Google set to release Chrome

[Slicksta]

Google is set to realise there web browser called Chrome today.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10530169

[PirateJafa]

So it's going to be the Harley of internet browsers? Large and cumbersome like most of Google's other stuff?

At least it's aptly named. ;)

[Tank]

So it's going to be the Harley of internet browsers? Large and cumbersome like most of Google's other stuff?

At least it's aptly named. ;)

It actually looks pretty good if you believe what the comic has to say.

Regardless - I think it will bomb. Firefox has too much of a following as a OS browser and within 2 years I believe it will be the most common browser out there.

But - who knows - Dells come bundled with Google these days - if they start rolling out all Dells with the Google browser it may gain market momentum.

However one has to assume that it links back to their advertising somehow - targeted ads based on ones entire browsing behavior - now that is something that I wouldn't want. (you know with the porn and all)

[blairh]

However one has to assume that it links back to their advertising somehow - targeted ads based on ones entire browsing behavior - now that is something that I wouldn't want. (you know with the porn and all)

Yeah, this is the only thing worrying me.. the Google toolbar is bad enough at watching everything you do, for page ranking and targeted adverts etc..

Having said that, most Google stuff is pretty awesome so if you don't mind them watching what you're doing, I'm sure it'll be good.

But yeah, I love Firefox.. so unless Chrome is *really* good I can't see any reason why I'd switch.

[xwhatsit]

It uses WebKit, à la Safari, Konqueror etc. So ought to do the task of rendering web pages pretty well.

Just hope it goes a bit faster than Firefox, that's all. Got the shits with Firefox eating all my RAM and taking ages to launch.

[NighthawkNZ]

Just hope it goes a bit faster than Firefox, that's all. Got the shits with Firefox eating all my RAM and taking ages to launch.

I find FireFox renders pages quicker than IE does... but does take a bit longer to load... not much though point 1 of a milisecond :wacko:

[PirateJafa]

It uses WebKit, à la Safari, Konqueror etc. So ought to do the task of rendering web pages pretty well.

Just hope it goes a bit faster than Firefox, that's all. Got the shits with Firefox eating all my RAM and taking ages to launch.

Try using Opera. :niceone:

[Tank]

Now what would be interesting is if the new Chrome browser had preferential or even exclusive rights to route over the Google undersea cables and all the dark fibre they have in the US.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10465412

you could end up with a far faster browsing exprience - although Google would own each and every bit and byte.

[yod]

Try using Opera. :niceone:

Opera's nice but it has a lot of shortcomings re functionality which are a bit of a pain

I see Google has pinched Opera's 'Speed Dial' page tho

[xwhatsit]

I find FireFox renders pages quicker than IE does... but does take a bit longer to load... not much though point 1 of a milisecond :wacko:
Ah, using Linux. However when I'm using similarly-specced computers running Windows at uni I find performance comparable using Firefox.

Try using Opera. :niceone:
I've got 9.52 or whatever is latest. It is faster and does use less RAM (although since Firefox 3.0 came out, the gap is closer IMHO), but I'm just not 100% in love with the user interface and behaviour (closing tabs etc.). The biggest killer is no Adblock Plus -- I know they have their own ad blocker, but it's not a patch on Adblock Plus.

Lynx ftw.

[TerminalAddict]

installed .. and I'm playing around with it

[wysper]

installed here too.
I think for me it will replace firefox

faster cleaner and less of a hog.

I never could quite like opera.. crashed alot and didnt do some pages very well at all.

I dont have heaps of extensions or skins or anything so Chrome might just be the browser for me.

[TerminalAddict]

mmm I need firebug often .. that might be a deal breaker :(

[riffer]

Yep. Installed it here and surfing KB now with it.

It's only using 32MB of RAM, 56 handles and 2 threads.

Firefox opened to same page used 85MB RAM, 558 handes and 26 threads.

Seems fast for all that too.

But the targetted ads worry me too. However, there's the icognito window now so you can open one of them and surf redtube to your heart's content without the other half being any the wiser...

