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…

They’ve finally done it – Google have announced their own browser. Google Chrome (odd name).

What? You’ve not realised? I don’t think I’ve seen such a software release (beta too) plastered over the media (top of the BBC’s technology news!).

I was expecting it to be Gecko based, like Firefox, as Google and Firefox have been working very closely recently. But it’s not – it uses Web Kit, like Safari. Having said that, Web Kit does pass the mighty Acid3 test.

Anyway, it’s released tonight and, like the true geek I am, I’ll try and get hold of it. Will their servers take the strain any better than those when Firefox 3 was released?

In the meantime, you can keep yourself entertained with some screenshots. And if you’re REALLY bored, you can read its own comic book.

Now, I might be a touch influenced by the fact that I work for the company, but the new Boots.com website, launched today, is so, so much better.

The previous version was poor in every respect – it rated badly for accessibility, it’s images were of a low quality, it was incredibly slow and just… well… bad. In fact it was so damn shoddy I can’t even find an old, working version at archive.org to show you.

The new one, created by Salmon, is superior in every respect. It even validates really well (with the exception of a rogue ampersand which creates loads of errors) – very rare in the current world of Amazon and even the rather plain Google.