Google launches browser

Will you try Google Chrome?

  • Yes

    Votes: 156 85.2%
  • No

    Votes: 12 6.6%
  • Unsure

    Votes: 15 8.2%

  • Total voters
    183
I test a lot of browsers. Before Firefox 3 came out, my favourite was Avant Browser. (It builds on the IE kernel, but makes it much better). It took 10 minutes to be convinced by Chrome. Tab management is great (and a bit more stable for some AJAX type sites). In my preliminary tests, it was faster that Firefox 3 on both my desktop and my laptop. Browser settings has been kept to the bare minimum, and that is quite refreshing to see. You gain a bit of screen real-estate through a clever new layout.

The have a clever new way of using separate processes for separate tabs, so if a tab crashes somehow, the whole browser doesn't. There is even a Chrome process manager, so you can see which site, tab or plug-in is causing problems, and simply kill it. (This can get a bit technical - have a look at the promotional comic. Link at end.)

The layers effect of opening new windows is very clever.
Incognito mode is quite funny to be honest, but with the internet being what it is, I won't be surprised if it gets a fair amount of use.
It has an impressive set of built in spell-checker languages. (Do yourself a favour and set it to REAL English rather than the American flavor)

An interesting feature: users can now resize multi-line textboxes. (Like this one I am typing in now.) While it may be useful here - in most cases it would probably not be. Interesting feature though.

Regarding Google Toolbar - you don't need it anymore. Its basic functionality is now built into the address bar. (Which has a clever auto-complete system that tries to differentiate between whether you want to got to a new address, an existing address from history, or do a Google search.)

Try it out, type some of these search strings straight in your Google Chrome address bar:

current time in Upington
what is the cube root of 74088
325.2 ZAR in USD
define: antidisestablishmentarianism

In my humble opinion, this browser won't surpass Firefox any time soon i.t.o. market share, but it will probably rob enough of it from IE to finally break the back of their majority. Hopefully web developers will then start to build pages to use all the exciting new web technologies, rather than try and retain backwards compatibility with IE.

Do try this - lighting fast download and install. Can get all your favourite, form and password information over from your current browser, without taking over your system if you don't want it to.

If you want to download Google Chrome:
http://www.google.com/chrome

If you want to see the cool, comic style promotion that Google had made by famous cartoon artist:
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/#


Even if you are set in your browsing ways, try this one for just a few days.
 
Google said:
Google Chrome for Linux is in development and a team of engineers is working hard to bring it to you as soon as possible.

Please enter your email address below and we'll let you know when it's released.
But when you enter your email adress and hit the signup button *BAM* 404

methinks google fudged that one
 
They have a very smart business strategy!

Just compare Google and Yahoo home pages.

I still fail to see your point. Google's business is advertising. Yahoo just do things differently - and it works for them.
 
I took Chrome for a test drive for about 30 minutes and have now made it my default web browser.

This is some damn good software
 
I still fail to see your point. Google's business is advertising. Yahoo just do things differently - and it works for them.

Any company that can MAKE money in advertising without a HINT of it on their home page has to be clever! ;)

I take my hat off to that.
 
I am a big fan of ad blockers, but knowing what it takes to make this forum tick money wise, advertising is critical. :)

Sadly not all advertisers are ethical and I have to protect my kids too... so I use every ad-blocker known to man and am loving it. If the internet is not safe, it may as well not exist...
 
Install this hosts file to block all advertising in Internet Explorer and Chrome (and Firefox). It blocks all the major adservers (but fortunately does not block MyADSL).

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

It also blocks known malware sites.

Can the HOSTS file slow down my pc?
Pages seem to load a bit slower than before, i did change the DNS Client to Manual though...
But i might just be paranoid as i am anxiously waiting for a page to load, making the wait seem longer than before as well as it being peak times.
 
Any company that can MAKE money in advertising without a HINT of it on their home page has to be clever! ;)

I take my hat off to that.

What has their "home page" got to do with it? Google sells advertsising. Their "home page" is but one entry point into their system that is nothing more than a meshed advertising platform.

Just because they don't have advertising on their homepage doesn't mean they don't advertise on their other pages and products. In fact, Google does advertise on their homepage - or what would you call all the links to their other products?

I honestly don't get the point you're trying to make.
 
Been running Chrome the whole of today. I'm impressed. Only things I could find I don't like is copy paste can only be done once then you need to copy again o_O Weird. Other thing was the middle mouse button click and scroll...non-existent :(

I like the search and the new tab (saves old pages quick links) and its nice and tidy :)

I like :D
 
What has their "home page" got to do with it? Google sells advertsising. Their "home page" is but one entry point into their system that is nothing more than a meshed advertising platform.

Just because they don't have advertising on their homepage doesn't mean they don't advertise on their other pages and products. In fact, Google does advertise on their homepage - or what would you call all the links to their other products?

I honestly don't get the point you're trying to make.

What I think Garyvdh is trying to say is that Google have an extremly clever marketing strategy because if you look at most other websites that are ad supported (MyADSL included), they generally punt advertising on their home page because that is the page that gets the most attention. If you look at google, however, you notice that it is completely clean, there is not a single third party advert.
If they were to place adverts on their home page, they could literally make millions due to the massive amounts of people that visit google on a daily basis, however they do not and will not do this for various reasons. The main reason is to keep the customer happy by having a clean, fast loading home page.

Any company who can make so much money from advertising (and have such an effective advertising system) while at the same time giving up the potential for millions of additional revenue obviously has an amazing marketing strategy :)
 
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I've heard the "I'm feeling lucky" button costs them around $15mil per year in lost revenue, so they could really make a lot by having some ads on their homepage...which means they must have a really good reason to keep it clean
 
Have anyone bothered reading the EULA?

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.

In other words, they own everything you publish online.
 
I tried it earlier, very nice! And fast!
Just missing my add-ons...
And anyone notice how dodgey the EULA is?
 
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