I found this fascinating quote today while I was cruising around trying to break the new Google Chrome browser. Here’s what another blogger had to say:
My blogs all look great in it. This was a real worry and the last thing I wanted was to start modifying the themes to work with this browser.
It was a breeze to set up, no problems at all and seamlessly imported all my passwords and bookmarks.
It is bloody fast, it’s like the computer has been turbocharged as so far all the pages load a lot quicker than FireFox or Internet Explorer.
Memory usage seems heaps better and it also allocates the memory diferently. FireFox used to increase the memory usage every time a new tab is opened whereas Google Chrome simply opens another process allowing it to manage each tab individually.
Simple, no bells and whistles although I reckon there will be some users who will see this as a fault. I have no doubt that addons will become availabe that will provide the bling effect for these users.
via WassupBlog, Sept 2008
I couldn’t agree more! I thought Firefox was the do all and be all when it left Internet Explorer in the dust speed wise. Hah, Firefox, I love you, really I do, but I think I’ve found a new browser. Google, I think you’ve done it again!
Life Coaches, Portland, OR
Wow, I can’t believe that someone has actually picked up my post and used it as an example for their post. This is what blogging is all about and you have shown a trait that all bloggers should follow.
What I mean is that rather than pinching ideas and making them your own, it is a whole lot better to take that idea use it as part of your own post and add to it, meanwhile linking to the original article. In this way we will develop a true interactive blogging community.
Well, of course, you need to give credit where credit is due. I’ve been writing since I was 12 (and that’s absolutely forever ago!) and the one thing I was always taught is that you can quote anything you want, but you have to give credit. Your comments about Chrome were an absolutely an echo of my own and you said them so beautifully, I couldn’t improve upon them, but I could build upon them.
I thought the whole idea was to link back to your article (I would have anyway, but I’m trying to learn good interaction skills.) Thanks for your comments.
You did beautifully so you will get no argument from me, only appreciation *blush*
Damn! When is the big G going to release the Mac version? A nice gesture of you to link to other blog and that’s how social friendship is made..
Nice to know, Deborah. Keep up the good work and all the best.
Cheers
Yan
DeBorah,
I am not up to speed on Google Chrome yet, so I can’t comment on that. (Wouldn’t know what to say.) On tech issues, Bob’s the king around here. Me? I’m the “queen of content.” : )
I wanted to let you know, though, that your new blog design has a clean, professional feel. And I like the muted colors. Overall, it’s much easier to read. Good job.
Judy
Chrome may not be all that it is cracked up to be…
Part of the reason why Google Chrome seems faster than Firefox is because it uses Google Accelerator (which can also be used with Firefox). The other part is being credited to it’s Javascript engine (V8) but you might like to take a look at real benchmark results and see if it really is faster than Mozilla’s TraceMonkey engine. (FF3.1b1pre’s TraceMonkey is actually about 20% faster than Chrome’s V8, and TraceMonkey is not even finished yet!)
As far as using less memory than Firefox, add up the memory used by all those processes that Chrome is spawning and you may be surprised at how much total memory Chrome is really using. Also keep in mind that Firefox add-ons use memory and the more you have the more memory Firefox will use. Chrome has less features and no add-ons, so it may use less memory by default, till someone starts making add-ons for it. Uninstall all your Firefox add-ons and your Firefox could be a lot lighter than Chrome (and just as feature lacking).
Also, the biggest issue with Firefox and memory use is related to something not in Mozilla’s control…Adobe’s Netscape Flash plugin and how it handles memory, especially in the case of video players, like the ones found on YouTube. It’s a known memory leak that gets worse with the more videos you play. This is the cause of most complaints people have with Firefox and memory usage. It’s not the videos themselves, it’s the flash player that loads and plays them. It doesn’t release the memory when you close the page…it only releases when you close the browser.
Another thing to consider With Chrome is the Google Updater that will secretly check for updates and download them whether you like it or not. There is no option to turn this feature off and it will not ask you for permission to check or download. Something to really think about if you use a mobile connection with transfer limits. Just the checking for updates alone, could become quite expensive for some people. Also, uninstalling Chrome doesn’t remove the updater or turn it off, so it may keep checking for updates to software you don’t even have any more.
And then there is the fact it’s a WebKit browser which doesn’t do well with badly coded pages that other browsers have no trouble rendering properly. It’s a known issue with WebKit, and if Google tinkered around in it to “fix” it, it will create problems down the line for web designers having to support yet another browser, once all the quirks are discovered.
But what bothers me the most, is how the people that need a fast minimalistic browser, that can handle overscripted pages, and is actively developed & supported…the ones that need it the most, will never be able to use this browser. People running older versions of Windows (98/ME/2k) can not and will never be able to use Chrome. They are still stuck with having to use unsafe outdated browsers, unless they use K-Meleon (one of my personal favorites).
Say what you want about people with old computers running old versions of Windows (I have heard all the nasty remarks not based in real world realities), but the truth remains that there is no PC fairy giving out free computers to the poor, elderly, and handicapped that can’t afford anything better than their old hunk of junk, that can’t run anything newer and better than what old version of Windows they already have. And when you add up the numbers, that’s a lot of people, all over the world, that Google has overlooked, that they shouldn’t have. It’s nice to look towards the future, but it’s better if you also look at the present, as well. And at present, there are many millions of people that need a browser like Chrome, that can’t and will never be able to run it.
Well, I certainly reserve the right to be wrong…
At first blush, I was charmed and delighted, but trying to work with it, my opinion has shifted a bit. Chrome doesn’t want to run the helper programs the way I need it to (none of the javascripts seem to work right and I don’t have the inclination or the experience to go and fix it). I’m with you – not as good once you get ito it.
Thanks for stopping by.