After using Chrome for most of today, I’ve come to the conclusion that, for most people, Chrome is a great addition to the browser world, but for me, there’s so many specific features and plugins I use in Firefox that it’s going to take awhile before I’ll be able to use it as much as I want. However, once there’s equivalent plugins and add-ons for Chrome as the other browsers (like a  Roboform Adapter, for example), I would consider switching. 

Chrome is a welcome addition and great to play around with. Its so fast and I love the privacy options. I would reccomend reading/watching a tutorial before you actually use it because there’s a lot to learn that’s not obviously available. 

So lets take a brief look at some of the benefits behind the scenes:

More Secure (allegedly) because of its “Sandbox” architecture: 

The “Sandbox” is built on a multithreaded,  multiprocess architecture which prevents one tab from crashing another and provides improved protection from malware and other bad sites.

Chrome is open source:

It uses the open-source WebKit project (which Safari is built on) to render Web pages in the browser; most importantly is the shiny new V8, Google’s open source JavaScript engine.  

Faster JavaScript:

This means that applications can be faster, but also that programmers can push the Web application limits farther. More code can be included in the browser which will allow it to open up tons of options for Web app developers. Pichai, a Google vice president of product management, was salivating over the possibilities.

As for usability, its got a number of features that are quite handy:

Tabs:

Tabs are the primary component of Chrome’s user interface. Tabs and everything within them can be   seamlessly dragged between the different windows . Each tab has its own set of controls, including the Omnibox URL box.

Tab Pages:

Chrome replaces the normal browser homepage, which is displayed when a new tab is created with a New Tab Page. This shows thumbnails of the nine most visited web sites along with the sites most often searched, recent bookmarks and recently closed tabs. 

The Omnibox:

The URL box on the top of each tab is called the “Omnibox” and offers several advanced features, including an autocomplete option. However, the option doesn’t autocomplete for teh user, they have to choose it manually. This is a good thing because users can choose whether they want to choose Google’s suggestion or not. The autocomplete feature works with URL’s and searches.

Web Apps:

Web Apps can be launched in their own streamlined window without the Omnibox URL box and browser toolbar. This makes the whole process easier and less resource intensiove, allowing web applications to run simultaneously with local software a la Adobe AIR.

Incognito Mode:

Chrome offers the option of setting your browser tab to “Incognito” mode, where users can surf the web without leaving a record of sites visited on the user’s computer. 

Relies heavily on user browsing history:

This has been added as a plus and a negative, as some people find it really handy to have personalized browsing and others find it inconvenient.

Keep in mind that, unless specifically set to Incognito mode, Chrome records Web sites visited, recently closed tabs, recently saved Web pages, and frequently used search engines. This is how it creates the “New Tab.”

Now for the negatives:

Web Standards are rocky:

The first release of Google Chrome Beta does not pass the Acid3 test (checks how well a web browser follows certain web standards, esp for DOM and JavaScript). 

Its behind as far as apps are concerned:

Obviously its brand new, so this will be remedied with time, but until it is, Chrome doesn’t really have a  chance of stealing the market share for browsers, especially since other browsers are consistently upgrading as well.

Not enough features to inspire the average user:

I don’t think average users will be moving to Chrome any time soon. Better, faster browsing and great features like a user-friendly interface, better security, privacy, and search are wonderful components, but it remains to be seen how many people will  take the trouble of downloading and installing a new browser, let alone learning how to use it.

Overall, I think it has a lot of potential, but time will tell how well it does. It will be more intuitive for those who use Safari on a daily basis. In the meantime, I’ll use it for relaxed browsing and research, but for the really heavy lifting, I’ll stick with my totally customized FF.

Relies heavily on user browsing history:

This has been added as a plus and a negative, as some people find it really handy to have personalized browsing and others find it inconvenient.

Keep in mind that, unless specifically set to Incognito mode, Chrome records Web sites visited, recently closed tabs, recently saved Web pages, and frequently used search engines. This is how it creates the “New Tab.”

No way to manage bookmarks, no option for emailing links and pages right from the browser and various other minor tweaks that will be corrected with later versions of Chrome.