Introducing Google Chrome, the company's newly launched
open-source Web browser.
Certainly looks promising, though I'm not yet ready to give up using Firefox! You can check out Google Chrome and download the free software here:
http://www.google.com/chrome
Let us know what you think!
Yann
Joined on 02-18-2004
New Hampshire
Yann, I played with Google Chrome for a bit yesterday afternoon. It works pretty well, but is quite different from both Mozilla and IE. It imported my bookmarks seemlessly. I don't know if I'd regularly use it, but it certainly is a good first attempt at the browsing market by Google.
Joined on 03-21-2001
Los Angeles
I have tried it and like it.
First I read the online comic book, and the engineering ideas made a lot of sense to me. Yet I cannot see how, as some bloggers/columnists say, this threatens to replace the operating system.
I think it could substitute for Firefox, but not quite yet. It is beta, and needs some refinements; one that I noticed, that kept me from using it for a project, was that I did not find a way to change the page layout for printing -- for some documents I want to specify margins and where, how and whether the URL, title, page numbers appear on the page.
Joined on 02-26-2002
Saturn
TechSoup Member
You definitely want to check this article out before you decided to download:
From Cnet News:
September 2, 2008 11:59 AM PDT
Be sure to read Chrome's fine print
Posted by Ina Fried http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10030522-2.html
In particular, some folks may be interested in reading about the automatic downloads and the new privacy rules.
Peace,
Fresh!
Might also want to be aware that 'Google Chrome' is really just Apple Safari re-badged and packed with some additional dial-home junkware... and even at that, an older version of Safari suffering exploits that were patched (in the 'Safari' version of Safari) months ago.
It appears that what Google is really trying to do with Chrome is to generate a major paradigm shift for Internet users... Google wants the ability (through Chrome) to be able to push any software or advertising they like directly to our computers in the form of it being an 'enhanced function' or 'software module' of Chrome - and for us to agree to it by default, by installing Chrome.
I will be treading very carefully with this one and definitely not installing it until it comes out of Beta (which may be never if other Google applications are an example). Unfortunately Google aren't exactly known for playing nice when it comes to marketing and the almighty dollar.
I haven't tried Chrome yet, but reports that I've heard were less than impressed.
True about Safari, but in the beginning Safari was a knock-off of Konqueror the KDE Browser/File Manager. That's the nature of free/open source software development. You start with a project that is most of what you want and extend it how you need.
The article cited in a previous comment simply shows that Google is treating this the way it treats everything, as a service. The terms of using the service(software) are the same as they are for all of Google's services. Basically, we reserve the right to exploit anything on our servers for the promotion of our service. We are a company whose revenue model is based on advertising. Your use of the service means you will be subjected to Google Ads.
If you use any of Google's services you should be used to this by now.
I recently installed both Chrome and IE 8 Beta 2.
Still dont have much to report on Chrome other than being "unremarkable". No great features jumped out at me, but no fatal flaws either.
As for IE Beta 2, on my maiden voyage with it I opened my company's outlook webmail site, and was greeted with an error that said IE was shutting down. When it automatically reopened, it convently went right back to the outlook webmail site. I thought that was pretty neat until it crashed in the same place.... and brought me back to the same place.... and crashed in the same place.... I had to turn the computer off to get it to stop! Not a great first impression....
I like the tab management better than Firefox, but I haven't been totally blown away by anything. Text entry in boxes (like typing this reply on the forum) has been a bit weird. Major lag in rendering properly onscreen. I did a screen capture in the middle of typing this and posted below.
Joined on 06-15-2007
TechSoup Member
Apparently Google just coped and pasted some of the privacy text from other products and had to rewrite it after people read it and complained.
here
official response from Rebecca Ward, Senior Product Counsel for Google Chrome:
"In order to keep things simple for our users, we try to use the same set of legal terms (our Universal Terms of Service) for many of our products. Sometimes, as in the case of Google Chrome, this means that the legal terms for a specific product may include terms that don't apply well to the use of that product. We are working quickly to remove language from Section 11 of the current Google Chrome terms of service. This change will apply retroactively to all users who have downloaded Google Chrome."
Loosely translated...
"Huh... we don't read our terms of service any more carefully than our end users do."
Joined on 06-09-2003
Davenport, Iowa USA
Now I understand the same terms of service in google apps
Dave
Joined on 02-18-2004
New Hampshire
Dana, I ran into the same issues as you have displayed while using Google on Tech Soup. I got so frustrated. Tim, thanks for the chuckle, I nearly spit out my coffee.
Tim, I think you've hit it! Which is a bit frightening, when you think about it.
I could definitely get a lot of work done with nothing but a browser, but Google needs to first add an SSH client extension, and a WebDAV extension.
I see this being the future of netbooks. No traditional OS, just Chrome.
BTW I haven't tried Chrome yet 'cause I only use Mac & Ubuntu. However if the Linux/Mac versions aren't out soon I'm going to cave and install XP in a virtual machine so I can play.
-n8
-n8... if you use a Mac you are probably already using Chrome. It's just an earlier release of Safari rebadged.
Tim IMO you are spot-on about Google not being aware of what's in their own licenses - The license for Chrome is really worth a read if you want a laugh... one clause particularly stands out:
-----
Google Chrome Terms of Service
2.1 In order to use the Services, you must first agree to the Terms. You may not use the Services if you do not accept the Terms.
and
2.3 You may not use the Services and may not accept the Terms if (a) you are not of legal age to form a binding contract with Google (sn)
-----
OK... So in Australia you must be over 16 years of age to download and/or use Google Chrome (because acceptance of the license is required before you can download it and 16 is the legal age at which someone can enter a contract) - In the USA, I believe the age is 18 years.
So has anyone seen a disclaimer to the effect that minors are not permitted by law to download Google Chrome, due to the terms of the Google Chrome license?
In Australia it is illegal to provide a service accesible to minors yet restricted to persons of a certain age without displaying a "clear and concise disclaimer" advising minors of this fact... I'm sure the same exists in the USA and other countries.
Google are so ignorant of their own license conditions they happily breach the laws of most countries on earth and provide Chrome to people in breach of their own license.
I think Homer says it best:
D'oh!