Comments on: Be sure to read Chrome's fine print

The software maker reserves the right to install updates automatically, among other things.

[n3td3v]

Should we be worried about Google Chrome being used as a tracking device on behalf of the government?

[Penguinisto]

Probably not; you'd have a much bigger problem with fighting ads and having Google's ad-sense department tracking your browsing history.

[rmiller1959]

Just downloaded and fired up the Chrome browser. Two observations:

1) I was running incredibly slowly and that was a surprise given what I'd read and seen in the press conference. I turned off Google Web Accelerator and that solved the problem. Ironic, isn't it?

2) It's "wicked fast" to use the line from the Citibank credit card commercial. Clean interface, too - I'm very impressed. Now if Roboform can adapt to it, I'd have everything I need in a browser

[pjhenry1216]

Isn't the Web Accelerator browser specific? Granted I haven't used it since it first came out, so I may remember incorrectly OR it may have changed. In any case, if it is indeed a browser plugin and not something that runs outside of the browser, I fail to see how it could affect Chrome.

[tothebone]

Download error. The download file failed verification. Error code = 0x80040508. 4 computers now, not a good start as far as I'm concerned. I guess I don't have to worry about the fine print if I can't get to the point where I can read it! Lousy google....

[davidcollantes]

You must have a crappy Internet connection, or be using a crappy browser, or have crappy computers, or the three of them.

[DarkHawke]

So is the auto-update/install clause consistent with the EULAs for Firefox, IE, etc.? Can't say I've ever read 'em, but it'd be interesting to know. Same with the user content thing, though this sure sounds like a new one, outside of things like posts on a web site! ;) The ad clause is one bugaboo that's probably gonna keep me away from Chrome. I loves me my AdBlock Plus and NoScript, and I have little to no expectation to see either extension allowed on Chrome. I know the code is open-source, but I can't imagine there's entirely NO way that the big G will support the tremendous effort involved in producing, launching and supporting a new web browser and not get some kind of tangible benefit from it, e.g., ad revenue or some form of usage tracking. At the very least, I'm gonna wait a good long time before I consider even trying it, just to see what pans out when folks get to workin' it over some.

[vtchuck2000]

Doubt it. Both IE and Firefox requires manual update as far as I remember, or maybe I was able to turn off the auto-update.

[DarkHawke]

Firefox auto-updates, but you can turn it off, or at least force it to tell you that updates are available but not download them. Dunno 'bout IE; thought that was just a part of Windows Update.

[Codey13]

I'm so sick of Ad's I can't stand it.

[smokified]

Get used to it. The reason google is so big and can provide you with their giant warehouse of free software is because of adds.

Advertising funds this site. I am curious, if you are sick of ads, would you be willing to pay a fee for an advertisement free site?

[Penguinisto]

Why does a site require ads to survive? I know of many in the 3D/CG art world whose income is derived from an online store (e.g. renderosity.com, daz3d.com), and has little to no ads (the majority of which point to products in the online adjunct store). The store usually contains either in-house 3d tools and objects, brokered/consignment items, or a combination of the two.

Another way is to split the site between free limited content (some generic forums, image gallery with low-resolution images) and premium pay content (tech support and tutorial forums, full-resolution galleries, etc).

Anyone who thinks that ads alone are the only way a site can survive is still stuck in the dot-com era.

[caguas56]

I dont mind the Ad's. I mind the secret policy of sneaking things hiddent under fine print. is like going fishing. "Here's your bait, have this nice browser and I'll have your freedom" did you get it???

[pjhenry1216]

I'm curious as to how the EULA defines "services." It says content posted to its services are subject to all those deals. I'm not gonna go out of my way right now to find the EULA, but I'm interested in whether that means content posted through bookmarks, etc, or through text boxes on any ol' website.

[d_wade]

when I run Chrome, and only have 1 tab open, why is there 2 or more instances of it in my Task Manager Process list? each taking about the same amount of memory. is it doing background work in separate processes? This is quite strange...

[Imalittleteapot]

Playing with it now. It appears that the browser is one task, and each tab runs in its own process too. So, each tab pops up a process and it boots with one tab already open. So that's two processes. I don't know why they did that, but I'm seeing the same behavior on my system.

[TheTechKid]

If you are running any plugins, those are each run within a separate process as well.

[zenwang]

Please read http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/index.html to understand why.

[Jack K1]

Got it.
Like it.
A lot!

[jture]

"Here's there exact wording."

Uh, no, "THEIR" exact wording. Please at least get your English right.

[Ina Fried]

Thanks for noting... updated now.
-Ina

[stevent1992]

ROFL you are so anal.

[quirK]

I think it is honourable to help others with their English (typos or not), but yes, don't be anal, or there will come a day when idiots will commit spelling mistakes just so they can to spite you. =)

[blooh]

"Traditionally, it is Web pages and not the browser itself that serves ads. Google isn't saying it will change this paradigm, but it's terms of service don't rule that out either. "

Are you kidding? What other purpose could be more important to Gogle than to be able to advertise on ALL webpages, instead of just its own search results!!?

[marcstravels]

Good article. Important to remind us of the fine print most of us, myself included, usually skip over.

[tubaloth]

I'm getting the 0x80040508 error too... I can't figure out why. My co-worker got it just fine.

[Imalittleteapot]

Does anyone noticed Chrome seems to be extremely quick and responsive?

[tubaloth]

It seems something to do with SP2 vs SP3. it seems to work on Sp3?

[kleemola]

Wow. Renders very fast, even compared to Firefox. Makes IE seem so obsolete. Who cares about the fine print? It's about time the software updated itself with all of the security issues with browsers. Take some notes Apple, Microsoft and whoever develops Firefox.

[lxnyce]

More ads, and no hopes of getting something like firefox adblock, since Google now owns the browser. The real reason behind the new browser :).

[smokified]

MOST people skip right past the EULA. Writing this article is almost an attempt to discredit google. I gurantee that if you read just about any EULA you will find those "questionable" clauses in there that anybody who is sightly above moron status knows that they only inculde that crap to cover their *****.

Lets find some real reasons to clog up cyberspace besides pointless blogs on EULAs that people do not read.

[jasoncbcasey]

Does not your stupid comment do the same thing? I am glad people read this crap so I don't have too.

[caguas56]

Do you work for GOOGLE????

[5errr]

good to know. i'm glad someone reads that stuff.

Download error. The download file failed verification. Error code = 0x80040508
I get this with IE8 Beta 2 and Firefox 3 on XP SP3.
I also get this with IE7, IE8 Beta 2 and Firefox 3 on Vista x64 SP1.
I also get this with Server 2003 and IE7.
:(

[Solaris_User]

Did you try curl? .. oh wait Windows.. yeah, I don't know man.. maybe you should reinstall all three of them.. that usually fixes my windows problems.

[dfsmith]

Does anyone see a conflict of interest between section 2 and, say, doing my banking online? Google would have the rights to reproduce and distribute a display of my banking information. What!?