Google's new(ish) browser Chrome was declared to be out of beta, which presumably means that Google is happy with it. True, it's very fast - partly because, compared with Firefox, it is under-featured. Also, its download feature is very clunky - I never know whether the downloaded item is going to be displayed automatically or I have to specifically open it in the relevant application. I do like the combination of address and search bar, however - saves time - and the new page feature, with its mini-versions of regularly used pages is good - but hasn't Opera had that for some time? So how's it doing in the marketplace?
Well, Information Research readers are probably a choosy lot when it comes to browsers and, over the past year, Google Analytics reports the following browser choices:
1. Internet Explorer 428,457 67.45%
2. Firefox 147,886 23.28%
3. Mozilla 31,770 5.00%
4. Safari 15,787 2.49%
5. Opera 7,283 1.15%
6. Chrome 2,245 0.35%
7. Konqueror 696 0.11%
8. Netscape 536 0.08%
9. Camino 215 0.03%
10. Mozilla Compatible Agent 95 0.01%
Down at number 6 on the basis of more than 600,000 visits - some way to go, then.
Showing posts with label Google Chrome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google Chrome. Show all posts
21 December 2008
02 September 2008
Google Chrome
The bloggers are abuzz with news of Google Chrome - the new browser from Google to be released today at, if my reckoning is right, 7.0 p.m. (UK time). The browser is described (in a very techie fashion) in an online comic from Google. There's also a more user-friendly description and some screenshots.
The memory management system would seem to be a big improvement on other browsers, but I suspect that Chrome will not take a big part of the browser 'market' - the vast majority of people still use whatever comes with what they buy, which means Internet Explorer and an increasing proportion use Firefox - 24% of those who access Information Research, for example. So, I think that, in spite of the strong brand association with Google, Chrome will struggle to make much of an impact.
Later note: 45% of readers of this Weblog use Firefox!
Later still: well, now it's out and the bloggers have been furiously testing. The conclusions seem to be that Google has something here (why is that not a surprise?). Chrome is faster to load and does a number of things faster than either Firefox or IE. The memory management seems to be a winner, since when you close tabs in Firefox a lot of memory associated with those tabs continues to be used, but with separate processes controlling separate tabs, when a tab is closed, the associated memory ceases to be used. For me, it does seem to load pages faster and I quite like the rather restrained user interface. It takes a little time to become accustomed to having the tabs right at the top of the screen, and I found myself closing them accidentally but otherwise, I haven't experienced any particular problems. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
And more: one idiosyncratic aspect of Chrome, which doesn't work for me, is its download function. Click on download and a small pop-up appears at the bottome of the screen, which you then click on. The options do not include "Save" - which is simply crazy. I think Google ought to re-think this one - it's messy and counter-intuitive. Perhaps the urge to be different has been taken to far.
The memory management system would seem to be a big improvement on other browsers, but I suspect that Chrome will not take a big part of the browser 'market' - the vast majority of people still use whatever comes with what they buy, which means Internet Explorer and an increasing proportion use Firefox - 24% of those who access Information Research, for example. So, I think that, in spite of the strong brand association with Google, Chrome will struggle to make much of an impact.
Later note: 45% of readers of this Weblog use Firefox!
Later still: well, now it's out and the bloggers have been furiously testing. The conclusions seem to be that Google has something here (why is that not a surprise?). Chrome is faster to load and does a number of things faster than either Firefox or IE. The memory management seems to be a winner, since when you close tabs in Firefox a lot of memory associated with those tabs continues to be used, but with separate processes controlling separate tabs, when a tab is closed, the associated memory ceases to be used. For me, it does seem to load pages faster and I quite like the rather restrained user interface. It takes a little time to become accustomed to having the tabs right at the top of the screen, and I found myself closing them accidentally but otherwise, I haven't experienced any particular problems. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
And more: one idiosyncratic aspect of Chrome, which doesn't work for me, is its download function. Click on download and a small pop-up appears at the bottome of the screen, which you then click on. The options do not include "Save" - which is simply crazy. I think Google ought to re-think this one - it's messy and counter-intuitive. Perhaps the urge to be different has been taken to far.
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