Google Chrome Review

Google Chrome

Well it appears Google as taken another set closer to World Domination! Yesterday Google release a beta internet browser named Chrome. Not only was this an unexpected move on Google’s part, but it was huge secret that has been in the works for over 2 years!

It appears that the secret was let out of the bag when a blog post appeared on the www.blogoscoped.com with a detailed comic strip talking about the new product. The comic (which is genius way to release information) details why we should want a new browser that is not built on the technology needs of a decade ago. Since the internet has change so much over the past ten years, there is a real need to start from scratch and built a browser based on today’s internet.

 

Chrome appears to have most of the functionality that you would expect out of a browser like Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox 3.0. Since it is built on the webkit architecture (what the Safari browse is built on) it visually renders page a little different than you are use to if you are using IE7, but most people will not be able to tell the difference. One big standout is the clean look of the interface. Google has striped the browser down to its basic elements, but still managed to keep the browser very functional.

 

When you first open up Chrome you will see that the tabs have been place at the top of the browser and the address bar, which Google calls “omnibar”, is below the tabs. In reading through comments made on other reviews of Chrome, this feature is supposed to make it quicker to browse multiple tabs. By having the tab at the very top you can make a fast motions with the mouse upward and not have to worry about over running you’re the tab you want. You can also right click on the tab and drag it out into its own separate window or drag an open window into a tab.

One of the cool feature that have been built “under the hood” in to Chrome is that unlike other popular browsers, each tab you open in Chrome gets it own system process and dedicated memory. This as explained by Google,

“In a traditional browser you only have one process that you keep loading web pages into. When you have too many tabs open, you can close some to free up memory. When you bring another Tab, you use the memory that was previously used. But as time goes on fragmentation results. Little bits of memory still get used even when a tab gets closed.”

Basically this can, overtime, allocate more and more memory to something that does not exist. In doing so, this causes the operating system to expand the browsers footprint making it more bloated and slower. Each tab having its own system process and dedicated memory eliminates the fragmentation. Every time a tab is closed the process and the memory are removed with it. This architecture also helps limit total browser crashes. Chrome has its own Task Manager (I am sure that Microsoft will have some legal concerns with Google using that name) for viewing processes and memory. If one process gets “hung-up” on something, you use the Task Manager to eliminate that specific tab without affecting the entire browser.

The main thing you will notice when using Chrome is how much faster it is than your old browser.

 

With all that said Chrome is not ready just yet for you to throw out your old browser. It is still a “BETA” version and does have a lot of flaws. Below are just a few that people are complaining about.

• In a Google spreadsheet, left clicking on the left to insert a row does not work

• Don’t support toolbars such as Alexa and StumbleUpon.

• Doesn’t seem to be able to access brrr.at shorted URLs

• Incapable of accessing the administrative backend of the alternative blogging software Serendipity.

• Google Earth plug-in doesn’t work with it.

• Google Bookmarks don’t work with it.

• When viewing some pictures on Facebook, the gallery seemed to behave in an irregular manner

• The lack of a Google Notebook add-on severely hampers the value of that app

• Web browser is vulnerable to a carpet-bombing vulnerability that could expose Windows users to malicious hacker attacks.

• There is no Ad-Block feature

For a first time release Google has definitely scored points with the tech community, but they still have a long way to go if they want to make a dent in the market.