Comments on: Chrome gets Mac deadline, extensions foundation

Google has revealed its goal for releasing Mac OS X and Linux versions of its browser. Also, cutting-edge Chrome sports early work to enable extensions.

[dankeldsen]

Go Go Chrome Mac! Count me as one eagerly awaiting. Stability, speed, standards.

That said, FireFox v3 is pretty solid, even for the tabularly insane (I regularly keep 40-50 tabs open).

[random truth]

I like the webkit browser better download from here. (http://webkit.org/) It is and always will be faster than chrome. On macintosh it works, acts and looks like safari but it is three times as fast. It works with most of safari's plugins and it gets updated daily.

[Hunnter2k3]

I'm loving the newer version, been using it for a little while now.
User profiles, loving that, so useful for me when i use the same site across several profiles.

Also, a little visual change on the bookmarks bar.
It is very tiny, but it is noticeable if you place an older version next to it.

I love the "docking" and tiling windows feature.
This thing is fantastic for comparing or working with several sites.
Now i am not limited by Explorer taskbars not having browser functionality.
Drag a tab to the center of the left / right / bottom.
If you drag it directly to the center, it will half the tabs width (or height) and place it on whatever part you dragged it to.
But if you drag it along the side of the screen before reaching the center, you can tile the tab to the main Window.
I hope they go further with this and add a native split-tab view.

There are a few weird bugs here and there, but it was expected.
The only ones i've noticed so far were some weird "shadow-clone" text from titles on Slashdot, and another strange bug on Myspace with sections titles backgrounds being fractured. (either the images being weirdly offset, or the HTML part)

The Element Inspector still has some strange bugs... but even then, you can always use FireBug Lite i guess.
Now that Greasemonkey is there, you could probably hook it to any websites you want. (hook it by default, but only activate it if you add #your-word-of-choice onto the end of the URL?)

[Shankland]

I'm kind of meh on the new version. The docking feature (which I honestly don't see myself using too much) works poorly on my dual-monitor work setup. Several of the new features have some merit but aren't big deals for me personally. But worst is some memory leak or other issues that cause the browser to mostly hang--I had to quit and restart it, not something I've had to do with Chrome before. It is more bleeding-edge than the developer releases I was using until now, though.

The profiles have appeal--I'll have to think about that. I'd like a password-protected one where I can save passwords for bank accounts etc. without as much worry.

I also discovered what I think is a new feature. If you close a window, then open a new tab, it offers the option of reopening your previous window, multiple tabs and all.

[adegutis]

"Brian Rakowski, Chrome's product manager, said the company wants to release Chrome for Mac and Linux before the first half of 2009 is up. "

By that time many will have given up on, or forgotten about Chrome. Get to it Google. Now.

[dream_fly]

Chrome is the most annoying browser. Yes it's fast but I had to go back to IE because I couldn?t stand it.

Annoyance #1

Go to ebay, search Fishing or anything that will return a long list, scroll to the bottom of the list and click an item. Now click the back button to return to the long list. First you will see the TOP of the list again, within a second or 2, it will move back to the original spot. Now if you are impatient and slightly scroll you mouse, you are stuck at whatever spot you just moved. Sometimes it just wouldn?t move after many seconds. That is really bad for the Black Friday shopping folks.

Yea Firefox also have the Annoyance #1, not as bad.

Annoyance #2

If you have Yahoo email? again scroll thru your list of mails, read any one of them, then Back to the list?and W.T.F?.you have to refresh the page to see the list of again.

IE is a slug but at least is comfortable once you get used to it?s speed.

[Hunnter2k3]

At least ditch IE and go get Firefox / Opera / Safari / other if you don't like Chrome.

IE is terrible in every way, especially 7.

[random truth]

Try webkit.

[shootthecops]

as a linux user, I completely understand google's slow reaction to our operating system of choice. they have received a lot of criticism from the foss crowd, some of which is deserved, but they prove themselves in the long run by offering to chrome to us, even if "eventually". i doubt i'll change from firefox, but i will install their browser anyway, to play with it. the google/linux relationship is one of tough love, but there is certainly love there. thank you google.

[dbloyd]

I hope Chrome eventually becomes the number #2 browser after Firefox. IE should get #3 just from all the old people that still use it. Then Safari in fourth place. I like Safari but on Windows it is terrible.

[seven7dust]

I use Safari as my primary browser on Win XP
Although I'm a minority , I just love how safari handles bookmarks
and it has a really good Website compatibility {compared to opera}
low ram usage {compared to firefox}
UI {is good enough but could use a few improvements}
search Sux though {which is why I use FF in conjunction }

Chrome is good but too much google emphasis !
it's hell of a lot better than IE for sure {have you even used it ?}

[D3vildog699]

Some people just don't like Chrome and like IE, even over FF. Its personal choice.

I'll agree with you on the way safari handles Bookmarks is pretty cool, i have to use it at work on the imac. But its not enough to make me use it.

