Comments on: Google Chrome needs more than hype

If Google's new Web browser is going to gain traction with the general Internet-using public, the search giant will need to do a few things differently, says Jon Oltsik.

[srikat]

I tell you what Chrome needs: The ability to use Firefox's extensions.

The day this is possible, it will rock!

[onlyauser]

Do not trust Google Chrome.

Chrome is spyware mascaraing as a browser.

[pinbrad]

Don't you understand that open source means that you can see the code - unlike that other browser?

[jackrichardson3]

Hey! "Senior Analyst." The point of Chrome is to foster faster and better development of the overall web technologies available today. Google doesn't care if it's browser is adopted by the general public. It cares if it's technology is adopted by others in the browser market....as they've said in their press release and press conference. Does CNet care about covering what REALLY is happening or just fluff for the sake of serving ads to unique visitors on fluff pieces like this? Or do you really not get it and report your stupidity? Just sayin.

[MaverickCentricity]

I'm already using chrome as my default browser. When I first downloaded it, I didn't think I was going to use it until I realized the speed differential between firefox and chrome. I lost a couple features and gained a couple others, but overall, I think chrome is an excellent browser. If google can capitalize on early publicity and success of google chrome beta, and add additional features, I think it has a good chance of greatly increasing its market share, or possible gaining dominance (wishful thinking).

[Gblan]

"Yup, Chrome may achieve the status of "geek sheik,"

What's that? Technology enthusiasts from the middle east? Oh, I see you meant chic, not sheik.

[crapneck2001]

Just like MaverickCentricity, I too installed just to see what the hype was all about. Then, I realized that it is loading pages 50% faster, consistenly. Firefox shortcuts are already deleted. This browser is all about performance, and I love it. Not to mention it flawlessly imported all of my firefox bookmarks and saved username/passwords. Thank you google for innovation, we needed this.

[AndrewRich]

"Geek chic". Not "geek sheik".

[fiman16]

jackrichardson is right. this article is bogus. especially the part about android. In case you didnt realize it, android isnt attracting enough attention and most likely won't be anything new (app store? sounds familiar). Even if it IS used on android, since when do mobile browsers migrate onto pc's? thats ridiculous, and your assumption that it is a key factor in the success of chrome is a really big stretch

[ubahn13]

"Geek Chic", I think?

[rijamo]

I enjoyed and applaud what you are calling the mumbo-jumbo. It is great to see a well crafted message targeted at a technical audience, instead of the pseudo-technical reporting. I am an engineer (on a different field) and I can follow a good explanation. I learned a few new things by reading the Googlebook, and now I appreciate much better what they did. It is nice when someone respects my intelligence and puts the effort into a good presentation.

[agartrell]

Chrome is faster and more intelligently designed than any of the other browsers (and I mean down to the architecture; it's method for handling memory and maintaining separate processes is very intellegent).

And that handwavy nod you gave to CSS and Javascript fails to acknowledge that the internet has been home to browsers that failed miserably to do javascript and CSS _right_. Any pressure to standardize internet markup is positive IMPO

BUT, Google legally owns all of your contributions to the WWW if you use Chrome to make them, which is definitely less than ideal.

[vonbob1]

Not making Chrome available to the Mac Platform ? which is chewing Google up via iPhone usage ? is a per se antitrust violation. Let's make sure the FTC and Justice Dept. are aware of the implications of denying between 5 and 15% of the users access to this product.

Bundling Chrome with Android, the so-called iPhone killer, if ture, is all the more suspicious. Can't Google learn from MSFT's mistakes? Google claims that more than half of the smart phone access points to the Web are now through iPhone ? so there sure seems to be a smoking gun here. How retro. What's the matter with competition? Sorry ? "not for Mac users" just "don't cut it." And yes, I know that the Mac is the best Windows platform in the world ... but I refuse to open my system to all of the collateral damage from Windows '85 corruption.

[jackrichardson3]

Mac Chrome is in development...who said it wasn't?

[UFMike]

I'm a bit confused?

"VONBOB1" - Not opening it up to the Mac population? It IS open to the Mac population, you can actually check the status of the development of thier Mac/Linux Versions. From reading what they said, they wanted the Windows version out there first to get some feedback etc... but there is no implications of denying anyone access? Not sure where you're going with this???

[vonbob1]

Not making Chrome available to the Mac Platform ? which is chewing Google up via iPhone usage ? is a per se antitrust violation. Let's make sure the FTC and Justice Dept. are aware of the implications of denying between 5 and 15% of the users access to this product.

Bundling Chrome with Android, the so-called iPhone killer, if ture, is all the more suspicious. Can't Google learn from MSFT's mistakes? Google claims that more than half of the smart phone access points to the Web are now through iPhone ? so there sure seems to be a smoking gun here. How retro. What's the matter with competition? Sorry ? "not for Mac users" just "don't cut it." And yes, I know that the Mac is the best Windows platform in the world ... but I refuse to open my system to all of the collateral damage from Windows '85 corruption.

[latecircle]

As a share holder what is in this(I am going to catch up to the leader soon game) for me?

[jackrichardson3]

It just means they get to own the cloud computing element (it's core business)...it has nothing to do with owning the browser market.

[baseveer]

Hey its faster and that is good enough for me. You are so not chic :P

[Darth Monkey]

As far as being picked up by the "General Public", this article makes a pretty clear and accurate statement; nobody cares - yet. The blogosphere is aflame, geeks and nerds are fanboying over a google release, and "technical" users, whether they know what they're talking about or not, are posting their opinions on the browser. But as for the real people that take up the *other* 99.9% of the world, they don't really care about a beta release of a browser they've never heard of.

As far as I can tell, the only articles that make sense to me are the ones that show me numbers; solid, proven benchmarks - all of which show Chrome is faster than IW, but slower than Firefox and Safari, although it blows the rest of them away in Javascript.

As far as the browser's future dependance on Android, Google has already stated that they were developed entirely seperately, and don't have any plans on incorporating them since Android's default browser is already one of its big features.

[Thad Boyd]

Mr. Oltsik,

I realize Google has somewhat devalued the term "beta", but you should probably keep in mind that's what we're looking at. Google is trying to attract savvy users instead of casual ones because THE PROGRAM ISN'T FINISHED YET. Yes, you want John Q. Public to use your product -- but you don't want him to beta test it.

As for "focus on security" -- well, somewhere in that "ton of technical mumbo-jumbo" you've read I'm sure you must have seen something about process jailing. Security IS something the developers are focusing on, from the ground up; I'll grant that it remains to be seen how that works out in the long term, but my guess is "better than IE".

[woomyse]

It's CHIQUE and pronounced "sheek"... and apparently considered by some as slang...

Lousy article. loaded chrome, still getting used to it but it's fast and I guess we'll see... I agree the importance here is in the guts of the browser and not in the Marketing announcement or this article. The last time I saw 'Mumbo-Jumbo' there was Rum sprayed to the cardinal points and a chicken had it's neck wrung and it's blood sent to the cardinal points as well...

[eli77057]

Chrome is fast but it's still rudimentary.
Back to IE

[thechromeguy]

Chrome is not just about Hype. I've used it and have made it my default browser. Its performance advantage is easily demonstratable, all we need to do is visit "heavy" applications like Gmail or Yahoo mail etc - the load time is much faster and so is the responsiveness.. I've written more on it here - http://googlechromecommunity.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=28