Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products Lists
  • Developer
  • 5G
  • Security
  • Cloud
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Tech & Work
  • Mobility
  • Big Data
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • CES
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Top Products Lists
  • Developer
  • 5G
  • Security
  • Cloud
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Tech & Work
  • Mobility
  • Big Data
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • CES
  • See All Topics
  • Sponsored
  • Newsletters
  • Forums
  • Resource Library
TechRepublic Premium
Join / Sign In
Enterprise Software

First Look: Google Chrome

By John Sheesley September 2, 2008, 6:19 AM PDT

Image
1
of 35

First Look: Google Chrome

After years of speculation and anticipation, Google has waded into the browser application arena with Chrome. How does it stand up next to Internet Explorer, Safari, and Firefox? Here’s a look.

First Look: Google Chrome

The initial file you download from Google is ChromeSetup.exe. It is only a 475Kb executable and when you run it, it downloads more data from Google.

First Look: Google Chrome

After the download completes, Google’s setup program begins the installation.

Unlike most Windows installation programs, you don’t have any options or control over what’s installed or any program locations. You also can’t see if there’s anything else being installed. Chrome’s installation program simply installs Chrome with settings defined by Google.

First Look: Google Chrome

When the installation completes, Chrome displays this screen. You can now change some defaults by clicking Customize. Otherwise, Chrome will create shortcuts and pull in bookmarks.

First Look: Google Chrome

Chrome imports bookmarks from Firefox. Even though Internet Explorer is installed on this test machine, Chrome didn’t seem to pull it in.

First Look: Google Chrome

Naturally by default Chrome defaults to Google as its default search page. However, you can change it to another search engine.

First Look: Google Chrome

Once you’ve chosen all of the basic settings, Google displays this page.

First Look: Google Chrome

Here’s TechRepublic under Chrome.

First Look: Google Chrome

When you click the Wrench icon for settings, you see this screen. The choices on the Basic tab are reasonably self-explanatory.

First Look: Google Chrome

The Minor tweaks tab allows you to have Chrome save passwords for Web sites you visit. You can also set download locations.

First Look: Google Chrome

The Under The Hood tab gives some more control over Chrome. Most interesting is the Use DNS Pre-fetching checkbox.

This checkbox allows Chrome to resolve addresses of links on a page in advance. This speeds up access to those links when you click them. Chrome doesn’t precache the linked pages, just the IP addresses of the links.

First Look: Google Chrome

Scrolling down the Under The Hood tab. Here you see a setting for Phishing and Malware protection. You can also control cookies and SSL settings here.

First Look: Google Chrome

As viewed in Task Manager. Here’s how much memory Chrome uses.

First Look: Google Chrome

Like all modern browsers, you can load multiple tabs under Chrome. What does it do to memory usage??

First Look: Google Chrome

As you can see, each tab loads up a new chrome.exe process. Memory usage jumps dramatically, but not as much as Firefox 3.0 running the same tabs.

There’s a processor spike usage here.

First Look: Google Chrome

As you can see, loading up all of the TechRepublic tabs has spiked processor usage.

First Look: Google Chrome

The culprit is the Video tab on TR.

First Look: Google Chrome

On our test machine, the Flash plugin crashed, showing this error.

First Look: Google Chrome

Reloading the Video tab after the crash displays this error. It eventually comes up with no error.

First Look: Google Chrome

Chrome vs. IE 7

Chrome vs. IE 7

Chrome and IE render the TechRepublic home page very similarly.

First Look: Google Chrome

Chrome vs. Safari for Windows.

Chrome vs. Safari for Windows.

Even though both Safari and Chrome are created using WebKit, it’s interesting to see that Safari For Windows renders fonts quite differently on TR than Chrome.

As you can see, there seems to be a different default fault and anti-aliasing.

First Look: Google Chrome

Chrome Vs. Firefox 3.0

Chrome Vs. Firefox 3.0

Like it did with IE, Chrome renders TechRepublic just about the same as Firefox 3.0

First Look: Google Chrome

A nice feature in Chrome allows you to add a URL to the desktop of your workstation or to the Start menu and Quick Launch bar.

First Look: Google Chrome

Chrome includes a Private Browsing feature called Incognito mode. This will prevent the browser from retaining history and cookies on sites you visit temporarily.

First Look: Google Chrome

TechRepublic in Incognito mode.

First Look: Google Chrome

Chrome includes its own Task Manager to see what’s going on under the hood.

First Look: Google Chrome

Chrome’s Task Manager allows you to kill individual Chrome processes. You can see CPU and memory usage for each process.

First Look: Google Chrome

If you click Stats For Nerds in Task Manager, you’ll see this special Web page. It shows detailed memory usage, including page file memory as well as actual RAM usage.

First Look: Google Chrome

Here you can see the effect of loading all TR tabs. Memory usage is lower than with Firefox 3.0, IE, or Safari For Windows loading the same tabs.

First Look: Google Chrome

Chrome also has its own Download Manager.

First Look: Google Chrome

The Download manager appears across the bottom of the screen. You can see how much is left to download.

First Look: Google Chrome

If you click Show All Downloads, you’ll see a detailed list of what’s downloading in Chrome, including what’s recently featured. You can click the link to display the information.

First Look: Google Chrome

Download pop-up windows can display content. Here’s a PDF in a Chrome download pop-up.

First Look: Google Chrome

A unique feature to Chrome is the ability to tear off loaded tabs into new windows.

Click the tab you want to tear off and hold the mouse button down. When you drag the mouse, you’ll see a thumbnail of the torn window appear.

First Look: Google Chrome

When you release the mouse button, the torn tab appears in a new Chrome window.

  • Enterprise Software
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    First Look: Google Chrome

    Your email has been sent

Share: First Look: Google Chrome
Image of John Sheesley
By John Sheesley
  • Account Information

    Contact John Sheesley

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of John's content

TechRepublic Premium

  • TechRepublic Premium

    Hiring kit: Business information analyst

    PURPOSE A large segment of internal and external modern business now takes place on computers, tablets and other mobile devices. The information technology infrastructure that has sprung up around that business can be daunting in its scope. This Hiring Kit from TechRepublic Premium provides an adjustable framework your business can use to find, recruit and ...

    Published:  March 26, 2023, 12:00 PM EDT Modified:  March 27, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Grant writing guide

    PURPOSE This grant writing guide from TechRepublic Premium will help you identify a grant that fits your idea, build a team to help you compile a proposal, and set a timeline to meet the application deadline. From the guide: BEFORE YOU START This list of steps will help the grant writing process go more smoothly. ...

    Published:  March 26, 2023, 12:00 PM EDT Modified:  March 27, 2023, 6:00 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Guidelines for building security policies

    PURPOSE These guidelines from TechRepublic Premium will help you define the necessary ingredients of a security policy and assist in its proper construction. They’re designed to work hand in hand with the subjective knowledge you have of your company, environment and employees. Using this information, your business can establish new policies or elaborate on those ...

    Published:  March 23, 2023, 12:00 PM EDT Modified:  March 24, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Hiring kit: Artificial intelligence architect

    PURPOSE Recruiting an Artificial Intelligence Architect with the right combination of technical expertise and experience will require a comprehensive screening process. This Hiring Kit from TechRepublic Premium provides an adjustable framework your business can use to find, recruit and ultimately hire the right person for the job. From the hiring kit: DETERMINING FACTORS, DESIRABLE PERSONALITY ...

    Published:  March 23, 2023, 12:00 PM EDT Modified:  March 24, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium

Services

  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information

Explore

  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Twitter
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on Flipboard
© 2023 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Property of TechnologyAdvice