“What the hell is that?” were my words when I first used the Google Chrome browser, the earliest of all the versions. Not because I didn’t liked it but at that time for me Firefox and Opera were faster and less bug prone. Sometime we see that something which is not good or up to the mark when we first see it but gradually climbs to the top, same is the case with Google Chrome. The recent version v10 surprised me not only with the speed but with the security and interface.
V10 Chrome did make me stop in my tracks but this time I was in its favor. As the Web sites have become increasingly complex, streaming media becomes more common, and applications migrate from PC-client-based to Web-based, it becomes increasingly important for browsers to be as fast and responsive as possible. In fact, if you spend most of your life in Web-based apps, a speedy browser has gone from being a nice-to-have to a must-have. Google Chrome became the fasted of all the browsers in market.
This latest release, version 10, appears less than a month after the previous version, and its JavaScript performance has once again leapfrogged all of its competition. It seems that other browsers need to sit tight and work a lot in order to compete with this speedy giant. Its revamped Option interface, improved security and better syncing when put together made it a winning upgrade.
1.) Performance with Compatibility
JavaScript Performance
Version 10 incorporates Google‘s new Crankshaft JavaScript engine, which the company first showed off in December. In its Chromium blog, Google claims that Crankshaft offers a 66% improvement in JavaScript performance as measured by the V8 benchmark suite.
The results of the Sun Spider test.[Chrome 10 and Opera 11.01 are in a virtual dead heat in the Sun Spider JavaScript benchmark tests. IE8 brings up the rear, but the IE9 RC leads the pack. (Smaller numbers are better.)]
For viewing results of other performance test click here.
Swift Setup
Even the setup process shows Chrome’s commitment to speed: Just click the Install button on the Chrome Web page, and you’ll have the new browser up and running in less than a minute, with no wizard to go through and no system restart.
Built-in Flash and PDF Support
Chrome is the only browser to come with Adobe Flash built in, rather than requiring a separate (and annoying) installation. And not having to perform the frequent required updates of the Flash plug-in separately is another boon—it updates automatically with the browser. But not that this sandboxing only applies to the Windows 7 and Vista versions of Chrome at this point.
Chrome boasts a PDF reader as well, so you don’t have to worry about installing any Adobe plug-in for viewing specialized Web content. When you load a PDF, an intuitive toolbar shows when your mouse cursor is in the southeast vicinity of the browser window.
From this, you can have the document fill the width of the window, show a full page, or zoom in and out. By default, you can select text for cutting and pasting, but I couldn’t copy and paste images. You can print the PDF as you would any Web page.
2.) Security
Adobe Flash Sandbox Support
Chrome 10 includes the hotly tipped Adobe Flash sandbox feature, which has beefed up security as it prevents malware from interacting with the rest of your system, providing users with a safety net whilst viewing Flash content. [Currently the sandbox is only available on the Windows version, though this version undoubtedly needs it the most.]
Sync and Encrypt
The new version of Chrome adds password management to the browser’s data sync feature that allows you to access the same Chrome settings across multiple computers.
Google has also added a new passphrase-based data encryption feature that allows you to secure your saved passwords should your data ever get hacked (to prevent account hijacking).
It’s not clear whether Chrome’s encryption feature secures just your passwords or all your synced data. Google also doesn’t mention which encryption standard it uses with its sync feature, only that the company “uses a cryptographic key generated from your Google Account password.”
You can choose to encrypt your data using your Google Account password or special passphrase of your own choosing. To encrypt your data go to “chrome: //settings/personal” and follow the instructions under “Sync.”
Set Up Syncing: Keep in mind that if you use a passphrase for Google Sync, you have to use that password to access your data across all PCs you’ve enabled with Google Sync. If you lose or forget your password, you will have to reset Sync through your Google Dashboard.
This will erase all your synced data on Google’s servers, but not on your desktop. So you will have to re-enable Google Sync to retrieve your data across multiple computers after resetting.
3.) Privacy
These days privacy is as big a concern as security. Chrome’s Incognito mode (much like IE8′s In Private feature) lets you move around the Web without leaving traces of your activity. As I’ve mentioned, you can use your extensions while in the mode. Chrome’s feature has an advantage over IE8′s in that you can have one tab in Incognito mode while viewing others in public mode. But the browser has no parental controls, so you’re on your own in policing your child’s Web use.
4.) Visuals
Easier To Navigate
On top of this the familiar Options window has now been integrated into a web page, along with a search feature for quick-access to your preferences. One advantage of setting opening in new tab is that it makes it easier to navigate your settings, and not have to keep track of a floating browser window getting lost under all your other open application Windows.
Web apps can now make use of Chrome’s background pages feature, meaning you can choose to still receive notifications even after closing a tab. Chrome places an icon in the system tray (Windows & Linux) or a context menu on the dock icon (Mac OS X) to notify users they still have a background page running.
Interface
Minimalism has been a specialty of Chrome since its first beta release. Tabs are above everything, and the only row below them holds the combined search/address bar, or “Omni bar.” Optionally you can display bookmark links in a row below this. And the control buttons on the top-right of the browser have been reduced window to the absolute minimum—just one.
Instant Search
One of the best things to be added to Chrome in a while is the instant search. Start typing a Web address in the Omni bar, and before you’re even done, a page from your history or a search result page is displayed below in the main browser window.
Tabbing
Chrome also still sports excellent tab implementation. Tabs are prominent at the top of the browser window, and you can drag them out to the desktop to create independent windows (and drag them back in later) or split them side by side à la Windows 7 Aero Snap.
5.) Extensions
A.) Extensions are accessible from the Tools submenu of the Chrome customization menu, which appears as a wrench at the top right side of its program window. In typical Chrome fashion, rather than opening a window for that purpose (as in Firefox), what opens looks like a Web page listing installed extensions. To fill it up, you can head to the Extension gallery, which is linked from this Extensions page.
B.) A checkbox for each extension allows it to run while you’re in incognito (private-browsing) mode. Enough users must have complained that extensions disappear when you enter that mode; it makes sense that you might still want to run your Ad Blocker while in the private mode. In comparison, Firefox’s extensions always work in its private browsing mode, as do IE8′s Accelerators and WebSlices.
Chrome’s groundbreaking, minimalist application window continues to let the Web page shine unimpeded, Excellent security through sandboxing, Instant site prediction, Easy installation, Excellent tab implementation, Themes, Extensions for customization, Bookmark and preference syncing, Tab process isolation, Strong support for HTML 5, Built-in Flash player and PDF reader, which has influenced the user interface design of all those competitors. If you want a fast and fluid Web experience, Chrome can’t be beaten.
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