Google Chrome

Garp · 02-09-2008, 20:51

http://www.google.com/chrome/index.h...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.

Daz · 02-09-2008, 21:09

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.

Feek · 02-09-2008, 22:00

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

Belmit · 02-09-2008, 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feek

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.

Joe 90 · 02-09-2008, 22:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feek

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

Daz · 02-09-2008, 22:36

http://arstechnica.com/journals/linu...and-linux-port

Links and details about the source, build instructions and bug submissions

divine · 02-09-2008, 23:00

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.

02-09-2008, 20:51	#1
Garp Preparing more tumbleweed Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hawaii Posts: 6,038	Google Chrome http://www.google.com/chrome/index.h...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 __________________ Mal: Define "interesting"? Wash: "Oh, God, oh, God, we're all gonna die"?

02-09-2008, 20:59	#2
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	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. __________________

02-09-2008, 21:09	#3
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	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. __________________ apt-get moo

02-09-2008, 21:55	#4
Flibster Moonshine Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,388	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 __________________

02-09-2008, 21:58	#5
leowyatt Chef extraordinaire Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Infinite Loop Posts: 11,143	Saw the thing on digg and it all sounds very interesting. __________________ "Dr Sheldon Cooper FTW!"

02-09-2008, 22:00	#6
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	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 __________________

02-09-2008, 22:36	#9
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	http://arstechnica.com/journals/linu...and-linux-port Links and details about the source, build instructions and bug submissions __________________ apt-get moo

02-09-2008, 23:00	#10
divine Moonshine Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Southampton Posts: 3,201	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. __________________