Google Announces Chrome Web Browser (http://www.macobserver.com/article/2008/09/02.1.shtml)
Quote
The introduction of Google's Web browser could spell even more trouble for Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The Microsoft Web browser has been losing market share to Firefox and Safari for well over a year, and Google Chrome could eat into Internet Explorer's eroding dominance even more.
Google's plan was to design a new Web browser from the ground up based on technologies on WebKit, just like Apple's Safari Web browser, and Mozilla's Firefox. The result is a browser that Google claims offers a more streamlined user experience for people that spend most of their working time in a Web browser.
Google Chrome will also sport performance enhancements compared to other browsers, including sandboxing for individual browser tabs so that if one tab crashes the rest of the tabs and the Web browser will continue to run. The browser will also include what Google called a "more powerful" JavaScript engine, V8.
Hmmm another one eh...
I say go for it, the more standards compliant browsers out their the harder it should be for the Microsoft team to build crap into IE and get away with it. Also someone has to push the Mozilla team to improve Firefox, it is far from perfect.
The google browser uses Webkit as its render engine so it should have the same site compatibility as Safari on Mac platforms, which is good. If your site works in gecko/Firefox it should work under Webkit browsers as well anyway.
I'm just happy to see a few of the annoying quirks of tabbed browsing being addressed (although I also enjoy the FF "restore last session" option -- when restarting after MS Windoze freezes up on occasion, only the *non*-MS browser offers me that! :wall:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10030255-93.html
Quote
Officially, Microsoft welcomes the competition. "The browser landscape is highly competitive, but people will choose Internet Explorer 8 for the way it puts the services they want right at their fingertips, respects their personal choices about how they want to browse and, more than any other browsing technology, puts them in control of their personal data online," Dean Hachamovitch, Internet Explorer general manager, said in a statement.
Vast numbers of people haven't upgraded from IE 6, which is ancient in Internet years. That cuts both ways for Microsoft: it's hard to get people to upgrade to IE 7 much less to IE 8, but those folks aren't moving to the competition either.
Of course, with Google's Web application agenda, the bigger long-term threat is to Microsoft's Office team, not to its IE team.
I lol'd.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10030522-2.html
"fine print" -- nothing too surprising, or maybe it could be interpreted as less-than-dontbeevil ... you decide :)
I'm using it right now, so far so good. It's very stripped down, no junk or clutter.
I like it a lot better than Firefox 3 which tried to cram unwanted "features" down my throat.
Spartan is how a browser should be, because I'm less interested in the browser itself and more interested in the content I can view through it.
A security researcher managed to find a security hole in Chrome already:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1843&loomia_si=t0:a3:g4:r2:c0 (http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1843&loomia_si=t0:a3:g4:r2:c0)
Basically, Chrome is based on an old version of WebKit that has a vulnerability in it, and that gets combined with a Java bug to make a "carpet-bombing" attack. There's a proof-of-concept here: http://raffon.net/research/google/chrome/carpet.html (http://raffon.net/research/google/chrome/carpet.html). Of course, you need to visit the proof-of-concept using Chrome to see it in action.
Hopefully Google can stay ahead of the bug curve...
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 02, 2008, 08:56:42 PM
I like it a lot better than Firefox 3 which tried to cram unwanted "features" down my throat.
What unwanted features? It basically has all of the recent features ADDED in Firefox 3 and Opera.
- Awesome bar equivalent
- Favorite tagging
- Opera's Dial pad or what ever it is called
And it is missing a plug-in engine for customizing the browser. Digg and Slashdot are CRAMED with ads, I want my adblock.
Quote from: Lazybones on September 03, 2008, 09:46:36 AM
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 02, 2008, 08:56:42 PM
I like it a lot better than Firefox 3 which tried to cram unwanted "features" down my throat.
What unwanted features? It basically has all of the recent features ADDED in Firefox 3 and Opera.
- Awesome bar equivalent
- Favorite tagging
- Opera's Dial pad or what ever it is called
And it is missing a plug-in engine for customizing the browser. Digg and Slashdot are CRAMED with ads, I want my adblock.
Right off the bat, there is no big ugly FAIL Bar, even when I have my bookmarks imported, just nice slim and easy to use location bar (as it should be).
