So, I managed to snag Google Chrome 8 minutes before noon PDT (the official release time). The link was live, and I downloaded it in a flash. Currently, people are reporting that the server is under extreme load and they are not able to download it.
Initial thoughts:
– The installation imported my bookmarks automatically without my permission. It only notified me. I’m disappointed with that. If it was a confirmation, it didn’t follow the usability standards.
– The browser opened up quick, unlike most others which take time.
– The rendering of pages was quick, but the fonts on many pages were not smooth – they had jagged edges and were a strain to read. I checked sites like cnn.com, cnbc.com and even Google’s search engine. I’m using Windows XP SP3, on a Dell Latitude D820 with a resolution of 1280×800
– It was a bit difficult to find the task manager built-in to the browser.
– The Acid 2 test passed. The Acid 3 test failed, with a score of 61/100.
– Incognito browsing is a cool feature, similar to InPrivate browser of IE8
– I opened 100 tabs of the default page and it opened quick, and used only 75 MB of memory, and barely any noticeable CPU usage.
– DNS Prefetching to load pages faster is a nice option, but you might want to disable it if you have privacy concerns. Anything to do with prefetch has to be disconcerting for privacy advocates.
– The security information (when clicking on the yellow lock icon (indicating SSL) ) is user-friendly and easy to understand.
– If a popup is blocked, a nice notification is shown.
– Some of the plugins are not available for this browser, but that is understandable.
Overall, all the features have been borrowed from different places (as indicated in their comic strip), barring the built-in task manager, which I haven’t seen in any browser, current or BETA.
In my opinion, this was a premature release (probably to save themselves from the early comic book leak). However, this is definitely a Firefox killer. As a web developer, I hope this does kill Mozilla Firefox, otherwise it would one more to support, which is getting annoying with the growing popularity of Apple’s Safari to deal with as well. Internet Explorer 8 needs special handling from IE7, which in turn needed special handling from IE6.
I certainly agree with you about the multiple browser support requirements. And don’t talk to me about Opera!
It opens A LOT faster than Firefox. And I love Firefox.
Oh, for privacy, it’s got the incognito window:
Google chrome is definitely faster than IE and I like the overall look. As the guys above mentioned, the Fonts does not look clear at all.
Also, I do not agree that Chrome is more stable than IE. Chrome also keep crashing just like IE.
See some Google chrome reviews here which shows screenshots of the crash reports
Google Chrome has 2 very very important security holes. Which can let some bad webmasters upload exe files to your computers without your prompt !! Go ahead and continue loving Google Chrome. When your computer suddenly shuts down and when you realize all your data is gone dont blame anybody but Google Chrome..
go and read http://www.computersake.com/2008/09/google-chrome-security-hole/ and be aware of that kind of security issues !!!
I’m pretty much your average computer guy. I use my computer for home and home office stuff. But I do like to discover new and interesting browsers, plugins, websites,etc. I like Firefox. It’s taken me a while to get used to it and love it. My question is: can’t Firefox and Google Chrome exist together just as Firefox and Google do now? Or must I give up Firefox for Google Chrome?
One more thing. Google Chrome downloaded bookmarks from my secondary browser—Internet Explorer—and not my primary Firefox. That sucked.
Google chrome has excellent features like fast page loading and more secure and it is more stable than other browsers.