[bobsmith]

Just been playing around with it.

So far I really like it. It is very very fast.

A few things though now I understand that it is a beta version but... NO RSS FEEDS!!!!.

I thought maybe I just couldn't find it but when I searched for rss on their help website it didn't return any results. Also the customisation options are a bit lacking but I guess this will be addressed on the full release.

I really really like the fast loading and the incognito mode and the task manager I mean that's really really awesome.

[Cajun]

does not handle j initnaor which i need for work, so no good for me

i got a few hacks which reduce ff memory issues

[James Deuce]

Google must've cached the Internet.

It's pretty blimmin' fast.

[Slyer]

So it's going to be the Harley of internet browsers? Large and cumbersome like most of Google's other stuff?

At least it's aptly named. ;)

Well your prediction was a complete FAIL.
It's very well made, just needs the addons I use in firefox and I'd switch.

[pyrocam]

So far I love it. The speed. The reliability. The new tab homepage thing thats awesome. the auto complete is great. the fact I can resize this text box dynamically. The window -> tab -> window feature. porn mode... I mean 'incognito mode'
The only annoying thing is special applets and junk that don't work (yet) and the lack of mod's (eg. firebug, Ook, Greasemonkey) again, yet.


but for a day old browser, I'm bloody impressed. It's my default browser for sure.

[Dargor]

I dont like the skin, It should just use the same one as the rest of my windows.

[Slyer]

It looks better on xp than vista. I like the blue..

[Winston001]

I like Opera but after 6 years of it now use Firefox exclusively. With the right extensions it does everything Opera did plus a few more things. If Chrome proves to be better eventually, I'll give it a try but can't be bothered cluttering up my registry at the moment.

[Slyer]

I've never liked google desktop applications like google earth and the desktop search etc... Always having problems and cluttering the place up. Google updater also annoys me.
This is like a new google in regards to desktop applications.

[crynsie]

Tried Chrome last night on a few pages...

The thing that turned me off (and back to firefox) is that using the scroll function on my touchpad will only scroll down but not up....really f**king annoying!
Otherwise fast but I don't like the white flash as it loads pages...

Firefox rules this lappie for the mo

[bobsmith]

Has anyone tried to uninstall Google Chrome?

Here is another reason why I love it!

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7848/55334208ze6.png

[Slyer]

Yeah there's some fun with words in this browser, like "Stats for nerds" in the task manager and "Under the hood" tab in the options.

[Gubb]

Distressingly it seems that anything you upload through Chrome can become the intellectual property of Google...

From the EULA and subsequently taken from the reg.


11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights that you already hold in Content that you submit, post or display on or through the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content, you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content that you submit, post or display on or through the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

Suppose Google does this to material you have posted that's not yours? No problem. It has a get-out-of-jail card signed by you in section 11.4 of the EULA:


11.4 You confirm and warrant to Google that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above licence.

[marioc]

hmmmmmmm not to keen on that

[Slyer]

It's obviously talking about a very specific area, "services".
Not anything that you upload from any website...

[Gremlin]

I seem to spend a part of my life uninstalling Google Toolbars, desktop search (updater?? wtf did that come from), and by and large, users claim they never installed it and/or don't know what it is.

Dell now installs a bunch of google stuff standard as well (I loved Dell 5-6 years ago, with minimal extras).

Google is now bordering on pestware for me, still use the normal search page (obviously) but thats it.

[captain_andrey]

Been using it for a day now, pretty good. I like the element inspector. Found a problem with this site, clicking the uploaded images doesn't bring them up. (Seems to open and close the page instantly)

[musicman]

Been using it for a day now, pretty good. I like the element inspector. Found a problem with this site, clicking the uploaded images doesn't bring them up. (Seems to open and close the page instantly)

I've found that too.

Also, does it get the time wrong for anyone else? When I browse KB on Chrome all the times have moved forward an hour, if I change to IE all the times move back to the actual time.