Favourite tagging is something I never played with in FF3 so I couldn't care less.
Zooming doesn't scale all content by default (just text) and the scaling is smart (when I scroll fast it gets real big real fast).
Best of all full screen mode is actually full screen with no browser widgets (gasp).
Finally the text and background colour scheme for GoogleB is nice and high contrast, unlike FF3.
Other stuff just worked, the version of Flash I like was just there already, spell checking was on and correct for my region (Canada / UK).
Now, if there is good plug-in support for crap like AdBlock, SU and ChatZilla I'm all set.
"Five reasons Chrome will take over the world"
http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-219392.html
Quote
Google is taking the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach with Chrome, shamelessly borrowing features from its would-be competitors.
These include the open source approach of Firefox; Opera's speed dial function, where a homepage presents thumbnails of your most visited sites; an "incognito" window for private browsing where nothing is recorded, similar to Safari and the forthcoming IE8; and an address bar with auto-completion features.
Opera's Odland said: "It is very much a market where everybody knows what everybody else is doing and you can expect Google to take innovations such as the speed dial homepage and tabs on top from Opera and vice versa."
Not convinced by Chrome? Read five reasons why it may crash and burn here...
"Five reasons Chrome may (will?) crash and burn"
http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-219394.html
Another review/critical analysis...
http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/35865-Google-chrome-reviews.aspx
Quote
General review comments
1. The font does not look very sharp and clear.
2. Chrome is much faster than IE and firefox.
3. Chrome works perfectly even with 30 tabs open.
4. It takes much less memory and processor share compared to IE and Firefox.
5. The default home page with tabbed thumbnail images of frequently visited sites are pretty cool, even though it raises some privacy concerns.
6. During installation, it automatically downloaded all bookmarks from other browsers, which raises some privacy concerns.
I will post a more detailed review of Google Chrome browser after I research little bit more.
...and so on...
Quote from: Darren Dirt on September 03, 2008, 10:13:14 AM
"Five reasons Chrome will take over the world"
http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-219392.html
Quote
Google is taking the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach with Chrome, shamelessly borrowing features from its would-be competitors.
These include the open source approach of Firefox; Opera's speed dial function, where a homepage presents thumbnails of your most visited sites; an "incognito" window for private browsing where nothing is recorded, similar to Safari and the forthcoming IE8; and an address bar with auto-completion features.
Opera's Odland said: "It is very much a market where everybody knows what everybody else is doing and you can expect Google to take innovations such as the speed dial homepage and tabs on top from Opera and vice versa."
Not convinced by Chrome? Read five reasons why it may crash and burn here...
"Five reasons Chrome may (will?) crash and burn"
http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-219394.html
Another review/critical analysis...
http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/35865-Google-chrome-reviews.aspx
Quote
General review comments
1. The font does not look very sharp and clear.
2. Chrome is much faster than IE and firefox.
3. Chrome works perfectly even with 30 tabs open.
4. It takes much less memory and processor share compared to IE and Firefox.
5. The default home page with tabbed thumbnail images of frequently visited sites are pretty cool, even though it raises some privacy concerns.
6. During installation, it automatically downloaded all bookmarks from other browsers, which raises some privacy concerns.
I will post a more detailed review of Google Chrome browser after I research little bit more.
...and so on...
See, this is what I'm talkin' bout
The Browser Wars are back on baby!
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 02, 2008, 08:56:42 PM
Spartan is how a browser should be, because I'm less interested in the browser itself and more interested in the content I can view through it.
Ironic, isn't it, that it appears minimalistic (and the speed and processor usage back up that presumption) yet some of the reviews mention it has lots of OS-like features built-in to reduce the need for Windoze and the like to do certain things (can't remember specifics) so somehow it has a smaller footprint doing more than it needs to do (!)
Quote from: Darren Dirt on September 03, 2008, 10:21:37 AM
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 02, 2008, 08:56:42 PM
Spartan is how a browser should be, because I'm less interested in the browser itself and more interested in the content I can view through it.
Ironic, isn't it, that it appears minimalistic (and the speed and processor usage back up that presumption) yet some of the reviews mention it has lots of OS-like features built-in to reduce the need for Windoze and the like to do certain things (can't remember specifics) so somehow it has a smaller footprint doing more than it needs to do (!)
