Comments on IcoBlog: What's the point of Google's Chrome?

Of course I'm subjective, everyone is, but simply ...

2008-09-29T19:35:00.000-04:00

Of course I'm subjective, everyone is, but simply parroting that Chrome is "hundreds" of times faster than other browsers out there really belies what's going on, here's yet another test:

http://lifehacker.com/5044668/beta-browser-speed-tests-which-is-fastest

I think I've been very fair in the assessment of Chrome, asking why produce another browser with virtually no new features than Firefox or IE and taking apart some of the myths.

I'll respond to your comments. Firefox's new engi...

2008-09-29T19:29:00.000-04:00

I'll respond to your comments. Firefox's new engine is not out until ver 3.1, so in the meantime you can still consider Chromes v8 faster than FF's current engine. I'm not playing fanboys here. I don't use Chrome. It's still very buggy. It's an early beta. I've had it crash on me many times.

I assumed that you were sincerely interested in Google's motive for releasing a browser or perhaps what Chrome had to offer that wasn't already out there. I answered in that regard. Or course, I'm sure if you really wanted to know, you could have researched it on your own. So, now I'm thinking that the intent of your blog was to express subjective dissatisfaction. So be it.

2008-09-29T18:31:00.001-04:00

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That sounded like a press release from Google! Fir...

2008-09-29T18:31:00.000-04:00

That sounded like a press release from Google! First up there are plenty of other reports that don't put Chrome "hundreds" of times faster than other browsers, take this one:

http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2008/09/03/new-firefox-javascript-engine-is-faster-than-chromes-v8

I'll also repeat, Chrome has no new technology, no innovation that we haven't seen before. That's not to say that it's a bad browser, it's fine, it's just not as monumentally earth shattering as some press reports have tried to make it out to be.

On a different note, as I've been using Chrome on and off for a few weeks I find that with multiple tabs open it tends to crash or get stuck, especially when playing quicktime or media.

The intention of Chrome, as stated by the project ...

2008-09-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

The intention of Chrome, as stated by the project leaders at Google, is to shift the internet web infrastructure from focusing on static to dynamic content. Chrome was built with web applications in mind. The custom javascript engine Chrome uses is anywhere from tens to hundreds of time faster than the other leading browsers' (http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10030888-92.html). Chrome, itself, is an early beta, only a fifth complete (ver. 0.2). But it really is just a proof of concept. Google is positioning itself to compete with MS on the application front by urging other browsers to push their infrastructure forward to allow bigger and better web apps that Google wants to create. Speed is just one aspect. Chrome's sandboxing and seperate processes for tabs AND plugins make Chrome the most secure browser of the big 3 (IE, FF, Opera), considering only built in functionality.

Yea, I think it is a huge reason to switch from a ...

2008-09-13T20:51:00.000-04:00

Yea, I think it is a huge reason to switch from a single-process browser to a multi-process browser, whether you switch to Chrome or IE8. The added stability is absolutely worthwhile.

Competition drives this kind progress. Would IE have put tabbed browsing into IE without Firefox? Would they have put in multiple processes without Chrome? Hard to say, but you even said they let it stagnate when the browser wars cooled.

I'm not in love with Chrome, but the competition and the innovation it brings (along Firefox, Opera and Safari) is refreshing.

IE8 Will have tabs running in a seperate process:<...

2008-09-11T10:46:00.000-04:00

IE8 Will have tabs running in a seperate process:
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/MicrosoftIE8AndGoogleChromeProcessesAreTheNewThreads.aspx

It's hardly a 'huge' reason to switch now is it?

The one thing that made me switch to Chrome immedi...

2008-09-10T17:36:00.000-04:00

The one thing that made me switch to Chrome immediately was the tear-off tabs. It's also Chrome in general -- it just has this kind of critical mass of being light, fast, and having just the subset of features you need. Seeing it maximized also reminds you of a desktop -- I can see Google building a lot more on top of this.

There is innovation in it. Having everything (tabs...

2008-09-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

There is innovation in it. Having everything (tabs, plugins, modules, etc.) all using a separate process is huge, as it promotes speed and stability, something not currently found in either FF or IE. Speeding up javascript is another big one. Both FF and IE may catch up in these areas, or even surpass Chrome, but that's what is healthy about competition. Google wants this kind of performance so Gears can succeed.

Well personally I don't see how their browser will...

2008-09-10T11:01:00.000-04:00

Well personally I don't see how their browser will be driving any innovations. Granted Google Gears is pushing the boundries, but like I said, that's already a Firefox and IE plugin. Chrome has hardly lit a fire beneath Firefox and IE, they're both working on HTML 5 and I really doubt the Chrome release will change anything. As for Web Apps, again why the new browser, the Web App shortcut feature simply opens a browser without the tabs at the top, I honestly believe that to be a non starter.

They have their own agenda and I'm sure dj hit it ...

2008-09-10T08:54:00.000-04:00

They have their own agenda and I'm sure dj hit it on the head when he (my apologies if you are a she) said "to push websites as applications even further". Personally I don't like seeing this trend. I like using my own applications on my own computer and knowing that all my work and all my play belongs to me alone, not to the world in general.

By the way, that trench coat is clean.

The real reason is for them not to win the browser...

2008-09-09T19:12:00.000-04:00

The real reason is for them not to win the browser wars, but for them to push websites as applications even further and get other browser competing to do the same. Who will download it? They will probably draw more users from Firefox then from IE, because like you said, people don't download browsers. But as the general web public becomes more savy we could see Chrome and FF becoming more mainstream.

Good point about IE 3.0. It's been so bad lately that I didn't think back to when they had some good innovations.

More thoughts here:
http://techburner.com/2008/09/09/google-chrome-quick-look/

I can think of three pretty good reasons for a Goo...

2008-09-09T14:10:00.000-04:00

I can think of three pretty good reasons for a Google browser, all related...

1. You did a good job of explaining how IE became stagnant when competition lagged. Google doesn't want to let that happen again. I understand FF is now a worthy competitor and it probably pushed IE7 and IE8 changes. It probably wouldn't be as dominant, however, without the huge infusion of cash provided by Google.

2. They want a platform for web applications. Chrome's architecture promises to be much more stable, and create a much better user experience for web apps in the future. They are laying down a foundation for where they want to go down the road.

3. Google wants to drive this innovation. They don't want to wait to see if MS thinks it would be in their interest. Google wants it to happen and happen now on their terms. And they want to share it with others so their vision is the driving force for web apps, not a competitor's.

It's a darn good browser for a first release beta. I agree at the moment, the speed is the biggest plus, but it establishes Google as a player in driving the internet. It's all in Google's self-interest of course, but there can be industry benefits from that too.

I didn't say that it wasn't, but Firefox was built...

2008-09-09T10:29:00.000-04:00

I didn't say that it wasn't, but Firefox was built by the web community in general, whereas Chrome was built by Google. We already have one open source browser, so why a second?

Correction: Chrome is Open Source --Widefox

2008-09-09T10:23:00.000-04:00

Correction: Chrome is Open Source --Widefox