EDIT: I posted this at 5:30 but it says that I posted it at 6:30. See screenshot attached.

[avgas]

does anyone know if the Java side of things on Chrome is similar to IE? rather than cut down like Firefox?
I have some web browser IED's things that just never work properly in Firefox. Other than that i only use firefox - i have it running on a min 5mb and a max of 60mb......but it seems the newish one is rather top heavy.
Still i like firefox as it only takes me 5 seconds to kill......MAX

[Bren]

alas for me there is no linux version yet. i have tried installing under WINE (windows emulator) but no luck....oh well..FF does me well!

[xwhatsit]

does anyone know if the Java side of things on Chrome is similar to IE? rather than cut down like Firefox?
I have some web browser IED's things that just never work properly in Firefox. Other than that i only use firefox - i have it running on a min 5mb and a max of 60mb......but it seems the newish one is rather top heavy.
Still i like firefox as it only takes me 5 seconds to kill......MAX
Are you talking Java or JavaScript? If you're talking about Java, I don't know what you mean by cut-down -- browsers just link to an appropriate plug-in which comes from the host OS's installed Java VM. JavaScript; well one of the fancy new features of Chrome is supposed to be the JavaScript engine, called V8. Supposed to be über-fast for all this AJAX shit, and more reliable.

alas for me there is no linux version yet. i have tried installing under WINE (windows emulator) but no luck....oh well..FF does me well!
Yeah I saw all the frantic activity on the Wine AppDB page :laugh: I don't know why they're bothering, the Linux version is on the way and the source code is open anyway (is it out already? Haven't looked for it yet), so even if they drag their feet for a year or more releasing a Linux version like they did with Google Earth, somebody will do a rough-and-ready native port anyway.

I had a play with it on my sister's WinXP laptop; very slick. What I liked about it was what I've been doing with Firefox and other apps for years; the maximisation of actual application viewing space. Nothing shits me more than opening up a new copy of a word processor or virtual terminal or browser and having toolbars and menus take up 30% of the screen. That's the worst thing about GUIs -- always getting in my way. CLI is the perfect paradigm, heaps of horsepower, but tucked neatly away until I need it. I've got my address bar and menus and everything on one single toolbar at the top on Firefox, with a minimalist set of icons to take up as little room as possible. Chrome has got that out of the box, with that nifty overlaid status bar that only comes on when there's activity. Google's got their priorities straight :yes:

[Slyer]

http://www.vitalsecurity.org/2008/09/chrome.html?from=rss
:rofl:

[Winston001]

I've got my address bar and menus and everything on one single toolbar at the top on Firefox, with a minimalist set of icons to take up as little room as possible. :yes:

Yeah? If I close Stumbleupon I've still got Tabs across the page, Navigation above that, and Taskbar bar above that, with the Firefox blue bar above that at the very top. Keen to learn, can I reduce those further.

[Ixion]

I've got the same as the Persian Gentleman. One bar, menu on the left, buttons in the middle and address bar on the right. Using one of the Tiny Fox themes.

Just get a really small theme , and right click on the toolbar area, select cusomise and drag things around

[xwhatsit]

I accidentally the whole Mozilla is this bad?


Ixion pinched my browser setup.

The theme I'm using is Classic Compact. TinyFox doesn't match the precise shade of my nail polish.

Hit F11 in Firefox 3.0 and you'll be greeted by a much more usable full-screen window with auto-hiding tabs.

[Gremlin]

I accidentally the whole Mozilla is this bad?

Ixion pinched my browser setup.
yee gads... I just got more screens... triple on work and home...

sheesh... some people aye, why make the browser interface small when you can add more screens :weird:

:done:

[Slyer]

Yeah, I got two widescreens. :)
I got plenny o room for anything!

