Search Engines

Google the web search giant has just released its very own web browser named Google Chrome. 
Although Google Chrome is still in Beta stage, I am really delighted by the test drive I gave it today. 
You can download it from http://www.google.com/chrome 
The  installation process of google chrome is simple and fast. Only make sure your firewall allows the installer to connect to the web to download the files needed.

Here are a few things worth noting after just an hour of Google Chrome test drive: 

* Google Chrome once installed can import all my favorites (bookmarks) & saved passwords from IE: a real time saver. 

* the google chrome browser loads fast (less than 5 seconds) and my system “Task Manager” reveals that it uses only about 9MB of RAM compared to 44MB  by Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and 86MB by IE7 loaded with a blank page. 

* The browser interface is clean, simple and efficient: just one toolbar with the basic navigation buttons on the top left corner: back, forward, refresh. You can add the “Homepage” button to your settings. 
 

* You don’t have to be a techie to change the settings: mainly choosing your home page, your default search engine, a few “other tweaks” and things “under the hood”

* Easy to make personal settings: just click on the wrench icon (top right corner) in the graphic above.

It shows the bare minimum items on the menu:
- for displaying a new bar with your bookmarks buttons.

- Clicking on “history” will open your browsing history in a new tab with a search function in it

- the same goes for the “Downloads”

- “clear browsing data” comes handy to clear your browser’s cache and force it to download fresh information from the web server.
- “Import bookmarks & settings” says it all.

- the “Options” opens a new window where you can set your google Chrome browser preferences as shown in the screen capture below:

* one thing that seemed missing was the search box. Well, it turns out the address box have a double-duty of being the search box for your default Search Engine. 

As a web developer, Google Chrome is one more browser to add to my list of web browsers to test websites with before going live. So far it seems to be web standards compliant as far as CSS2 is concerned behaving pretty much like Safari for PC (sorry Mac users I cannot speak for you.)

I am however confident, based on the fact that Google Chrome is an open-source web browsers, that this newcomer in the web browsers arena will try hard to win the heart of the online community.

Happy web surfing and warm welcome to Google Chrome!! 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 at 7:45 pm and is filed under Search Engines, Web Browsers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.