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Google Chrome released - first impressions

2 September 2008 17:47 by Jari Ketola | 51 comments

Google Chrome released - first impressions The eagerly awaited Google Chrome web browser has been released, and is now available for download. The browser includes a lot of promising features - features that have clearly been thought through rather thoroughly.

One of the most prominent new features is the new "new tab" page. Normally when you open a new tab you are presented with either your home page or an empty page. By default Google Chrome presents you with thumbnail screen shots of your most visited pages and a box for searching through your page history. The browser adjusts to the way you use it - not vice versa. Unlike regular page history that is able to search through page names and URLs, Chrome's history search looks for matches in the actual contents of the pages as well.

There's a lot of cool features under the hood, too. Each tab runs in its own process, so one malfunctioning page, at worst, crashes the tab it is running in - not the whole browser. In whole the browser is designed to meet the needs of modern day web users and web pages.

Based on brief, one hour testing, Google Chrome shows a lot of promise, but still has plenty of bumps to iron out before being really able to compete with Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera.

Download Google Chrome now and let us know what your first impressions are!


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    Discuss this article!  There are more user comments available, read them here
    magnets (Newbie) 3 September 2008 17:41 Send private message to this user   
    Hey, sorry this is a bit off topic but...

    I'm using FF3 and it's fine but for some reason i can't seem to find any of the search add ons that were in FF2, i know you have the keyword searches in the address bar, but i quite like leaving the search box set to Google australia (from Australia), anyone know where they've gone?
    JRude (Junior Member) 3 September 2008 18:50 Send private message to this user   
    Ha ha haaa! NAS is gonna LOVE this. Makes their job easier. Just subpeona the info...or better yet, just hook in and give 'em Retro immunity from prosecution or civil liabilty! *poop*
    JRude (Junior Member) 3 September 2008 19:05 Send private message to this user   
    NSA! Just the thought destroyed my meager typing abilities! lol!
    snowlock (Junior Member) 3 September 2008 19:22 Send private message to this user   
    some people might argue with me when i avoid google anything,
    but those people are not ones to post on this particular site!

    i'll leave the chrome alone and continue with firefox.
    i get better and better at customizing it to meet the needs of me and my system all the time.
    it also comes out of the gate working better than most any browser, at least for me.


    Originally posted by magnets:
    Hey, sorry this is a bit off topic but...

    I'm using FF3 and it's fine but for some reason i can't seem to find any of the search add ons that were in FF2, i know you have the keyword searches in the address bar, but i quite like leaving the search box set to Google australia (from Australia), anyone know where they've gone?

    i'm sorry too
    heh




    http://mycroft.mozdev.org/search-engines...oogle+australia
    that's the list i got when i searched for...google australia searches.
    =)

    do what i do; add mozilla's mycroft project site to your search bar.
    then you just choose it and type in a site's name to find search plugins.

    http://mycroft.mozdev.org/search-engines...roft.mozdev.org
    those are the plugins for mycroft project.
    wolfcraft (Inactive) 4 September 2008 4:58 Send private message to this user   
    Anyone surprised google feels these ways regarding your privacy?

    Did not google turn over "a large indeterminable number" of cached IP addresses to Viacom concerning Youtube's copyright infringement?

    People need to wake up and have some coffee, privacy and rights are a fable in todays age.

    I beg you to spend an hour and 38 minutes watching "Privacy is Dead" from HOPE #6.

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-383709537384528624

    If one does something,it's seen by many.
    H_Seldon (Newbie) 4 September 2008 13:32 Send private message to this user   
    Right wolfcraft - watched it and even went to some of the other sites mentioned like http://www.pimall.com/nais/missingm.html.

    What kind of world do we want to live in - a world where everyone can read about what you did when wrong when you were young and what your wife lyingly accused you of in divorce court? or a world where you have specific privacy rights?

    It's up to all of us to demand laws that restrict the distribution of your private information (including testimony in Divorce Court), merely for the entertainment of the masses. with serious punishments for anyone who breaches these laws.
    I don't suppose many of those who can't get enough of "Reality" tv shows will be in a rush to support my suggestion, but the rest of us can demand that personal information (including criminal records) will be only available on a need-to-know basis or with our express persmission.

    Don't elect politicians unless they really mean it when they say they're gonna protect your privacy.
    Otherwise, the loons will have CCTV cameras pointing at your house to make sure you're not smoking.
    ThePastor (Junior Member) 4 September 2008 14:40 Send private message to this user   
    What makes you think you are even remotely private or secure using FF or IE?
    I'm not a fan of Google controlling everything either, but I think it is much wiser to worry about protecting myself with my own tools than to hope my government protects me.
    Eventually Chrome will have tools built for it which will protect your privacy to some extant and then it will be just like FF or IE.
    Google is not the enemy.

