1. Introduction
It has been more than one month since I began to use Google Chrome, a new web browser Google released to the public on Sep. 2, 2008. As Google says: "Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier."[1] I have seen many students already using it; most of you might have heard of the name at least. Surprisingly, on the first day of its release, almost 2% of all Internet traffic to the 45,000 websites that GetClicky, a web analytics startup, monitors was coming from Google Chrome[2] Moreover, for the first week of its release, about 1.93 million people in the United States, nearly 1.4% of its Internet users, have visited the "Thank You" page associated with the download process of Google Chrome.[3] I do not know whether it is because of people's weariness of using Microsoft Internet Explorer or not, but it becomes evident that there have been demands for a better web browser.
2. Advantages
First, in Google Chrome, there is no "status bar" which is located at the bottom of other web browsers. Of course, you can hide it if you use Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you do so, however, your browser will not show you where the object you are pointing at is linked to and what is being loaded. This might cause you to leave it enabled, though it is a waste of your workspace. Google Chrome solves this problem by showing information when necessary at the bottom as a tool tip is shown. (See below.)
Second, you can drag and drop a tab in order to make it an independent process, or put it into another Chrome process.
Third, a popup alarm is shown at the bottom, not at the top; this prevents shoving down the whole content.
Beside these things, there are still many advantages:
- Faster JavaScript Interpretation
- Site Sandboxing
- Simple User Interface
3. Disadvantages
The first time I used Google Chrome, I had a little difficulty in locating its menu bar; there is a button that shows menu items. I usually press an ALT key to see menu items, but it doesn't work on Chrome.
Second, there are no mouse gestures; it does not support page scrolling by the center button of a mouse, which is a very convenient feature to me, while Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox do.
Microsoft Internet Explorer Mozilla Firefox
Last but not least, obviously, Google Chrome does not support Microsoft ActiveX. It is a big problem when using Korean websites as they are making use of ActiveX too much especially in Internet banking systems. I know this is not a problem of Google Chrome. I am just complaining about this dependency which is definitely not advisable.
4. Conclusion
I personally believe that Google Chrome is a well-written and attractive program though there are still some minor problems; the major advantages keep me using it. Since Google Chrome is open-source, there will be tons of plug-ins for it sooner or later to meet users' full satisfaction; it is just a matter of time.
5. References
[1] The Official Download Page of Google Chrome
[2] Michael Arritington, "GetClicky Analytics Service Tracking 2% Google Chrome Usage", TechCrunch
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/02/getclicky-analytics-service-tracking-2-google-chrome-usage/
[3] Stephen Shankland, "Study: Chrome reached nearly 2 million in U.S.", CNET News
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