Group Members

Marinel Hizon, Simon Chung, Kelly Dersch, Noureen Dharani

GOOGLE CHROME AND ITS POTENTIAL

INTRODUCTION

Google Chrome is a free newly released web browser created by Google. Our issue is whether the new browser seems effective enough to achieve widespread use, replacing current popular browsers such as Firefox, Safari and Windows Explorer. First released in September of 2008, Google Chrome is available in 43 languages and offers an attractively simple interface. Unfortunately at this time it is only compatible with Windows operating systems, however it has still managed to convert 1% of the browser market in its 2 months of existence. Currently Google Chrome is undergoing beta testing with a full version soon to come.

HOW IT WORKS

We all use browsers to surf the internet. Some are slow, some are more selective about the pages that they run and some just don’t look as good as others. Google’s brand new browser; Google Chrome was released in and unusual manner, through a comic book that underlines the unique features of the browser that make it more speed efficient, stable and reliable to use. Some features of the browser are as follows:

V8 JavaScript Virtual Machine

• The browser has a V8 JavaScript Virtual Machine which is aimed at speeding up JavaScript performance in the browser. V8 has better garbage collection and automatic memory management which translates to better interactive performance of web applications.

Omnibox

• Its one of a kind address bar called ‘omnibox' which is also a search tool with auto suggest feature. It keeps track of top pages you’ve visited as well as pages you didn’t visit but which are popular. While entering a web address, type it directly into the address bar and as you type Google Chrome automatically searches your browsing history and shows you the number of matches at the bottom of its drop down menu.

Dynamic Tabs

• The tabs are above the screen as compared to the traditional tabs that are placed under the address bar. This makes it more convenient and intuitive to get around. Secondly, by simply clicking and dragging tabs they can be rearranged as well as become separate window.

New Tab Page

• The Chrome browser also features a default home page that’s automatically constructed by the browser based on the sites you visit and search frequently.

Incognito Mode

• The browser also has a privacy mode. The ‘incognito’ window allows the user to browse windows without leaving a trace. Webpages visited and files downloaded in the incognito window wont be won't be logged in your browsing and download histories and all new cookies are deleted once the incognito window is closed. You can browse normally and in incognito mode using different windows. Steps to turn on the Incognito mode:

1) Click the Tools menu

2)Select New Incognito Window.

A new window now opens with the incognito icon in the top left corner.

Task Manager for Websites

• The inbuilt Google Chrome Task Manager(Shift+Esc) is one of the most interesting features that other browsers lack. The utility gives developers an idea about how much memory is being used by each of the different websites. And if any particular one is causing the system to crawl. The user can use “End Process” to close that tab directly from the browsers task manager.

See Memory Used by Different Web Browsers

• If you have multiple browsers open at the same time e.g. Firefox, Internet explorer, Mozilla etc. You can track how much memory each browser is using up and the details of the processes they are running. Simply enter “about:memory” in a new tab of Chrome.

Sandboxing for each tab Processes

• In terms of computers, sandbox means a restricted environment in which certain functions like deleting files and modifying system information, some control panel functions etc. are prohibited. In Google Chrome, each web page and tab process can not communicate with other processes (i.e. they are sanboxed). As a result, this feature prevents malware from installing itself on your computer.

Launch Websites from the Start Menu or the Quick Launch Bar

• Shortcuts to individual websites and applications from within Chrome can be created and inserted on your Desktop, Start Bar and Quick Launch Bar with just a few clicks. Some of these applications can also be used while working offline. Steps to create application shortcuts:

ISSUES

No add-ons

One of the biggest knocks against Chrome is the fact that there are no possibilities for add-ons. Many people have now come to rely on certain add-ons and extensions while surfing the internet. Also privacy concerns have arisen with Google’s terms and service which make many people uncomfortable. There is very little trust when it comes to Google tracking user data, especially considering they can see everything you do while surfing the net on Google Chrome

Privacy Concerns

Another big issue with Google Chrome is the access that Google has to your internet activity. When you agree on their Terms of Service when first installing Google Chrome it essentially allows Google to watch and monitor everything you do on its browser. There are many who are not comfortable with another party having that much access to their internet experience.

Some user complaints

Flash unable to work
Laptops not being able to go on sleep mode
Issues with java applets
Problems with installing while an antivirus software is active

Because Google Chrome is fairly new, and is still at its beta version, it is expected that some problems would arise. Google acknowledges this, and to be able to develop and improve Google Chrome, Google set up a site acknowleding the known issues with the browser.

ADVANTAGES

Speed

One of the biggest advantages and pros offered by the new web browser Google Chrome is most definitely it’s speed compared to the rest of the web browser market. They have built their own custom Javascript environment for their new browser, it has been called the V8 Javascript Engine. Google has dubbed their browser many times faster than the other browsers on the market and it has been put through many tests to prove this claim. It is now been certified as a fact. Instead of being single threaded like most web browsers (meaning when a browser starts a Javascipt process it has to wait until that process ends and if it gets stuck it can freeze) Chrome is a multithreaded browser so it can process several Javascript processes at once. There are certain tests browsers go through and Google Chrome beat Internet Explorer 8 beta 2, Safari 3.1.2, Internet Explorer 7, and Firefox 3.0.1.

Crash Control

Chrome has tab isolation, which isolates a crash on the page where the problem happens. This is similar to other browser but at the same time, Chrome informs the user how much memory is being used up. Some issues that some users are having with Chrome are:

Dynamic Homepage

When a user opens a new tab page, the homepage does not go to a specific site, but instead has picture links of your most visited sites, most use search engine, and the sites with bookmarks. A user can override this dynamic homepage with any specific site he or she wants as a homepage, if it is not the user's liking.

Simplicity

Chrome is very simple as it hides the toolbars and tabs in the two icons at the right of the address bar. Also, when Chrome makes a shortcut to a Web page or application and you go to it, it creates a feel that it is like a desktop application; there are not toolbars and tabs.

Installation

Despite some problems with installation for some users, for most people, installation of the browser is easy and convenient as Chrome detects your current web browser and imports all the information to Chrome browser.

Search Engine

What separates Chrome from the other browsers is that when you search on the address bar (Omnibar), it searches through your browser history, Google, and other sites.

CONCLUSION

The web gets better with more options and more innovation. Google Chrome is an upcoming option. Although it is fairly new, it is showing great potential to become a very popular browser. With its unique features and simplicity, it is very user friendly. Its very easy to adapt to as there are links that helps new users to easily understand the Chrome's vast features. Through our extensive research and consideration, we think that Google Chrome will be a very commonly used browser in the near future. Its unique easy-to-use interface is above anything found in competitive browsers. Google has taken its competition and improved on their errors to make the best product possible. The few problems it has are just technical bugs, not design flaws and we are sure that they will be mended before the final release.