I believe their design ethos was to make an "OS window" instead of a browser. This shift in thought doesn't seem like a big leap but it certainly falls in line with my way of thinking.
Edit: That is to say the browser as a service not an application.
The awsomebar omnibox seems to work almost exactly the same as firefox 3 the ONLY difference is that it doesn't put a page match in the input box and instead sticks to the root domain or subdomain.
The maximize bug on my dual monitors is a critical fail, it is a BASIC application function.
Also without at block I simply will not use it, the animated ads are so bad on several sites I visit regularly it makes me sick.
Well, given the browser has been out for a day or so the plug ins haven't yet rolled in, however there is a workaround that may interest you anyway (as it would block most stuff for all browsers):
http://chromespot.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=8cea1dc55b3874c5d6a62faa6dc4429f&topic=43.0
Using an external proxy would amount to bloat of running another application.
Quote from: Lazybones on September 03, 2008, 10:58:14 AM
Using an external proxy would amount to bloat of running another application.
Yes, as it is another application it would add bloat. But again, I think we'll see popular plug-ins like adBlock in about a weeks time or so for Chrome.
Actually, the more I think about it having a proxy filter outside a specific browser might not be a bad idea for most cases. Sometimes I'm forced to use IE (like with the Steam browser) where I haven't bothered to install a ad blocker that might come in handy. Sure it's another process running but then I wouldn't need any more plug-ins that call home for updates from time to time.
Quote from: Lazybones on September 03, 2008, 10:39:32 AM
The awsomebar omnibox seems to work almost exactly the same as firefox 3 the ONLY difference is that it doesn't put a page match in the input box and instead sticks to the root domain or subdomain.
The "awesomebar" in FF3 looked like a list of big boxes with all sorts of extra information in it, when I tried Chrome last night it was a list of single line entries with just the domain name and maybe a few subdirectories. This is a big difference in usability, Chrome did what I expected to see, FF3 did something I did not. From earlier posts I had a big time problem with this.
I can be a big curmudgeon when it comes to new software but Chrome is becoming the FF3 I wanted. All of the features and none of the "cruft" as my co-worker says.
Look, theres plenty of room for a variety of browsers to fill the market and Firefox 3 is the best browser choice out there now in terms of flexibility and features, but it failed the usability test
for me. Trying Chrome last night was remarkably natural and inviting so I'm a big fan of it.
Maybe I had different expectations this time, maybe I expected a lot more garbage in my face (or something?). Bottom line is, barring the plug-in support I think Chrome is a winner and certainly worth checking out it not geeking out about.
8)
As a side note of interest...
(according to "Clicky (http://getclicky.com/chrome)") Chrome seems to have gathered almost 3% of the Global browser share already, wow!
Onion-esque take on it... http://notnews.today.com/2008/09/02/everyone-except-microsoft-grits-teeth-welcomes-google-chrome-web-browser/
Oh, and thank you Jack Black, for using the word "AWESOME" so many times in Kung Fu Panda that it caught on all over the place (http://forums.righteouswrath.com/index.php/topic,6572.msg42253.html#msg42253) and now it is getting Quite Old, dammit.
But "Awesometown (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Awesometown+Andy+Samberg&search_type=&aq=f)", the failed pilot done by "The Lonely Island (http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=thelonelyisland)" (Andy Samberg* & Friends) still rocks.
*if you haven't watched their parody "The 'Bu", do yourself a favor and take the time to do so.
PS: "cruft" is a nice word, I think Douglas Adams would approve of its perfect applicabilityness.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cruft
I might have a look at it soon, but I'm wondering how often Google will update it. And I wonder if they'll take the Beta tag off within a reasonable amount of time.
Quote from: Thorin on September 03, 2008, 02:18:00 PM
I might have a look at it soon, but I'm wondering how often Google will update it. And I wonder if they'll take the Beta tag off within a reasonable amount of time.
Well there is one thing it does automatically that I don't like, it enables the Google update client by default, so much for "do no evil".
I think I'll give this browser a spin, see how it runs on my 900 EEE PC. That'll be a real tell for me because the screen is so small (is funny to me) and anything that does "proper" fullscreen browsing is a boon.
