What are your thoughts on Google Chrome?

Question

What are your thoughts on Google's new search engine, Google Chrome? What are your likes and dislikes? Do you think it is better than IE?

Answer 1

I love it, 9.5/10 at the moment.

Answering your last question, ANYTHING (Opera, Safari, Firefox, Chrome) is better than IE.

Rule One: It's fast. Faster than Firefox (seemingly, waiting on ZDnet to get out benchmarking), and both are WAY faster than IE.

Since it's from Google, I'm absolutely sure it's secure. The reason I docked it .5 points is because, well, it's a beta release. Giving 10/10 on a first beta? Come on.

I have 2 favorite features. I notice that, if a process is making, say, 100k usage, you can use the task manager (Page>Developer>Task Manager) and close that tab, decreasing your usage.

But one I truly and honestly love, you can create 'application shortcuts' (Page>Create Appl...) and they allow you to launch applications from your desktop. For example, say I use Gmail. I can create a shortcut to Gmail from my desktop, and double-click it to launch it. It works with multiple other apps, too.

Another thing I like in all browsers is simplicity. Like the Google homepage, which is simple, the UI isn't the prettiest thing on Earth, but it's simple and efficient. It takes some time to get to know your way around it, but hey, it took time to know your way around IE7, Safari 3.1, Firefox 3, and definitely Opera. What's different?

WebKit is a stable, fast rendering engine.

I love the omnibox. It's sweet not to have space taken up by the menu bar, address bar, search box, and tab bar. I prefer the omnibox, tab bar, and back+forward. Just the way I like it.

As it's the first day, everyone doesn't have an app for Chrome. Once it gets, say, 10% market share (Google could accomplish this by releasing certain 'must have' features for Chrome, and then maybe 3-6 months later for FF/IE users), I'm sure more people will write apps for Chrome. At the end, market share will be 1% Internet Explorer, 40% Firefox, 40% Chrome, 19% Safari - as it should be.

My only dislikes are the lack of plug-ins, but that should be remedied soon, as Google is taking feedback. It's also a bit confusing at first, but after a few minutes of looking you find what you're looking for.

I don't really care for a pretty browser, but Firefox is pretty and strong. Chrome is simple and strong. I prefer the latter, but the former will definitely be competing with Chrome for competition for a year.

Answer 2

I love it.  Normally IE crashes regularly and slows Vista tremendously.  I have not had these issues yet with Google Chrome.

Answer 3

the browser works fast except that when you go to lively.com a google site its not supported... any answers???

Answer 4

So far, I think Chrome is great, but it's still an early cut down version of what it's going to be.

The main advantages of Chrome are things that aren't immediately obvious to the user - the improved security provided by having content  "sandboxed" in tabs, the way that one tab crashing won't affect the others, and the way that it is designed with online applications in mind - really pushing forward the next stage of the internet.

As for user functions, I really like the cut-down menus. It's great to have my screen taken up by webpages, not my browser. The omnibox is also a big improvement on the two box system. The UI is clean, easy, and very well designed.

As for things I dislike, so far it's things that it's missing, but that will probably make it into later versions, or into browsers based on Chrome's source code. These are:

- The lack of an advert-blocker

- The lack of 3rd party extensions that would let me add an advert-blocer

- My seeming inability to add a "share on facebook" button to the browser

... and I'm sure I'll come up with other minor nags later.

Answer 5

I think it's better than firefox,I have seen many website will like to use the chrome

Answer 6

Its aweome.

I love how if ur page crashes the whole broswer doesnt crash just THAT tab does.

Its also nice looking without all the c**p that is not necessary.

Not to mention the blazing speed.

Answer 7

I don't use Microsoft. I use Opera and Firefox - I choose my own fonts, so I like the way they look.

Chrome sets you up with BIG FRIENDLY fonts, no choice.

It also seems to make pages narrower and longer - I prefer to read more across my widescreen. I'll stick with Opera and Firefox.

Better than IE???? Who uses IE? I didn't use IE for 8 months now, no more virus scanning for me, no more Microsoft on my computer.

Chrome doesn't seem fast to me, I'm using Firefox and Opera on Linux already - tat's fast.

I can recode a video about 1/4 of the time it takes windows Vista - why do I need to be impressed by speed?

Brian is a strange character, sporting a linux penguin but obviously not using linux - actually IE isn't much slower than other browsers, and as long as you're on Windows, you'll always have the same kind of security issues.  I vote for Opera and Firefox.

Answer 8

I just downloaded it 10 minutes ago--and I can assure you that I noticed its noticabely faster then my Fire Fox 3 browser. Sources from Wikipeida also claim it as well--possibly even surpassing Safari Browser's speed.

As for IE.. I really hate that browser. Its by far one of the slowest browsers currently and it crashes often from my experience for using it for more than 10 years. When Fire Fox came out, I really felt like I was saved.

Fire Fox will still be my main, but Google Chrome is really starting to grow on me already.

Chrome is only in its beta stages and looks pretty simplistic right now--since it just came out. While it is simplistic though, its still quite efficient. I really like how Google Chrome's tab layout. Its much easier to move around the tabs as well. Not to mention--if you have FireFox already--it will give you a notice that it will save all your book marks from FF as well as any saved passwords.

So.. So far, I think its pretty cool! . I can't wait for 3rd party devs to make applications for it though!  

Answer 9

Chrome is simply a browser-killer, i don't think it will knock IE, or Firefox out of the water very quickly as most people are familiar with those 2. Chrome in my opinion, is faster, simpler, and looks better because of its simple design. It also integrates alot of decent features (incognito mode, stretchable text box, etc.) and has integrated a lot of other browser's features to make an awesome browser.

Answer 10

It is a browser, Google.com is a search engine.

Internet Explorer has been pretty sketchy for me lately. It won't load about half the players (windows media player videos on a webpage or most music players) and I have had other issues too. And I switched over to Firefox, but that has been loading pages pretty slowly for me a lot of the time.

So far I like it, but I really haven't used it long enough to have fully tested it. There could easily be a bunch of downsides to it.

Answer 11

New browser is awesome!! Faster than firefox and DEFINITELY IE. Everything is better than IE.

Well, this browser is crazy fast. Loads up faster than firefox and takes up less memory to run. The only thing i dont like about it is that it doesn't have changable skins yet. but its still in beta.

Answer 12

Your last quesiton first... ANYTHING, is better than IE.

Chrome is FAST, I like it, not sure it's "better" than Firefox over-all, but it's faster.  Both are WAY faster than internet exploder.

Until someone writes a plugin to equal AdBlock Plus that is available for Firefox, it will NOT be my default browser.  For that matter, NO browser, for ANY reason would displace Firefox as my favorite browser without AdBlock Plus, or it's equal available for it.  Until today when I installed Chrome, I had forgotten just how pathetic the ads, especially flash-based c**p is.

I can't say I have any dislikes, except lack of plugins, but I'm guessing that will be remedied in a few days.

Answer 13

I love the new browser and I think it's going to kill IE. It's just a better browser all together - and super fast. My favorite things about it is that it runs Javascript code much faster and that makes Google docs so much better!

Answer 14

It is the S.H.it!

Answer 15

From Reddit comments:

"Anyone bother reading the EULA? Congratulations to our commenters commenting using Chrome. While you still own your comment, google owns the right to use it.

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."

Answer 16

I totally agree with Brian F.

He just posted my thoughts :)