[xwhatsit]

yee gads... I just got more screens... triple on work and home...

sheesh... some people aye, why make the browser interface small when you can add more screens :weird:

:done:
Ah, like with motorcycles, I have a perverse joy in taking old `worthless' shit hardware and making it useful. This laptop, with home-soldered, cable-tied power adapter and missing battery (there's duct tape for the WiFi adapter too), only does 1024x768 and I'm not quite sure where I'd put the other screen (or if the humdinger Intel integrated graphics would cope).

Besides, when does one use the GUI bit (other than the actual content of course)? Ctrl-L, Ctrl-T, Ctrl-Shift-T, Ctrl-F4, Ctrl-Tab, Ctrl-Shift-Tab, Alt-Left, Alt-Right. All I need is very occasional access to the Edit/History/Bookmarks menus. I don't even really need the Google search box, a Quick Search set as `g *search term*' handles that, but the search box has Suggest (type `18 inches in cm' there -- don't press enter though).

[vindy500]

Tried Chrome last night on a few pages...

The thing that turned me off (and back to firefox) is that using the scroll function on my touchpad will only scroll down but not up....really f**king annoying!



same deal here, usb mouse is fine but synaptics touch pad wont scroll up

[yod]

the new opera is mint....and you can modify the ini to have as many speed dial windows as you want

seems like they've fixed a few of the functionality issues too

[Winston001]

I accidentally the whole Mozilla is this bad?


Ixion pinched my browser setup.

The theme I'm using is Classic Compact. TinyFox doesn't match the precise shade of my nail polish.

Hit F11 in Firefox 3.0 and you'll be greeted by a much more usable full-screen window with auto-hiding tabs.

Harruummpphh not enough buttons for me! :angry2: I like to have Stumbleupon, Google, New Tab, Secure Login, Wikipedia, Tinyurl, mmmm must be some others I can add too.... :yes:

Hadn't thought about using F11 but while I'm only working in one tab, that is a good suggestion. The trouble is I tend to bounce around about 10 tabs when browsing.

But thanks, I'll give it a whirl. Always been annoyed by the real estate taken up by toolbars etc. If I'm on someones elses comp and get the chance I turn off or uninstall Yahoo Toolbar, AVG Toolbar, sometimes Google TB and any others I find. Usually the owner has no idea what they are or how they got there.

[xwhatsit]

Harruummpphh not enough buttons for me! :angry2: I like to have Stumbleupon, Google, New Tab, Secure Login, Wikipedia, Tinyurl, mmmm must be some others I can add too.... :yes:

Hadn't thought about using F11 but while I'm only working in one tab, that is a good suggestion. The trouble is I tend to bounce around about 10 tabs when browsing.

But thanks, I'll give it a whirl. Always been annoyed by the real estate taken up by toolbars etc. If I'm on someones elses comp and get the chance I turn off or uninstall Yahoo Toolbar, AVG Toolbar, sometimes Google TB and any others I find. Usually the owner has no idea what they are or how they got there.
IMHO you're a bit too fond of that mouse :laugh:

Whilst in F11, you can still change tabs with the normal shortcut keys (Ctrl-Tab, Ctrl-Shift-Tab).

But at any rate, chuck on Classic Compact (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3699) theme and that'll help things out a bit.


Anybody know what the story is with Windows and mouse drivers? I've noticed on my sister's laptop, among others, that certain apps (Chrome, as mentioned above, and Safari) will use the scroll wheel on a mouse, but not on a touchpad (Synaptics or other). Why? At the end of the day, aren't they sending the same windowing manager signals? Why should an app care -- or even know -- about where these button presses come from?

EDIT: After linking to Classic Compact, I just learned about a companion extension called Classic Compact Options (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6969), which lets you cut out the content-window border, use OS-native scrollbars (not that big a deal, not really any smaller, but seem to be a little faster perhaps), and -- the big one -- tuck all of your menus away into a new menu called `Menu'. Woot!

[Winston001]

IMHO you're a bit too fond of that mouse :laugh:

Whilst in F11, you can still change tabs with the normal shortcut keys (Ctrl-Tab, Ctrl-Shift-Tab).

