though. Opera (and Firefox for others) do so much more than this can.
What i may use it for is having all my web apps i use a lot open in the background independent of my browser rather than having other tabs open all the time. This is whats its really pushing. It wants the world to start taking webapps properly, but until browsers do things properly/well (like chrome is) webapps still seem bloated/slow/unreliable.
Been following it since the blog post yesterday:
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/
Really good comic that, so much better than a white paper or press release to comb over. I like what they're doing, and am very pleased it's all going open source, especially that Java Script VM - if it's as quick as they say it is, a lot of other browsers can benefit.
Flibster
02-09-2008, 21:55
The plugin and js handling is very clever.
Seems alright at the moment. Doesn't work on this machine though - apparently not compatible with XP64 :(
leowyatt
02-09-2008, 21:58
Saw the thing on digg and it all sounds very interesting.
I didn't get excited about this at all when I heard about it earlier today but that presentation made it look very interesting. I am now looking forward to giving it a try :)
I didn't get excited about this at all when I heard about it earlier today but that presentation made it look very interesting. I am now looking forward to giving it a try :)
That's what she said.
http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2008/09/02/google-unveils-chrome-source-code-and-linux-port
Links and details about the source, build instructions and bug submissions :)
I didn't get excited about this at all when I heard about it earlier today but that presentation made it look very interesting. I am now looking forward to giving it a try :)
unfortunately its not out for mac yet :(
but i'm using it now, love it tbh.
only bit i don't like is the way it displays facebook. firefox gives it a much wider page width, which helps when i zoom in :)
Press Shift and Esc for possibly the geekiest browser feature ever.
I'm loving it. As soon as an AdBlock plugin appears, I can see very little reason to stick with Firefox or Opera over this, as neither of them can do anything I can think of especially useful that this can't.
Flibster
02-09-2008, 23:12
Doesn't zoom in on flash. Makes watching iplayer in a 200% window impossible
Still, it's certainly impressing me at the moment.
*Shift ESC is undeniably geeky!*
11. Content license from you
11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.
11.2 You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.
11.3 You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions.
11.4 You confirm and warrant to Google that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above license.
This part of the T&Cs seems to be causing a bit of a fuss, i'll let you make your own minds up.
LeperousDust
03-09-2008, 00:21
I didn't really want to like it, but after biting the bullet and downloading it, i am warming to it a hell of a lot. Its speed is light years ahead of Firefox which is what's always held me back. For me Opera still gives me a little more functionality that i can do without, for instance custom letter searched, and tonnes of little things i can't be bothered going into, but my oh my this has superb potential. For a beta product its undeniably excellent! Once a few plugins start appearing for it and so on this will do well...
//Edit: Yeah miss mouse gestures and the million keyboard shortcuts i have wildly.
For some reason it won't import my FF settings and bookmarks and coupled with no linux version, it's a no from me.
To be fair though, it is a first release beta. It's a test version. If you find something wrong, tell Google, that's the entire point of them releasing it. If you don't tell them, they won't know it's a problem and it won't get fixed.
This part of the T&Cs seems to be causing a bit of a fuss, i'll let you make your own minds up.
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/google-chrome-license-agreement/
And fixed.
Not sure if I'm going to get on with this. Don't really like the layout.
LeperousDust
04-09-2008, 14:28
What layout? :D ;D It's about as spartan as they get :p
Currently an exploit in it that allows .exe files to be downloaded to your PC without your knowledge or consent, so it might be an idea to stop using it for general usage if you are already doing so.
Or be careful about what sites you go on?
First impressions are good.
Well that could work but i'd rather just use a browser where I don't need to worry about having stealth .exe downloaded to my PC :p
But as you have already said - it's a beta. I wouldn't use it full time anyway so...:p ;)
I'm just going on to a few trusted sites to test the speed and what-not.
I still have FF3 as my main browser.
LeperousDust
04-09-2008, 14:53
Currently an exploit in it that allows .exe files to be downloaded to your PC without your knowledge or consent, so it might be an idea to stop using it for general usage if you are already doing so.
As far as i was aware the carpet bombing exploit only allowed and silent downloading of jar files, which in turn with another ie bug could run malicious exe files stored in the same (or a known) download directory. This doesn't seem *tha* possible :p? Or i could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time :D)
What layout? :D ;D It's about as spartan as they get :p
It makes me think "My First Internets"
Interestingly, looks like FF3.1 is faster than Chrome's V8:
http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/oss/~3/382704213/new-firefox-javascript-engine-is-faster-than-chromes-v8
What layout? :D ;D It's about as spartan as they get :p
Prefer the tabs bar underneath the address bar, the stop button in with the other buttons on the left, conventional file/edit/view menus etc. Also forgot about my firefox extensions that I actually rely on :D
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/04/google_chrome_analysis/
Nice little read. I'm not old enough to remember MS in the 80's though :D
Shift-Esc is very geeky. However given I've just heard that it indexs your bank details from online banking and any online purchases you make, combined with their very dubious EULA thing I'll be sticking with FF I think.
Any evidence of that or is it just speculation, and I'm interested to know which part of the EULA is dubious?
What does shift-esc do?
Not sure where that information came from but it was from someone pretty reliable.
The EULA...
By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any content which you submit, post or display on or through, the services.
Shift-Esc is like task manager, gives a list of which webpages are using what memory/cpu process and stuff.
Flibster
05-09-2008, 07:51
Not sure where that information came from but it was from someone pretty reliable.
The EULA...
By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any content which you submit, post or display on or through, the services.
Which was one of the sections removed from the EULA a couple of days ago.
Which was one of the sections removed from the EULA a couple of days ago.
Importantly, it was 'retroactively' removed too.
Damn, forgot to shift-esc when I had it installed. Me geeky likey stuff like that.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/08/dziuba_chrome/
Language is a bit harsh there, but a point that really does need made to counter the utter stupidity of the media out there.
That is extremely amusing, and seems fairly accurate, although possibly NSFW (oh well, it's lunchtime)
ChemicalKicks
08-09-2008, 18:52
DIE YOU NON OPERA HEATHENS!
Didn't like Chrome much.
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