Google Chrome – Redux

When I originally reviewed Google Chrome I did at as a home user. I’d just got my mits on it, installed it, browsed with it and gave my comments. And they still stand – it’s not very exciting and the speed increases they spoke about, I can barely notice them.

However, having spent some time reading more about the Chrome browser it becomes evident that this is far more important that it may first appear.

First of all, we have the OpenSource V8 JavaScript engine – written from scratch in machine code (rather than a higher level language, as others are).

Secondly, we have the fact that Chrome manages each tab as a seperate process. This means if a website crashes, it only takes down that tab.

Lastly, we have the various commands that can be typed in to display memory and process managers. A bit like the information on Windows Task Manager (you know, CTRL, ALT, DEL).

All of this means two things…

1. Once we get the plugins and all the other nice stuff that makes Firefox so cool and froody, this could pan out to be a superb browser.
2. If Google is not (and the moment they say they’re not) intending this to be their own OS then I’ll eat… my arse.

And by that second point, I mean the Chrome has all the components that makes it an OS – everything runs in separate processes, with memory and process management, etc. We all knew that with so many applications going online, then something as basic as a browser was the future of OS’ (although you still need something “backend” to run it on, and sort out hardware, etc) and this certainly looks like that way.

And, I’ll be honest, as a Beta release Chrome is pretty damn stable and un-buggy.

Now I just want to be able to change that default theme…

Tags: Chrome, Firefox, Google, Software, Windows

Category: Reviews