But at any rate, chuck on Classic Compact (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3699) theme and that'll help things out a bit.


Anybody know what the story is with Windows and mouse drivers? I've noticed on my sister's laptop, among others, that certain apps (Chrome, as mentioned above, and Safari) will use the scroll wheel on a mouse, but not on a touchpad (Synaptics or other). Why? At the end of the day, aren't they sending the same windowing manager signals? Why should an app care -- or even know -- about where these button presses come from?

EDIT: After linking to Classic Compact, I just learned about a companion extension called Classic Compact Options (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6969), which lets you cut out the content-window border, use OS-native scrollbars (not that big a deal, not really any smaller, but seem to be a little faster perhaps), and -- the big one -- tuck all of your menus away into a new menu called `Menu'. Woot!

Thanks Xerxes, loaded the Classic up and its certainly tighter. ;)

Scrolling Synaptics - yes, been there, sworn about that.

Control Panel - Hardware - Mouse - Device Settings - Settings, then play around with the scrolling options. I can't remember exactly what I had to do but eventually I got it fixed. Extremely annoying but you'll get there. As to why this isn't a default setting, who knows.

[firefighter]

Bump. Rather than starting a new thread, since it's been around a while now, firefox or chrome?

[SpankMe]

I use both, but mostly Firefox.

I.E. on occasion.

Opera & Safari just for testing, but I don't know why anyone bothers with them.

[Slyer]

Chrome is the best browser if you don't need the addons of Firefox.
I use both.

[firefighter]

Chrome is the best browser if you don't need the addons of Firefox.
I use both.

To be honest i've never really used firefox. What are these all important add-ons you speak of that keeps you attached to it? (I know what add-ons are, just what's so special about the ones you need)

[SpankMe]

Lots of really helpful ones. Try browsing thru them to see. Chrome has also just added add-ons to their browser.

[Tank]

I have found chrome to be my browser of choice - faster than anything other browser on my mac.

Totally different to what I said when it was released at the start of the thread.

[Tank]

Lots of really helpful ones. Try browsing thru them to see. Chrome has also just added add-ons to their browser.

http://code.google.com/chrome/extensions/index.html <-there

[Slyer]

Lots of handy things in addons, everyone uses their browser differently.
One of the best things about chrome is that it can spread the load of each tab over different processors and if something crashes on a tab it won't crash the whole program.
Your prediction was fair Tank, Google have had a history of releasing bloated apps but they really seemed to have turned that all around lately.

[TerminalAddict]

chrome but still use FF for bug testing etc ... nothing beats firebug yet

[CookMySock]

Just installed latest chrome. Gee its quick alright. Dunno why I'd go back to f/fox.

Steve

[SpankMe]

I'm now using Chrome as my main browser. Got sick of FF taking forever to start up. Still a few annoyances in Chrome thou, like hitting backspace makes you go back a page.

[Tank]

I'm now using Chrome as my main browser. Got sick of FF taking forever to start up. Still a few annoyances in Chrome thou, like hitting backspace makes you go back a page.

Just tried that - you are right - but only if you are not in a editable field (ie - I just backspaced while typing this and it, well, backspaces).

[SpankMe]

Just tried that - you are right - but only if you are not in a editable field (ie - I just backspaced while typing this and it, well, backspaces).

It back pages in some editable fields & I sometimes use ajaxterm to ssh over http, so can't use it in Chrome, have to use IE instead.

[CookMySock]

You can use javascript to remap keys on an adhoc basis. I use this to disable the enter key in a form so it's not inadvertantly submitted - submit button must be used.

// disable the enter key so it no longer submits the form
function checkCR(evt) {
var evt = (evt) ? evt : ((event) ? event : null);
var node = (evt.target) ? evt.target : ((evt.srcElement) ? evt.srcElement : null);
if ((evt.keyCode == 13) && (node.type=="text")) {return false;}
}
document.onkeypress = checkCR; // attach the function to the onkeypress event


Steve