Quote from: Darren Dirt on September 03, 2008, 12:29:36 PMOh, and thank you Jack Black, for using the word "AWESOME" so many times in Kung Fu Panda that it caught on all over the place (http://forums.righteouswrath.com/index.php/topic,6572.msg42253.html#msg42253) and now it is getting Quite Old, dammit.
It is everywhere but you can blame my over-use of "awesome" on being a goon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somethingawful). It's used so often there the word has its' own
emote. And I'd be willing to bet you five bucks youve seen it before, somewhere already! :P
Seriously, the A-word is everywhere...
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/BJMoe/flair7.jpg)
But sometimes no other word fits (http://images.google.ca/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=awesome+show+great+job&btnG=Search+Images) ;)
Quote from: Tonnica on September 03, 2008, 03:09:27 PM
I think I'll give this browser a spin, see how it runs on my 900 EEE PC. That'll be a real tell for me because the screen is so small (is funny to me) and anything that does "proper" fullscreen browsing is a boon.
Quote from: Darren Dirt on September 03, 2008, 12:29:36 PMOh, and thank you Jack Black, for using the word "AWESOME" so many times in Kung Fu Panda that it caught on all over the place (http://forums.righteouswrath.com/index.php/topic,6572.msg42253.html#msg42253) and now it is getting Quite Old, dammit.
One of the new features is that each tab is sandboxed and memory is managed on a per tab basis. So, if something crashes in one tab you won't lose your whole browser session.
There is a memory manager as well that tells you what resources what tabs are using.
I haven't played with all the features yet but the debugger tools seem quite advanced (like someone built-in Firebug or something).
Quote from: Darren Dirt on September 03, 2008, 10:13:14 AM
...and so on...
Glitters or needs polish?
http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=210300348
Quote
Chrome has a gaping privacy hole, but it's not in the code, it's in the terms of service. Google reserves the right to reproduce, display, and distribute any content that you submit, post or display Chrome, as my colleague Art Wittmann notes. So if you e-mail proprietary company documents through Gmail using Chrome, or edit them using Google Docs and Chrome, Google has the right to hang onto those documents and do whatever it wants with them -- send them to your competitor, or post them to the public Web.
Quite an exaggerated interpretation (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2008/09/why_i_wont_be_using_google_chr.html) of the TOS, I hope... But on the surface it does appear "technically correct (http://images.google.ca/images?um=1&hl=en&q=How+Hermes+Requisitioned+His+Groove+Back&btnG=Search+Images)". :think:
PS: if you haven't seen the comic yet, check it out...
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/
- - - - - - -
update: whew? (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080903-google-on-chrome-eula-controversy-our-bad-well-change-it.html)
Quote
As noted by an attorney at Tap the Hive and various and sundry other sites, the Chrome EULA reads like a lot of Google's other EULAs. It requires users to "give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and nonexclusive 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."
"Services" seems like an odd way to describe a web browser, but the EULA makes clear that "Services" refers to "Google?s products, software, services and web sites." The EULA's indication that Google could republish anything even "displayed" in the browser sounded a tiny bit evil, even if Google might just be looking to stave off lawsuits...
Now, Google tells Ars that it's a mistake, the EULA will be corrected, and the correction will be retroactive.
Quote from: Darren Dirt on September 03, 2008, 04:15:27 PM
PS: if you haven't seen the comic yet, check it out...
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/
This to me is the biggest WOW factor...
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/images/14.jpg
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/images/15.jpg
Google has updated the terms of service
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10031703-56.html
"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."
HardOCP.com actually loads just as fast or faster for me in Firefox 3.. I think it is because all of the ads are blocked.
digg.com however is noticeably faster probably do to their HEAVY use of java on the site.
Ultimate test of speed: GOOGLE MAPS with Satellite + Labels ... over the eastern US seaboard (highest level, then mousewheel zoom in to almost the tightest level)
More Evil
EFF: We're concerned about Google's Omnibox
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10032047-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
Quote from: Lazybones on September 03, 2008, 05:32:17 PM
More Evil
EFF: We're concerned about Google's Omnibox
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10032047-56.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
re. the Omnibox:
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/images/20.jpg
Thank-you life-hacker
Enable Chromes Best Features in Firefox (well no V8 or process isolation)
http://lifehacker.com/5044518/enable-chromes-best-features-in-firefox
Just finished the Comic, and the final couple of pages couldn't resist a not-so-subtle jab...