[DarkHawke]

I'm still disturbed that it's taking so long to get extensions up. Firefox had extension and theme support well in advance of the 1.0 release. Neither FF or Chrome will supplant IE from its dominant position anytime soon, so Chrome has to get users away from FF to get anywhere. They won't do that if they can't compete directly, feature for feature. While they're mucking about tacking on extensions, the Mozilla crew are already closing the speed gap, Chrome's sole strong suit. I could be wrong, but I don't see Chrome making a significant dent in the market, one way or the other. I can see it eventually being de facto abandoned by Google, leaving it to the open-source community to continue it with about the same market penetration as Opera.

[Philips]

Themes were implemented already in Netscape times.
Extensions were new thing of FireFox - and FireFox was built ground up with extensions in mind.
Chrome already jump at once over too many hops. Give them some time.

The difference between Opera and Chrome is that Opera is quite backward on many things. Opera remains niche browser solely because of decisions its makers have made. If Google would want to promote Chrome to wider audience it would obviously make it also usable by wider audience.

[bourgtai]

Chrome is built on WebKit! WebKit was built by Apple! How was OSX not the FIRST operating system on which Chrome was stable?!

[D3vildog699]

most users don't use OSX (Not dissing it) but numbers show windows owns the market, if you wanna compete, you need to release to the majority. That way they could test it with a ton of End Users, get feed back on the main system, such as bookmarks, GUI, and etc. Once they did they could tweak it if they needed to, now it looks like they have what they need for everyone else.

Sucks, but how it goes.

[vanillacokehead]

Don't see anything here yet to persuade me to switch from Firefox. I used Chrome for a couple of months and stopped using it after it made my XP box BSOD three or four times a week...

[Papa G]

NOT FOR THE MAC!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

[alan_06]

Quote:
"As Chrome develops, Google will "expose more capabilities, then expose containers where can you have your own toolbar-like thing. You'll see it evolve over time." "

Yeah... and finally endup with exact features of FF or IE. I seriosly don't think a need for another browser. I just see Chrome as a very basic browser right now and claiming speed or performance or whatever since all it does is just basic page rendering. More you add features , plugins, it's going to be similar to FF.

What's not in matured FF or IE, chrome is going to introduce newly to make it different?

[D3vildog699]

Ding Ding! we have a winner! I always keep to Browsers on my compy, IE (cause it doesn't go away) and FF. To me they are almost the same i just use FF cause i like the customization, but if one breaks i can use the other. Till the day that a browser becomes truly innovative without an intrusive EULA ill stick with my plan.

[Inconnux]

Chrome lasted less than an hour on my system... looks pretty but lacks functionality.

[photog_7]

It still lacks the most basic controls. There is no way to allow pop-ups, which means it is useless for many business applications and some online learning programs. Without a switch to allow pop-ups to be turned on, it's not a serious contender. Yes, I know there's a box to allow pop-up blocking notification, but that doesn't cut it, and it doesn't even work properly. Many online business and learning applications use pop-ups for nearly everything. I still encounter many business sites that won't work properly with anything except IE. Firefox is my browser of choice, but I find that at some point during the day some web site won't work with it and I end up having to use IE.

[maniac42]

Those business sites that don't work with anything except Internet Explorer usually get a snide note to the webmaster from me, something to the effect that I'm taking my business elsewhere. Then, I move along to a friendlier site.

whatever safari is better!

[iBuzz]

Google is actually in a very powerful position regarding the browser. Could you imagine the day when a trip to www.google.com results in a message saying that only the Google Chrome browser is supported by Google now, so if you want to continue your search on Google, click here to download?

Also, doesn't Firefox/Mozilla get most of their funding from Google? You would think that the writing is on the wall for them. The only thing saving them is probably their market share vs. IE that Google does not want to give back to Microsoft.

[DarkHawke]

Leaving aside anti-trust considerations (which I'm sure are already forefront in the minds of both Google execs and federal regulators), the day Google requires Chrome for Google searches will be the day Yahoo and MSN/Windows Live Search take over all but the entirety of internet searches. No one would stand for that B.S., and Google knows it.

And don't forget that Google is really an ad-serving company masquerading as a search/cloud-computing company. They'd pull the plug on their Mozilla deal at GREAT expense, as the tech-savvy/tech movers and shakers are FF users first and foremost. Some use Chrome as well, surely, and some have even entirely booted FF, though I can't imagine why. Regardless, barring the impossible dream of being the IE default search engine, their Mozilla deal is their best guarantee not only of folks continuing to use Google searches just by default (if not by conscious choice), but having the KEY people in the online world use them. They don't just get eyeballs, they get the eyeballs of folks who will drive traffic to Google advertisers. Maybe Chrome eventually gets to a user level at which they feel they can go without the remaining Firefox devotees, but as I said above, so far, I think that's a pipe dream at best.

[ferretboy88]

Linux is about freedom. Google is about spying on people. I will pass.

[mdtrot]

Safari is the fastest on my Vista64 machine. IE7 is agonizingly slow. Safari is a bit faster than IE7.

The only problem with Safari is that it doesn't work right on some sites, and it seems like after I browse for a while, clicking on favorites doesn't work anymore, and I have to close and re-open it.

I wish FF was a fast as Safari.