    That being said, they need to be watched.... carefully.
    G_Hubcap (Newbie) 4 September 2008 15:19 Send private message to this user   
    I'm digging all the opinions of the 'Varsity' Afterdawn users, I do have 1 question. What site do you perform all your searches from, more than likely Google, right? If not what do you recommend for privacy purposes...
    13thHouR (Inactive) 4 September 2008 16:44 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by G_Hubcap:
    I'm digging all the opinions of the 'Varsity' Afterdawn users, I do have 1 question. What site do you perform all your searches from, more than likely Google, right? If not what do you recommend for privacy purposes...
    try asking!


    Quote:

    http://www.irconnect.com/ask/pages/news_releases.html?d=123324

    Ask.com to Give People Unmatched Privacy Control

    With AskEraser, people can ensure that their search history will not be retained by Ask.com. Searchers will have easy access to AskEraser and can change their privacy preference at any time. Once selected, searchers' privacy settings will be clearly indicated on search results pages so they always know the privacy status of their searches.
    Quote:

    http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/unlike-google-a.html

    Unlike Google, Ask.com To Offer Real Privacy Controls

    Ask.com has announced it will release a new privacy tool, AskEraser, which will allow users to stop Ask from storing any information at all about user searches. With Google under fire for its meaningless cookie policy change, Ask has stepped forward to give searchers a reason to move away from the Googlopoly.



    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 4 September 2008 16:50

    G_Hubcap (Newbie) 4 September 2008 16:52 Send private message to this user   
    Quote:

    try asking!

    Thanks mon,
    Good information!
    gallagher (Member) 4 September 2008 18:02 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by ThePastor:
    What makes you think you are even remotely private or secure using FF or IE?
    I'm not a fan of Google controlling everything either, but I think it is much wiser to worry about protecting myself with my own tools than to hope my government protects me.
    Eventually Chrome will have tools built for it which will protect your privacy to some extant and then it will be just like FF or IE.
    Google is not the enemy.

    That being said, they need to be watched.... carefully.
    Google specifically tells you in your agreement that anything you do is theirs. They don't even try to hide it.
    Quote:
    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.
    That is just a small section of it. "You write it, we own it."
    H_Seldon (Newbie) 4 September 2008 19:11 Send private message to this user   
    Originally posted by G_Hubcap:
    I'm digging all the opinions of the 'Varsity' Afterdawn users, I do have 1 question. What site do you perform all your searches from, more than likely Google, right? If not what do you recommend for privacy purposes...
    Anyone who is interested in browser security should read this page -
    http://ixquick.com/eng/protect_privacy.html

    Get it - http://ixquick.com/


    IPRFenix (Newbie) 4 September 2008 19:12 Send private message to this user   
    Uh. Just a heads up for anyone who reads this far down the page but..
    Quote:
    Google's Rebecca Ward, Senior Product Counsel for Google Chrome, now tells Ars Technica that the company tries to reuse these licenses as much as possible, "in order to keep things simple for our users." Ward admits that sometimes "this means that the legal terms for a specific product may include terms that don't apply well to the use of that product" and says that Google is "working quickly to remove language from Section 11 of the current Google Chrome terms of service. This change will apply retroactively to all users who have downloaded Google Chrome."
    Apparently they merely copied their Eula from one of their existing services with the intent to "fix" it later. Arstechnica even said..

    Quote:
    Here at Ars, our first thought on reading the EULA was that it looks a whole lot like the EULAs Google uses for other services, with the "content license" provision being an obvious example of this. In fact, that's basically what it was.
    Not that they could have really enforced that entry in the Eula anyway..

    Quote:
    It's worth noting that the EULA is largely unenforceable because the source code of Chrome is distributed under an open license. Users could simply download the source code, compile it themselves, and use it without having to agree to Google's EULA. The terms of the BSD license under which the source code is distributed are highly permissive and impose virtually no conditions or requirements on end users.
    The links.
    http://tapthehive.com/discuss/This_Post_...le_s_EULA_Sucks
    http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/200...-change-it.html

    The Eula was updated, as shown in the tapthehive link, and shows that the entry was completely removed.
    H_Seldon (Newbie) 4 September 2008 23:47 Send private message to this user   
    Many still don't know that Mozilla feels user security is very important (just check out their browser Firefox and their email client Thunderbird).
    On the other hand, Google feels their group's needs trump their users needs (sound familiar?), and has a record of blatant disregard for their users' security that even surpasses the horrors of AOL.

    It wouldn't hurt to mention, and it shouldn't be surprising, that this company that cares little about your security, uses the profit you give them, to finance political activities that have nothing to do with computing and that the majority of us are opposed to.

