Google Chrome: Feedback and Why I’m (Mostly) Reverting to Firefox
So after about a week of heavy usage, listening to other folk and reading up on other articles — I’m sticking with Firefox for the time being.
My personal experience using Google Chrome was pretty interesting — because even though the browser was quite a bit faster, I had a big concern over security. My normal behavior in Firefox would be to close out of the browser or tab after I was done using it; typically I’d close out of the browser completely after I was using secure websites for an extra peace-of-mind. With Chrome, I would remain logged into sites for even a day after I had closed out of the browser.
Well, TG Daily reports that I’m not alone experiencing or noticing this phenomenon: Google Chrome is a Security Nightmare, Indexes your Bank Accounts. In a related article, Computerworld has reported that Google bends to Chrome privacy criticism, where Google changed its policy because of the pressure Google received.
Reacting to criticism that its new Chrome browser was essentially acting as a keylogger, potentially recording users’ every keystroke, Google Inc. yesterday said it would render anonymous the data it collects from the browser within 24 hours. — SOURCE: Computerworld.com
I like the speed that Chrome offers, but the security is still pretty scary to me. The ability to delete history is a bit tricky as well; you now have layers of history based on “time” and “function” that you can delete. So instead of just “cookies” — how far back do you want to delete them? A day? A week? For all time?
Bookmarking is easy enough and (fortunately) you can import all of your bookmarks from Firefox into Chrome. I thought the bookmarking in Chrome was reminiscent of del.icio.us and FireFox 3.0, where you “star” URLs instead of “tag” them, though admittedly it begs you to be careful — watch where you’re putting those bookmarked URLs. I thought it was easier to bookmark the URL than to retrieve the one I wanted without relying on Google to help me out.
The “coolest” thing about Google Chrome was the ability to drag and pull windows apart. This is a really great feature for people who work in multiple browsers at the same time — especially if they have a desktop with multiple monitors.
So the verdict is: Google Chrome is definitely an uptick in speed and technology, but the privacy is definitely still a concern for me. Additionally, much of Chrome’s functionality is based on how Google retrieves the data. If Google continues to bow to public pressure, then I’m wondering whether or not the interface will change as well.
Do you have thoughts about Google Chrome? If you have installed the browser, I’d like to point out that you can contact Google directly and send feedback to them. Here’s the Google Chrome Home Page. Here’s the link to send feedback to Google about Google Chrome.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
It’s my understanding that Chrome was made and released as a bit of a statement. “Hey, we think browsers should be like this, so we’re gonna make an example, and then all browsers with responsive development teams (mostly firefox, but IE too) can add the features that people like.”
They want rich web applications to be faster and more a natural part of your computer experience. The feature of chrome that I liked the most was how the “chrome” of it, the browser-specific frame and buttons, mostly vanished. Actually, if you used the button in the upper right to “create an application shortcut,” it could disappear entirely. That’s almost all I use the browser for now. All the websites I visit that are applications as well, live on my desktop as if they were normal programs. I don’t open a tab to gmail, I open gmail. Blogger, facebook, nearbygamers…I find it pretty spiff.