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/images/37.jpg
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/images/38.jpg
and yes, I thought I recognized the style of the art. The brilliantly expressive Mr. McCloud (http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/?search-alias=aps&keywords=Scott%20McCloud), of course *forehead slap*
Quote from: Darren Dirt on September 03, 2008, 05:00:39 PM
Ultimate test of speed: GOOGLE MAPS with Satellite + Labels ... over the eastern US seaboard (highest level, then mousewheel zoom in to almost the tightest level)
First "speed test" I've found... A little too basic to really decide anything though ;)
http://lifehacker.com/5044668/beta-browser-speed-tests-which-is-fastest
Until Chrome allows the use of AdBlock, I can't see it being a success at all. And I seriously doubt Google will even allow one in its browser. Where do you think they make all their money? Especially now that they've picked up one of the old style add banner places...
Quote from: Tom on September 03, 2008, 06:00:24 PM
Until Chrome allows the use of AdBlock, I can't see it being a success at all. And I seriously doubt Google will even allow one in its browser. Where do you think they make all their money? Especially now that they've picked up one of the old style add banner places...
Just use this Bookmarklet I found and modified...
javascript:if(typeof%20window._tags!=%22string%22){_tags=%20%22iframe:object:embed:ilayer:frame:img%22%20;_ods=defaultStatus;_timods=null;_adBlock=function(t,n){if(!document.getElementsByTagName)return%20false;if(_timods)clearTimeout(_timods);defaultStatus='Blocking%20%22'+t+'%22...';var%20c=document.getElementsByTagName(t);if(c.length>0){for(var%20i=0;i<c.length;i++){switch(t){case%22object%22:if(c[i].outerHTML&&c[i].outerHTML!=%22-%22)c[i].outerHTML=%22-%22;break;case%22iframe%22:case%22img%22:if(c[i].src!=%22about:blank%22)c[i].src=%22about:blank%22;break;case%22embed%22:if(c[i].innerHTML&&c[i].innerHTML!=%22-%22)c[i].innerHTML=%22-%22}}};defaultStatus='Finished%20_adBlock(%22'+t+'%22)%20...%20click%20again%20to%20do%20next%20tag%20(%22'+n+'%22)';_timods=setTimeout('defaultStatus=_ods;_timods=null',5000)}};if(!_tags){void(0)}else{var%20artags=_tags.split(%22:%22);_tags=_tags.substring(artags[0].length+1);void(_adBlock(artags[0],artags[1]?artags[1]:%22-done-%22))}
Each click kills a particular element (based on TagName) ... should work in any DOM-based browser, I'm guessing :)
Does it work permanently?
I like this little thumbnail thingy, it's pretty cool.
I'm really liking the crash safety, I just had one tab crash and the rest are a-ok!
What they should have done was make sure it was impossible for tabs to crash in the first place ;)
Quote from: Tom on September 03, 2008, 07:19:14 PM
What they should have done was make sure it was impossible for tabs to crash in the first place ;)
Yeah well, that would have been nice...
enter .% in the omnibar and see what happens
As explained in the cartoon plugins tend to cause crashes and still hook to deep to sandbox without a rewrite.
Quote from: Lazybones on September 03, 2008, 10:07:26 PM
enter .% in the omnibar and see what happens
??? I didn't get anything, I am missing something?
It just searched for ".%".
oops should have been :% it is a bug that causes the whole browser to crash.
Quote from: Lazybones on September 04, 2008, 08:47:37 AM
oops should have been :% it is a bug that causes the whole browser to crash.
I'll give it a try :D
LOL, just tried it..
Got an alert from the application "Whoa! Google Chrome has crashed. Restart now?
Followed by the standard windows error report dialog.
Quote from: Tom on September 03, 2008, 06:38:01 PM
Does it work permanently?
