Google just launched today their new open-source browser called Chrome. They're now adding a new element to the browser wars along with IE, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Opera. This is a really smart move from Google towards building their Google OS.



So, will I use it as my preferred browser? Well, YES and NO. YES, as I will use it to quick launch my gmail, reader, igoogle, gdocs and blogger apps (each taking around 50MB in machine memory resources). But NO, as far as non google-apps web browsing is concerned. I will stick around with Firefox. But the beauty with Chrome, is that it wonderfully works besides a firefox process.

In this post I'll try to show the new features that aren't present in the other browsers, and then I'll list what's missing in Chrome that I really like from the other browsers.

What's new AND interesting?



One of the big problems with Firefox and IE, are memory leaks. After a couple of days of running non-stop those browsers, even if you close all the tabs, you'll still get a 300 MB hit in your memory resources. Opera is the most efficient and the fastest for that matter. But Chrome revolutionizes the traditional approach as it creates a separate process for each tab, each eating their own memory chunk. So this means that when you need to free up some memory, you simply need to close old tabs and that memory will be immediately released. This is a big plus for Chrome. All other browsers could follow that approach as well, in my opinion.



Second, Google team claims to have created a faster start page. Well, actually, Opera software has created the concept and implemented it in their Opera browser. Give credit where credit is due. What Google did, was put in some improvements, as it also yields the latest bookmarks, besides the most visited pages. And the most visited pages cannot be edited, whereas in Opera, the user gets to choose which page to keep as a start page.



Third, Google created an incognito mode, that way you can do some cof porn cof searching in stealth mode. Ok, this could be useful.



Fourth, google gears is built-in, which is nice. They allege the javascript engine is faster and more efficient (V8 they call it).

Fifth, you can run web apps in a special web-apps mode that make your app experience feel more like a desktop experience. This is particularly valid for google apps, of course. Cute.



What's missing AND important?



First, I couldn't install firefox add-ons: I really really need the del.icio.us add-on.

UPDATED Second, I couldn't create bookmark shortcuts I couldn't create bookmark shortcuts but I could create opera-like search engine shortcuts. I really really use those shortcuts all the time. Heck I programmed some for the new Ubiquity extension for Firefox (I was WOWed by that one, I can tell you). Too bad I can't sync them with del.icio.us in chrome. Finally, I wish they could enable a 'POST method' option, like in opera.



What could be improved?

Well, things could be improved if only google bookmarks and google web history were seamlessly synchronized with Chrome ... However that could fire-up anti-trust laws.

Bottom-line

UPDATED I would use Chrome rather than firefox IF and only if i) it really proves out to be more memory efficient and faster, ii) they manage compatibility with the firefox plug-ins or create their own plug-in system, iii) they enable bookmark shortcuts (such as Opera's or Firefox's).

Finally, Why is chrome a big deal? Chrome IS a big deal, because it reminds us all that, whatever we want to do with the internet, we have to do it through a browser. It reminds us all that today's browser paradigms are ill-equiped for the future as far security matters, as far as efficiency matters, as far as smart development matters, and even as far as collaboration, sharing and social networking matters. This is Google's statements: "Guys, wake up! Today's browsers just aren't adequate enough for the webtop/cloudlife. Here's our take. Now improve it, please." The proof that today's popular browsers are ill-prepared are all these new browsers or powerful add-ons like Chrome, Ubiquity, AlchemyPoint, Strata from Kirix, Greasemonkey, and even Flock, the social web-browser, that springle into the scene on top of old-paradigms (kind-of like everything being built on top of the dinosaur x86 architecture). Finally, what's in for Google with this new browser? Google's move is crystal clear: they don't never ever want to make a business model out of a browser. What they do want is that the internet becomes ubiquitous. They want that everything we do, we do it on the internet, within the browser. Never resourcing to desktop apps ever again. Why? Because the internet is their turf! It's their comfort zone. Their ultimate horizon goal is that we spend 100% of our time on the internet, so they can grow on their search ads revenue. THAT's their cash cow, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

Wanna see more? Check out the comic on Chrome, to get an interesting walk-throuhg.


And you, what do You think about chrome? Will you use it?