New Browser - Google Chrome

iceman (Mike) · #1 03-09-2008, 08:19 AM

RB (Andrew) · #2 03-09-2008, 08:31 AM

Cool, thanks for the link Mike, hope it's as good as it looks/sounds.

I'm hoping it reads the embedded colour space of images instead of forcing a colour space(sRGB) like IE does.

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #3 03-09-2008, 08:47 AM

Early days yet. It still has trouble rendering the Acid3 web standards test, I've heard, with a score of 77/100. Not good - yet.

The feature rundown reminds me of a lot of niceties already found in Opera - without the properly-integrated IMAP/POP3 webmail client that Opera sports. I guess that webmail will just appear later on as a web application as they intend - and i hope that's not GMail which I refuse point blank to use. I don't want my email cataloged by a search engine thanks.

I'm in two minds about Google - their intent here is to knock Windows off the shelf, and replace that OS with a web-based OS of some sort. Given that it's an open source project, that may not be a pipe dream for very long, as you could build a bootable Linux distribution that supports the browser - and even that could boot off the web with a small bootstrap routine. How much power is Google after? Scary stuff.

iceman (Mike) · #4 03-09-2008, 08:55 AM

It's very fast! Nice and simple to use.

RB (Andrew) · #5 03-09-2008, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omaroo

How much power is Google after? Scary stuff.

Indeed, scary stuff Chris.

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #6 03-09-2008, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RB

Indeed, scary stuff Chris.

Andrew - I reckon that Google will become the new Microsoft, the company that everyone loves to bash. Monopolies are BAD for everyone, and here we all are using Google more and more every day without thinking of the ultimate consequences. Before too long the US watchdog is going to complain about anti-competitive moves by Google, and they will be broken up into smaller companies one day. Here's hoping.

rogerg (Roger) · #7 03-09-2008, 09:18 AM

I'm using it now, seems nice. I read the cartoon/blurb on it yesterday, sounded interesting. Keen to see how it goes. Good to have another serious contender to MS. Wouldn't surprise me at all if it ends up outranking IE.

On the down side, yet another browser for us software developers to test against.

Roger.

iceman (Mike) · #8 03-09-2008, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerg

On the down side, yet another browser for us software developers to test against.

Roger.

Very true, Roger. We're just going through a compatibility project at work right now.. Now another to add to the list.

Though it's still in beta, so we don't need to support it just yet

BalderAsir (Nick) · #9 03-09-2008, 10:09 AM

i'm personally worried about what backdoor google have built into the software to monitor and report on users internet usage in order to "improve" the customer experience. They have been caught out in the past with trackers imbedded in their search results.

eg

http://cyberinsecure.com/carpet-bomb...e-new-browser/

rogerg (Roger) · #10 03-09-2008, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman

Though it's still in beta, so we don't need to support it just yet

True, true

Quote:

Originally Posted by BalderAsir

i'm personally worried about what backdoor google have built into the software to monitor and report on users internet usage in order to "improve" the customer experience. They have been caught out in the past with trackers imbedded in their search results.

That kind of thing doesn't concern me at all. Anything you do on the net can be watched or traced one way or another. If google are capturing more to use to show me more of what I want or tune the tools to how I want to use them, then all the better. And that's assuming they're still capturing data after I chose not to let them as part of the installation process.

BalderAsir (Nick) · #11 03-09-2008, 10:53 AM

i don't mind if they use it to show me more of what i'm looking for. but if they have the ability to do it, whats to say someone isn't going to get a pass on personal information to another company etc.

i'm just saying, i'll be sticking to firefox I think, since Google Chrome is basically a skinned version of Apples safari

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #12 03-09-2008, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BalderAsir

... since Google Chrome is basically a skinned version of Apples safari

Well... kinda. Chrome uses Apple's open-source "WebKit" rendering engine.

Source: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles...on_webkit.html

Quote:

Chrome browser will combine Apple's Webkit, Google's Gears, and a new JavaScript virtual machine called V8, intended to dramatically speed up the performance of JavaScript code, particularly the code used in building significant web apps. The document outlines that Google's Chrome team selected Webkit for the same reason Android developers did: it's fast, simple, uses memory efficiently, and "it was easy for new browser developers to learn to make the code base work."

However, rather than speeding up JavaScript parsing as Apple and Mozilla are doing in their efforts to build faster JavaScript interpreters, Google's V8 compiles JavaScript into native source code. It also allows for better garbage collection of expired memory and dynamic optimization based on hidden class transitions. The company will offer V8 as an open source component that other browsers can adopt as well.

This puts the Chrome project on the same page as Apple's forthcoming Safari 4, which similarly intends to speed JavaScript (although in different ways) and push features of HTML 5 to give web apps standardized access to database tools, local storage options, and the ability to work offline when the network isn't present. Conversely, Google's use of the Webkit rendering engine will also help popularize Apple's efforts to spread its open new CSS features for adding effects such as reflections, gradients and new masking capabilities.

AstralTraveller (David) · #13 03-09-2008, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman

Very true, Roger. We're just going through a compatibility project at work right now.. Now another to add to the list.

Though it's still in beta, so we don't need to support it just yet

Good grief!! Do you actually do what your users want? We are in the process of shifting from Department based IT support to centrally managed desktops. For most (possibly all) users that will mean no choice of software. No more FF, no more Thunderbird, no more Open Office, just M$ everything. Now that the Mac-loving Dean has moved on there will be pressure to get rid of them as well. Since I administer instrument computers, which the central IT don't want to touch, and use lots of non-standard software I may get to keep my machine administrator rights. We'll see...

snowyskiesau · #14 03-09-2008, 04:45 PM

Looks like I have a bit of a wait for a Linux version ...