Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Google Chrome - 5 Minute Thoughts

For all those who don't know, Google launched their own browser.  Vista and XP are supported with Linux and Mac versions coming out later.

So, I'm doing something new.  I'm giving my 5 minute thoughts.  After using Chrome for only 5 minutes, this is what I think:

Google always does a good job with making things simple, and this is no exception.  The download process was different, but simple.  It downloaded in its own installer without a hitch, and then proceeded to install.  It recognized Mozilla Firefox on my computer, and asked me to import my settings from it.  Which I proceed to do.  I also set it as my default browser, deciding that I would give this a try for a while.

Chrome has a nice User Interface, which is helpful.  It loads pages just fine, or at least the ones that I have been too.  My Firefox info is all here.  I quickly went to the options, and after a few moments, had my homepage set up (which was not imported), and was looking at what it could do.  The options were pretty basic, but one caught my attention.  The "show saved passwords."  This intrigued me, so I went exploring.  It showed me all the sites that I had been on and used a password + username.  I found a site in which I didn't remember my password (all of which had been imported from Firefox), and hit "show password."  And you know what?  It did.  That surprised me.  Because now you have a easy way to find passwords of your friends and such.  Have them type it in, remember the password, and then look it up later.  It was so easy, I thought that it was actually bad.  Sure, it could be nice if you forget, but if someone gets a hold of your computer, then they know all of your passwords.  Insecure?  Definitely.

No adblock plus.  Well, damn.  This really is the killer for every other Browser besides Firefox.  There is no ad block plus, and now I have to live through the onslaught of ads all over again.  And you know what?  There won't be.  At least not that I can predict.  Google now has control over what other people can see with their own browser.  Even though it may be open source, that doesn't mean that somebody can easily make an  ad blocker.  And Google doesn't want them too.  Google makes ads for the web, why would they make a browser, and then block all of their ads.  It doesn't make sense economically.  So they won't.

Their spell checker is lacking.  While I love that they have one, as I type this, and misspell words, I am used to right clicking and getting everything fixed.  When I right click and only one option appears, which isn't the one I am looking for, I get sad.  Very sad.  I can type fast, but not always well.  There is also no "Learn" the word feature.

No home button.  Unless I am missing something here, I don't see it.  And you know what?  I like to go back to my Homepage.  I do so obsessively.  And now that I can't, it makes me really sad.

Those are the only things that I have really come across in 5 minutes.  In general, It seems as though Chrome has a while to go before it catches up with Firefox.  Internet Explorer may be in trouble, but from what I read else where, if you are using IE, then you don't know about Firefox, and you certainly won't know about Google Chrome.  At least, not until Google buys Microsoft.

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