Hey Tom, if you pick apart the JS (http://forums.righteouswrath.com/index.php/topic,6566.msg42296.html#msg42296) you should figure that out ;) Seriously though it's a bookmarklet that I frequently use "on demand" -- just wait until after a page loads that has IFRAME etc. elements that you don't want, and click once for each element you want to disappear (in order: iframe,object,embed,ilayer,frame,img).
Heck sometimes I'll even click it all the way (6 times) just to turn off some annoying images, like if they're really distracting (animated GIFs for example). But of course it's not permanent, it's a
bookmarklet.
It was more of a rhetorical question.
WOW! Already, Chrome>SUM(Opera,Safari)
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/09/globally_chrome.html
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2831357958_d0020bba4c_o.jpg)
Wow, I'm pretty surprised that Opera is below Safari. I mean sure a lot of Mac users use Safari and there's not much particularly wrong with it -- personal opinion aside -- but it's very common for mobile phones and devices to have Opera (or some flavour thereof) installed.
I would have thought the number of devices with Opera built-in would cover more market share.
Keep in mind, recently any Windoze user with iTunes running (i.e. who owns an iPod) has been essentially forced* by Apple to install Safari. Who knows how many AOL types accidentally made it their default and don't know how to change it. ;)
*Apple learned from M$, i guess?
Brand power.. also depends on the user base you are measuring. IE the browser distribution for CNN.com is going to be different from pennyarcade.com
At best some of the stats i was seeing today was around 2%, which is pretty good IMHO.
Sure didn't take long...
(http://sp1.yt-thm-a04.yimg.com/image/25/m2/2292506428)
Firefox add-on (extension): Open In Google Chrome (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/8787) (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/images/addon_icon/8787)
Adds a "View this page in Google Chrome" option to Firefox's right click context menu.
(similar to the earlier "View this page in IE" add-on)
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but look at the current trends:
http://getclicky.com/marketshare/global/web-browsers/
I'm actually a little surprised to see Chrome still moving upward (unless my lack of colour vision is lying to me again).
Both FF and IE seem to be in decline while the others hold constant market share (according to "Clicky" anyway).
Chrome replaced FF for a few reasons for me:
- clean interface
- plugins (primary reason to use FF over IE AdBlock)
- Speed (FF it self loading and slowing down over time.)
I switched permanently to Chrome ever since I started using sites with a lot of heavy scripting (deviantArt, Facebook, etc).
It's amazing how slow IE and FF seem when I flip back to them sometimes.
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 24, 2010, 10:40:24 AM
I switched permanently to Chrome ever since I started using sites with a lot of heavy scripting (deviantArt, Facebook, etc).
It's amazing how slow IE and FF seem when I flip back to them sometimes.
Scripting speed = amazing, for sure.
As a developer, I use Chrome FIRST for interface/css/scripting testing, the Firebug Lite plugin is good for "inspect element" needs... only when I have some weird script problems/errors do I launch the page in Firefox (where the Error Console sometimes is more helpful/immediate ; also UNLIKE CHROME ( :( ) the FF address bar does not auto-clear after you paste in a "javascript:xyz" link ... and in fact FF keeps a history of your javascript:xyz "websites" you have visited, very handy for on-the-fly "what is that variable set at right now?" type of checks)
I use IE for dev testing only after the others have "passed" and I want to make sure IE isn't gonna be an assclown for my forced-to-use-IE users here at GoA...
Only downside to Chrome imo is when you have 20+ tabs open (even if "split" into separate windows, which I *love* doing, yay Chrome drag-detachable tabs ftw!) it's pretty resource-intensive ... and makes the Flash plugin more likely to go boom.
But the "restore last session" after crash = awesome.
Also the right-click tab "REOPEN CLOSED TAB" is such a nice gesture... and there's an addon* that lets you actually keep a running LIST of closed tabs, for those times you hit CTRL+W a few times and then realized "oops, what did I just close?" ;)
* "Sexy Undo Close Tab" by Xerios https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/bcennaiejdjpomgmmohhpgnjlmpcjmbg (reviewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhiPAZi49HE )
You know, now that you mention it all those things have just become utility to me and I would not like to be without them. It's innovation like that I can support and admire.
