September 3rd, 2008

Google Chrome ... the day after

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 7:58 am

Categories: Software, Thoughts

Tags: Google Inc., Web Browser, Google Chrome, Web Browsers, Internet, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

So, Google Chrome has been around for a few hours. What effect has it had on the Internet so far?

Well, let’s begin by looking at market share. I’ve been watching data from two sites which have been tracking google Chrome market share and the results so far are quite interesting.

Here’s the data from NetApplications:

Based on NetApplications data, Google Chrome market share peaked at 1.48%, well above the August market share for Opera.

Another site collecting data is GetClicky, and this site currently shows Chrome having a global market share of 2.74%, again, well above that of Opera.

It’s too early to draw any meaningful conclusions from this data, but the fact that Google Chrome managed to beat Opera’s market share in a matter of a few hours must be a worry to the folks behind Opera.

Another positive aspect of Chrome is speed. The findings of my early testing of Google Chrome has now been confirmed by other independent tests. Chrome is very fast.

But the press that Chrome’s been getting has not all been positive. Both the EULA and browser security have come under scrutiny.

A lot of Google Chrome related myths have popped up too. Let’s take a look at a few.

1. Google Chrome means another browser for web developers to deal with?
   False
   Google Chrome is based on WebKit and that means that what renders properly in Safari should render properly in Chrome. Most developers check their websites using Safari so this new browser isn’t an additional burden.
2. Google Chrome ties you into Google services?
   False
   You are free to choose whatever search engine and online services you want to use.
3. Is Google spying on you as you use Chrome?
   False
   Since Chrome is open source I expect that there are literally thousands of developers digging through the source code as we speak. That makes any kind of tracking unlikely to say the least.
   Matt Cutts of Google has more to say about how and when Chrome reports to the Google mothership.
4. Google is pulling support for Mozilla?
   False
   The other day Google extended it’s financial relationship with Mozilla for a further 3 years.
5. Chrome scores 100 on the ACID 3 standards test
   False
   The best score I’ve got is 76 but others are claiming 78. Either way, it doesn’t score 100.
6. Chrome supports Firefox extensions?
   False
   There’s no support for Firefox extensions in Chrome.
7. Is Google is out to crush the competition in the browser arena?
   False
   This seems unlikely given that Chrome is open source and other browser makers are free to take advantage of the underlying technology …
8. There’s nothing new or original in Chrome
   Oh really …
   What about fully draggable tabs, a built-in task manager and a JavaScript engine that treats the code as compiled … all those sound original to me.

My take …

I like Google Chrome but it’s far too early to to switch to it as my default browser. However, I do like the fact that it seems very reliable and capable of handling dozens of open tabs with ease. Draggable tabs also make organizing web pages much easier. I can see myself using Chrome quite a lot, but for now Firefox remains as the default browser.

[UPDATED: Matt Cutts clears up the EULA conspiracy theories ...  

Well, glad that's sorted!]

Thoughts?