Webupon

I downloaded Google’s Chrome Browser as a ‘Beta’ in September 2008,  the Public version became available in December of that year.

The first thing I found is that it loads extremely fast.

As an example, I clicked on the Chrome Icon and on another Browser. I had this article copied and pasted into Triond and was pushing ‘Publish’, (after a quick eyeball of it)  BEFORE the Other Browser is ready to take an address.

I know it sounds incredible, but Chrome is a slick stripped down Browser which, unlike the others that have to get every single possible bell & whistle loaded and ready,  (along with all the tool bars and all the features of all the tool bars), Chrome loads Chrome.

Another feature is that the address bar is also the search bar.  To do a search of Chrome I simply type it in the address box.

 I had no problem importing passwords or bookmarks so Chrome was good to go.

Another feature I liked was that Chrome placed the sites I’d visited as large ‘thumbnails’ on the front page so all I had to do was click.  It is easier than having to search a bookmark or even to start typing an address. Also, the last set of tabs I closed were placed together so that one click and the entire set were loaded. 

I’d been doing research on a facet of American history, and had three different sites in three different tabs last night when I logged off. There are the three sites listed, and a simple click gets the browser with its three tables loading.

Besides loading itself faster than other browsers, it  also loaded sites faster.

I noticed  I pick up less malware with Chrome than with the others.  When I do a CCleaner after using Chrome, there are far less tracking cookies, etc.

This is because Chrome allocates each tab to fit into its own process which prevents malware from installing itself. Further, what happens in one tab doesn’t effect what happens in another.

I understand Chrome operates on a  ‘least privilege” principle where each process is stripped of its rights and can compute, but can not write files or read from sensitive areas.

Malicious software is unable to sniff credit card numbers, interact with the mouse,  or instruct Windows to “run an executable on start-up”.  Whatever that malware might be, it will be terminated when the tab is closed.

Because of this, there isn’t a BSOD, (Blue Screen of Death when all Processes crash) but a “Sad Tab” when one process crashes.  Everything else is unaffected.

As to Add Ons and Plug Ins, those I’ve tried or downloaded via another process tend to work on Chrome.

Go ahead and give Chrome a try; its free.