Yes, super resource intensive apps I can certainly support and admire ;)
Quote from: Tom on September 24, 2010, 12:56:21 PM
Yes, super resource intensive apps I can certainly support and admire ;)
I don't see Chrome using any more than any other browser I have installed (FF, IE), the key difference is that it does so much more and the features they add are actually useful and intuitive (so far anyway).
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 24, 2010, 01:13:19 PM
Quote from: Tom on September 24, 2010, 12:56:21 PM
Yes, super resource intensive apps I can certainly support and admire ;)
I don't see Chrome using any more than any other browser I have installed (FF, IE), the key difference is that it does so much more and the features they add are actually useful and intuitive (so far anyway).
I tend to have a lot of tabs and/or windows open. Chrome tends to use up the same amount of memory, with half the tabs/sites open.
Quote from: Tom on September 24, 2010, 01:20:27 PM
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 24, 2010, 01:13:19 PM
Quote from: Tom on September 24, 2010, 12:56:21 PM
Yes, super resource intensive apps I can certainly support and admire ;)
I don't see Chrome using any more than any other browser I have installed (FF, IE), the key difference is that it does so much more and the features they add are actually useful and intuitive (so far anyway).
I tend to have a lot of tabs and/or windows open. Chrome tends to use up the same amount of memory, with half the tabs/sites open.
Mmm, I know what you mean but it all seem about the same on my systems (Win XP/Win 7)
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 24, 2010, 04:29:28 PM
Quote from: Tom on September 24, 2010, 01:20:27 PM
Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 24, 2010, 01:13:19 PM
Quote from: Tom on September 24, 2010, 12:56:21 PM
Yes, super resource intensive apps I can certainly support and admire ;)
I don't see Chrome using any more than any other browser I have installed (FF, IE), the key difference is that it does so much more and the features they add are actually useful and intuitive (so far anyway).
I tend to have a lot of tabs and/or windows open. Chrome tends to use up the same amount of memory, with half the tabs/sites open.
Mmm, I know what you mean but it all seem about the same on my systems (Win XP/Win 7)
Might be time to try again. Though I'm also stuck on Firefox 3.5.
Can anyone believe it's been only 6.5 years since Google "Game Changer" Chrome was released? I am having trouble remembering a time when there WASN'T Chrome as a web browser option.
And in that time it's become one of the most bloated pieces of browsing software I've seen in a long time
In the beginning it was memory intense but fast. Now it's just a resource hog with less flexibility than everything else
I went back to Firefox. Firefox drove me away with bad change decisions then Chrome did the exact same thing (ironically Firefox is still one of the best options IMO)
Quote from: Mr. Analog on April 20, 2015, 02:00:16 PM
And in that time it's become one of the most bloated pieces of browsing software I've seen in a long time
No argument from me (or most of us in the forum).
Sadly.
I also went to Firefox for most of my web stuff, other than if I need to use Chrome Remote Desktop.
And on a side note the @%&#ing morons in charge at G recently broke that too. Not critically, but in a few ways that make no damn sense, that took away functionality and added confusion, both of which users quickly complained about on their support forums and on the Google Play page for the Android app... Will G never learn? Unjustifiable BLOAT + arbitrary removal of coherent "give user a choice" features = the reason even "common" folks eventually get to hating Microsoft!
Google seems very fond of adding great features and then crippling the hell out of them later
At least under the current regime of thought
Give the devs back their 20% of creative time!
So... What are the things you want in a browser? And what are the things you consider bloat?
Some people really like that their shortcuts follow them from computer to computer, others hate it.
I just want it to run alongside other apps I'm running
Sometimes I like to listen YouTube videos while I'm coding and oddly Chrome dies a dismal death where Firefox says afloat
Also startup time and tabs seem less buggy in Firefox, Chrome may protect tabs from each other but if one dies it seems to drag all the sessions down
Hmm, I haven't had any problems. Although I do have Flashblock, Adblock, and Ghostery installed to keep "extra bits" to a minimum.
Chrome often hits 8GB+ ram for me. It's a good thing I have 32GB ram in this laptop or I'd run out of ram all the darn time.
