Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Google Chrome - A Second Opinion

So, lucky me, I had cross country after school today and didn't even get back until around 7pm. So by the time I got back and installed Google Chrome (Which, by the way, was QUITE easy), the new browser had been released for some time all ready. It also means, however, that I was able to take a look at some of Wayfarer's posts and see the problems he had encountered already. So, as is only fair, I'll compare my findings to those of Wayfarers :)

Firstly, I also noticed the very basic browser interface. There were 4 buttons (back, forward, refresh, and favorites) and the address bar. That was pretty much it. Now, while I personally may prefer my Mozilla Firefox bar, which is stuffed full of different buttons like stumble, clear cache, my favorite RSS feeds, and some javascript applications, Chrome's minimalist tool bar seems to be perfect for the average joe user. My mom, for instance, only ever needs the back button, the home button, her favorites, and the address bar. Anything else just serves to confuse her.

But wait!? Wayfarer is correct! Where the heck is the home button? One nifty Chrome feature is the fact that every time you open a new tab, it will open to your home page. No more of that annoying "this is a new tab" page. But if your like Wayfarer, and that's just not good enough for you, and you just absolutely MUST have your home button, then there is a simple fix. Just click on the "customize" button (A little wrench in the right hand corner) and choose "options". You'll get this screen:

Google Chrome options

Just tick the option "show home button on the tool bar" and voila! You now have a home button between favorites and refresh.

Wayfarer also brought up a very valid concern with the ease that you can find out website's passwords with Google Chrome. To this I say, 'tis true, it is quite easy. But hey, it's just as easy to do on Firefox. And on Firefox, it shows all your passwords at once! I personally think this is an acceptable, if not quite necessary.

My personal experience all in all with Google Chrome was positive. I enjoy the simple user face and it's easy to use features. One last feature that I love, however, is the address bar. Not only does it help fill in sites you have visited, but it also fills in popular site you HAVEN'T visited. Endlessly useful in my honest opinion, since I am a very, very lazy person. And now I don't have to fully type my url's out :).

So you've heard first impressions from myself and Wayfarer - but what about you? Has anyone tried Chrome yet? Find anything cool to do with it? Any fun features or hacks?

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