Ten frequently asked questions about Google's Chrome web
browser
- What is
it?
- What technology
does it use?
- Why do
we need it?
- What is
different about it?
- Will it
be safe?
- Will it
mean the end of other browsers?
- What does
it mean for corporate IT?
- When will
they have a version for Mac and Linux OS?
- Why should
I worry about Google Chrome?
- What's all
this about a comic book?
1. What is it?
Chrome is Google's
attempt to re-engineer our interaction with the Internet.
Google says it
can make a browser that is
faster, more stable and more secure than
Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Older browsers were not designed
for today's interactive web use, and keep breaking down.
Now that we do everything - working, shopping, banking, playing
- on the Net, insecure clunky old browsers, which were designed for
a bygone era of searching texts, are costing us time and money.
Google hopes
to address this with the Chrome browser. Some describe Chrome
as a web application platform that can also surf pages.
According to some tests, Chrome is twelve times faster than
Internet Explorer.
Test
whether your browser is compatible with current web
standards>>
2. What technology does it
use?
In technical terms, it's a new
web browser, built from scratch, that recognises
Java
Script, which became the de facto standard for web
applications, wasn't being handled ideally. So, according to
Google, they designed a browser that interacted the way they'd like
their own applications (such as Google Apps) to be treated.
Chrome includes V8, a JavaScript engine which is the foundation
of Chrome's efficiency improvements. Developers used
Apple's WebKit and
Mozilla's
Firefox.
3. Why do we need
it?
For end users, the browser has been a limiting factor to what
they can do on the web. The Internet has outgrown its original
purpose. It's no longer about accessing text, but about using
web-based, thin-client applications and multimedia. Every
application needs a proper host environment to perform reliably.
Software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing become more
realistic when the enabling browser is re-engineered
Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 are revamped versions of the
original browser concept, which was not designed with today's users
in mind. Who knew then how the industry would develop? So there's
only so far these old technologies can be stretched.
Google says it can create a much more efficient browser by
starting from scratch and
using open
source code. Inherent in the design is a paring down of the
code and the creation of modular design that gives the browser more
flexibility. By separating out different functions, and letting
them run independently, Google argues it can save us from the
modern phenomenon of crashing browsers and lost tabs.
4. What is different about
it?
Chrome has a complete rebuild, compared with Internet Explorer 8
(IE8), with a different architecture that allows different
functions to run independently. For example, it gets around the
crashing browser problem by allowing each browser tab to be a
separate process. So if your shopping tab crashes, you don't lose
all the research material you'd found on another tab.
Like IE8, it has a privacy mode, Incognito, that
allows you to
browse anonymously, without anyone gathering information on
which sites you have visited.
The debate about technical pros and cons has only just
begun.
Developers meanwhile, need a browser that can be an application
host platform.
The main differences are that Chrome is built on Open Source and
uses
multi
threading.
5. Will it be safe?
One major difference is that hackers should find it harder to
get damaging code onto your computers via Chrome, because it has
been designed to stop people tampering with core code in other
applications.
According to
independent
testers Google's Chrome browser is outperforming the latest
"stable" builds of both Firefox 3 and Internet Explorer 7. In one
test, (see link below) Chrome (with 78 out of 100) outscored
Firefox (71) and IE7 (14)
However, it was outperformed by Safari 4 (100), which was also
built on Apple's WebKit framework.
6. Will it mean the end of other
browsers?
In the short term, it
won't affect other browsers. In the long term,
its influence could go beyond browsers. It might even threaten
the likes of Windows XP or Vista. If one day Chrome manages to
seduce the general public into accessing their applications
online, it could be argued, an operating system on their PC,
which excludes other applications, might be redundant.
7. What does it mean for
corporate IT?
From a business perspective, there are good and bad points.
Google wants more people comfortable with using the web,
because that will encourage more use of web applications,
such as
Google Apps. What is good for the web is good for Google, as
they say at the company.
But,
from an IT director's view, the browser based client layer is
by far the riskiest part of the whole application stack. It
comprises lots of scripts from many different sources, mixed with
AJAX tool kits, gadgets and all kinds of mysterious codes.
8. When will they have a version
for Mac and Linux OS?
Google will only say
these
are in development, and don't give a release date. Google
offers to let interested Mac users know by e-mail when Google
Chrome for Mac is available.
The Windows version is
available now>>
There are
alternative sources, if you are feeling adventurous>>
9. Why should I worry about
Google Chrome?
Some
security bugs have
already been reported, which
Google has been
quick
to remedy with
various patch
releases.
Early user complaints are that there are no add-ons, which means
no advert blocking.
Some security researchers have
reported that Chrome allowed files to be downloaded automatically
to the desktop.
Another early complaint is that it was difficult to close.
The privacy option might encourage a lot more inappropriate surfing
at work. On the other hand, it is easier to handle and imports
all your old Firefox bookmarks and passwords.
A spokesman for Germany's Federal Office for Information
Security has said Chrome should be approached with caution
because the beta version's security is untested.
10. What's all this about a
comic book?
Google's Chrome browser was first announced in a
comic book drawn by
Scott
McCloud, which was
leaked
to Google Blogoscoped.
Useful links:
Listen to the podcast>>
Read the editor's blog>>
External links:
Omniture SiteCatalyst first to measure site metrics using Google
Chrome browser>>
The Google Chrome conspiracy theories>>
Why
I'm switching back to Firefox>>
Google agrees to Chrome privacy changes>>