Google may have started as just a humble search engine, but they have quickly expanded into just about every other area of our online lives. Many of us use Gmail for our email needs, Google Documents in place of Microsoft Office, YouTube for video sharing… the list goes on and on. Never completely content with the status quo, Google recently entered the web browser arena as well with the introduction of the shiny new Google Chrome.
Up until now, Google had been supporting the development and proliferation of Mozilla Firefox, so it is interesting that Google would choose to venture out on its own with its own branded web browser. It’s not like they built the browser from scratch though. Just as Firefox is based on the same framework as the now defunct Netscape Navigator, Google Chrome shares its fundamental foundations with Apple’s Safari and it looks just as good too. Apple and Google have a lot in common in that regard.
I’ve been using Google Chrome for about a month now, so I figure it’s about time that I voice my opinion on the new browser through a bit of a retrospective.
Chromium: Getting Started
If you’re looking to install Google Chrome, which was known as Chromium during its development and alpha stages, the process is pretty much the same as installing any other web browser. Simply hit up the main download page on Google, grab the installation file, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Upon launching Google Chrome for the first time, you will be given the opportunity to import bookmarks, passwords, and other settings from Mozilla Firefox. I guess Google assumes that you are coming from Firefox and not from Internet Explorer.
Unfortunately, it is not possible (at least initially) to import your online bookmarks from a service like Del.icio.us. I guess since that boookmarking service is owned by Yahoo!, Google didn’t want to meddle with its competitor. Curiously, there isn’t a lot in terms of Google integration in Chrome either. If you click on an email link, for example, your default mail client launches; Chrome does not direct you to Gmail by default.
Moreover, the default homepage is not iGoogle. Instead, the default homepage is a collection of your most visited webpages. I love this feature, because it’s like an “at a glance” snapshot of your most frequently visited bookmarks. This is similar to the Speed Dial Feature in Opera, only better. Along the side, you also have a search bar, a list of recent bookmarks, and a list of recently closed tabs.
Say Goodbye to Window Chome with Google Chrome
You may be wondering where Google Chrome gets its name. No, the search engine giant was not inspired by hip hop ballers like Lil Wayne and their insistence on chrome spinners and blinged out grills. Instead, it is a reference to the use of “window chrome” found in most applications. Window chrome refers to all the menu bars, status bars, and so on that you’d find in something like Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Google Chrome gets rid of that.
What results is a remarkably clean and minimalist appearance. There is no bar at the top of the window that tells you that this is Google Chrome. Contrast this to just about ever other Windows program. There is also no status bar at the bottom of the screen; this only appears when you hover over a link or when the browser is loading a page. As a result, more screen real estate is dedicated to showing you the webpages rather than all the “window chrome” that normally surrounds it.
This take on the web browser took some time to get used to. It’s certainly different and you may find yourself moving that mouse pointer over to top-left corner to find the file, edit, and preference menus. You may find yourself looking for the home, refresh, print, and stop buttons above the address bar. They’re not there. The referesh and stop buttons are integrated into the address bar instead.
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File and Settings Menus
So, where do you go about finding the file and settings menus? While a program like Firefox has these things set up under a number of different drop-down menus near the top of the screen, Google Chrome has collapsed them all into two smaller drop-down menus instead. The first is the file menu, which is located immediately to the right of the address bar. This is where you can open a new tab, copy and paste, print, report a bug, and so on. Personally, I use keyboard shortcuts more than anything, so this menu isn’t used very much.
The other menu, to the right of the file menu and represented by a wrench, is the settings menu. This is used for seeing your history, clearing browsing data, and accessing the options. Strangely, “exit” is located here and not under the file menu where it is normally found.
Bookmarks and Searching
Although there are very few toolbars in Google Chrome, the developers did choose to include a bookmarks toolbar. This is placed directly below the address bar and you can place “other bookmarks” in a folder off to the right side.
Strangely, if you weren’t specifically instructed, you may not be able to know how to add a bookmark. It’s under neither the file nor the settings menu. How the heck are supposed to add a favorite? While you can use the tried and true CTRL+D keyboard command, you’d still want a mouse-based command as well, right? It turns out that the way you add a bookmark is by clicking on the “star” immediately to the left of the address bar. Handy, but not immediately obvious.
You may also notice that there is no separate Google search bar. That’s because Google Search has been integrated into the address bar. If you need to search something, you type it in there, just as you would a URL. It will automatically suggest both search terms and URLs based on what you enter. If something is reasonably obvious, Chrome will immediately direct you to the correct site instead of sending you through the search results page first.
And yes, all of those handy Google tricks still work, like using Google to do simple arithmetic and currency conversions. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any support for additional search tools, like those used to searching with Wikipedia, Amazon, and IMDB. I really liked that about the Google bar in Firefox.
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Porn Mode… I Mean Incognito Mode
For whatever reason, you may not want to leave a record of your web surfing habits when you visit, ahem, certain websites. I’ll leave that to your discretion. It seems that Google also recognizes this situation, so they have implemented something known as Incognito Mode in Chrome.
All pages that you view through an Incognito window are not stored in history, nor is any of your other activity. Cookies are crushed, search history is destroyed, and so on. Any files that you download, however, remain after your session is done, so if you grabbed certain video content that you don’t want your girlfriend to know about, I suggest you either delete it or hide it very well.
Trouble with Hotmail and YouTube
As great as Google Chrome appears to be, it is not without its faults. Placing aesthetics aside (largely a matter of personal preference), I did run into a couple of notable problems.
First, while it doesn’t happen all the time, I will occasionally run into a situation where I cannot view any embedded videos, whether they be hosted by YouTube, Vimeo, Revver, or whoever. It’ll play the first two seconds (without sound) and then stop. It gives the appearance that the video is getting buffered (the progress bar thing), but nothing ever plays. Loading the same URL in Firefox or Internet Explorer, I have no issues.
Second, Chrome seems to be incompatible with Windows Live Hotmail. I get the above screen every time I log in, but I am still able to click on the “continue” link to proceed. Everything seems to work, but this “update your web browser” screen is annoying, especially since Chrome is based on the same framework as Safari, one of the browsers listed as a recommended choice.
Closing Thoughts
In general, I’m pretty happy with Google Chrome. It seems to load webpages a little faster than Firefox and the incredibly minimalist interface reserves much more screen real estate for web surfing. The menu and favorites system is a little different, but after you learn it, you’ll love it too.
I look forward to future iterations of Google Chrome, as well as what the development community can do for it. Firefox wasn’t fantastic off the bat, but all those plug-ins and add-ons made it a lot better, as did the official updates. I expect much the same for Chrome.
Pros
- Tab-dragging is fantastic (drag tab out to create new window)
- Incredibly simple and clean design
- Individual processes in Task Manager
- Integrated Google search in single bar
- “Most visited” homepage
Cons
- Strange compatibility issue with Hotmail
- Occasional problems with embedded videos
- No support for Del.icio.us bookmarks (or similar services)
- Bookmarking and settings not immediately obvious
- Find (CTRL+F) doesn’t search within text boxes
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
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