I feel like memory usage has always been high on Chrome but the tradeoff was fast rendering, for me it seemed like that balance shifted, while it was still heavy on memory usage it was also slow to the point where I thought my internet was the problem. I downloaded FF and everything returned to normal. I thought it might be something to do with the version I was using so I got rid of it all (surprisingly hard to do) and re-installed and found right out the box with no plugins or anything Chrome had turned into a sloth over the years
Oh well, good thing we have browser options!
Quote from: Thorin on April 20, 2015, 05:44:18 PM
Quote from: Mr. Analog on April 20, 2015, 05:28:58 PM
I just want it to run alongside other apps I'm running
Sometimes I like to listen YouTube videos while I'm coding and oddly Chrome dies a dismal death where Firefox says afloat
Also startup time and tabs seem less buggy in Firefox, Chrome may protect tabs from each other but if one dies it seems to drag all the sessions down
Hmm, I haven't had any problems. Although I do have Flashblock, Adblock, and Ghostery installed to keep "extra bits" to a minimum.
I agree, Mr. A is describing things I for the most part have not experienced.
It's mainly the memory usage that never used to be necessary but now seems to be. I like the stability and the tab independence, but seems like recent changes to the plugin policies, along with arbitrary crippling by Google devs, are making some of us longterm Chrome-lovers a bit worried... and thinking of switching teams. And sad for it, because remember how ugly the web browser environment was BEFORE Chrome? That's why I said "game changer", because it really did trigger a new "revolution" of features and design approach etc... But there's no way in the current landscape that some big respected megacorp is gonna introduce a similar revolutionary offering that picks up momentum so quick and motivates everyone to improve things etc.
I miss the mid-to-late 2000s when standards were king and the user was put first and things looked to be getting better month by month, choice-wise and feature-wise... now most websites have 25 different JS plugins and take longer to load ( even with Flashblock and Adblock!) and the browsers seem to render less quickly than they used to but use more RAM and hang more often... wtf?
/oldManGrumpyRant
Yeh, remember those annoying Flash video ads mit der sound und der video? The ones you could block by turning off Flash?
HTML5
*that is all*
Quote from: Mr. Analog on April 21, 2015, 08:40:26 AM
Yeh, remember those annoying Flash video ads mit der sound und der video? The ones you could block by turning off Flash?
HTML5
*that is all*
So wait, are you saying that HTML5 has made it so now it is tougher to skip all the crap on the modern-age web?
Well, maybe Google (the search engine team at least) is doing something -- rewarding "mobile friendly" sites(!)(?)
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/04/20/websites-prep-for-googles-mobilegeddon
Yes, you can embed audio-visual stuff directly through HTML now, in fact the YouTube player works better in HTML5 (works on my machine sticker required)
It's gonna be fun to figure out how to block that crap when it really starts spreading
Going to chime in to say I switched back to Firefox some time ago.
Although Firefox has adopted a similar rapid dev cycle like chrome I find there are far fewer random surprises weekly / monthly with updates.
Chrome seems to take a wrong turn / break something at the same rate they used to fix things.
However we now have apps that are optimized for Chrome / Firefox or still IE.
While cross browser compatibility has improved, app venders still like to pick a preferred browser.
Quote from: Lazybones on April 21, 2015, 09:14:14 AM
While cross browser compatibility has improved, app venders still like to pick a preferred browser.
^THIS^ good god this
As a web dev for a short time it looked like things were smartening up but there is still a definite gap even using tools like JQuery and Bootstrap
Sometimes you have to just not have certain features because of incompatibility across the board
It's frustrating as hell sometimes
I used to be ok with Chrome's extra memory use. Back then it'd use a couple GB or maybe 4. Now it begins at 1-2, and just increases from there, now it just has worse performance and more crashes. Bonus?!?
Weird. I had three tabs open, closed them, and got 600MB of memory back (4.1GB down to 3.5GB). Keep in mind that I have Flashblock, Adblock, and Ghostery running and they each use up a separate amount of memory for each tab open. Opened Chrome back up and went from 3.5GB to 3.9GB, so 400MB used after clean startup. Mind you, I have my Chrome configured to not leave any background processes running when I close the last tab. And I only have the three extensions.
I always have a lot of tabs open. but it used to do a lot better than it does. I've also had to not install a crap load of adons due to them causing chrome to slow way down when loading pages.