    Keeping it strictly about loony people who don't care about your privacy, I'll remind you of this great page of information and add two others that I found to be excellent.
    In the meantime, I'll stay away from anything with the word 'Google' in it, and go with those who do care about my privacy and yours.

    Anyone who is interested in browser security should read this page -

    http://ixquick.com/eng/protect_privacy.html

    On Google privacy -
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/200...chnologysection

    On whether or not you should stop using Google -
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/200...ysection.google
    lcfc97 (Newbie) 5 September 2008 6:36 Send private message to this user   
    Meh, not impressed, maybe it's TOO minimal, i've been seriously impressed by the Flock browser, now THAT's worth a look
    borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 6 September 2008 7:14 Send private message to this user   
    I feel that this has promise however i feel that it is too early for any big statments being made. I heard a rumor if Google is successful with their browser then they will bring out a Operating System. now that is something i want to see.
    Tomcito (Newbie) 7 September 2008 16:57 Send private message to this user   
    I've been using FF before version 1.4 was released. Since then, I've never browse the web in "raw" mode.

    I've installed Chrome and the browsing was fast and stable. I am impressed.
    But having to watch again all the stuff I've deleted with Adblock and Flashblock was an important drawback.
    I'll wait until somebody develops some kind of adblock and flashblock and then I will try it again.
    This browser will compete with FF, IE explorer users are too dumb to give it a try
    JRude (Junior Member) 7 September 2008 19:32 Send private message to this user   
    WHAT makes anyone think Google will allow add-ons that block ANY ads...that's their business! lol!
    I reverted to FF2 when I discovered FF3 did not allow Flashblock to operate. Hopefully it will, if it already hasn't. I'm TIRED of ads taking all my CPU with crap ads I never look at..there IS such a thing as bad publicity! Does anyone REALLY click on ads at a site??
    skysailor (Newbie) 7 September 2008 19:44 Send private message to this user   
    I use Opera for browser and Thunderbird for email. Tried Chrome and while it is interesting and fun to use I missed the form filler feature and it had some issues displaying my home pages correctly. So will wait for them to enhance it and work out more of the bugs before trying again. BTW when I have problems with a web site using Opera I submit a bug report and then turn to Firefox. Eventually Opera fixes the problem.

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7 September 2008 19:45

    Nosredneh (Junior Member) 7 September 2008 20:16 Send private message to this user   
    The very features you mentioned are the ones I often try to avoid in a browser. I just don't like them. The only redeeming feature would be non-crash but after all, I have little problems with Firefox and a crash is not always that bad.
    Jemborg (Junior Member) 8 September 2008 4:01 Send private message to this user   
    Just as a side note, and I have become quite suspicious of Google lately, they are responsible for major financing of Firefox. They are in fact across the street from one another and often share their cafeterias. This is something one of their executives mentioned in a news report on their potential competition/rivalry.

    I personally believe they are after Microsoft- I mean that's where the money is. Their own browser is a way of rebranding with their own name rather than pushing FF. An operating system of their own would be a long way off imo. Because Linux is, in theory, a fine alternative anyway and it's not widely accepted in the home, so their branding would be paramount in this. Perhaps they'll take MS to court.

    My suspicions of Google revolve around their (and others) collusion with the Chinese goverment and their excuses for doing so.
    Nicklt (Member) 8 September 2008 4:12 Send private message to this user   
    I dont know if this has been said as i haven't read all the comments, but the thumbnail thing when opening new tabs in google chrome is already an add-on for firefox that does the exact same thing, i have it on my firefox at home, so nothing new.
    Bsincere (Newbie) 8 September 2008 12:07 Send private message to this user   
    I am an ask.com lady myself. this site is so informative. I never really used google and haven't heard of firefox, but from the discussions on this page I don't want to use either of them thanks for the info.
    Jemborg (Junior Member) 8 September 2008 21:07 Send private message to this user   
    Bsincere, Firefox 2+ is imo a fantastic browser- with its selection of addons, arguably the best- and the Google search engine is very very good. No problems using those.

    And AfterDawn is, of course, an excellent site. :D

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8 September 2008 21:08

    plazma247 (Newbie) 9 September 2008 21:57 Send private message to this user   
    Chrome is nice its fast, ok you have to make sure you have the relivant plugins installed in IE to make them work in chrome, but whooow im impressed.

    Installed IE8 on the same day, not so impressed.
    lawbuntz (Newbie) 15 September 2008 23:41 Send private message to this user   
    whoever wrote this article seemed genuinely impressed by the "thumbnail" bookmarks that opera has had for years...haha
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