Google Chrome, great, another browser to deal with

Since everyone else is talking about Google’s Chrome web browser, I suppose to a good web nerd, so should I. My first reaction to Chrome was, “Really? Another browser? Perfect…just one more thing to test and debug when I build my web sites.”

As if having to check my sites and applications in IE6, IE7, Firefox, Safari, and soon IE8 wasn’t enough, now I have to check things against Chrome too. I know Chrome is the newcomer and thus underdog by default, but lets all realize that this is Google. They have a knack to lure people in, and usually Google’s offerings are pretty solid.

I’ve only been using Chrome for a day or two and only here at home, so it hasn’t gotten much heavy use for casual browsing. But so far I’ve noticed a few things I like and a few I hate.

Like Firefox (and IE7), Chrome has tabbed browsing. This is almost a norm now, but Chrome lets you drag tabs out of and into windows. I use a lot of tabs when I’m on-line and in Firefox you have to choose to “open link in new window.” While this is not hard, it’s often a annoyance. Chrome fixes this and does so very well. Neatest part is it doesn’t matter which tab you drag to/from. If you create Window B out of Window A, you can then drag A into B (or B back into A)…whichever, pretty slick.

Chrome also lets you resize large text fields in forms. Right now I’m writing this in a large text entry field and in the bottom-right corner is a little drag icon that lets me resize this field without any extra trouble. In a world where sites don’t consider how much people type into teeny weeny input boxes, this is a very nice feature.

Chrome has also forgone the typical status bar at the bottom of the window with a fancy overlay. At first, the lack of status bar really bothered me because it’s just so “standard,” in Windows apps. But Chrome’s status bar comes and goes as needed when things are happening.

So now for the not so good stuff. First off, where’s my Home button!? OK, Google, I know you’re all about minimalist design and efficiency, but the classic Home button is a staple that people (even the savvy ones) are not ready to let go of. The Home button isn’t on by default, but you can enable it through the options menu at least.

But on the topic of the Home page, Google’s attempt at being novel and convenient has a default home page of your Most Frequent Site, complete with thumbnails of the site. I know the whole show-the-site-before-you-go fad is catching on, but in the context of a home page isn’t it a bit unnecessary? Don’t I know what my top six pages already look like? If NYTimes is in my Top 6, chances are I know what their web page already looks like - no need for the thumbnail. Cute but honestly…

Chrome also prompts users with alert-style bars instead of out right modals or pop-ups. I’m all for dialogs when they are straight up yes/no choices. I think we’re all so trained to ignore alert bars at the top of pages that we just won’t see these little “hey you” moments and might miss some things. Chrome’s download manager (or lack there of) is also a bit odd. I took me a few to figure out exactly what Chrome did with my download and how to make the little notification go away, but I’ll chalk that up as just learning curve.
This last gripe isn’t really fair because Chrome is in super-beta mode right now, but what about plugins and toolbars? One of Firefox’s selling points are the tons of plugins you can install. I speak on this as a developer, but also as a person that uses Google plugins (like Google Notebook) all the time and rely on them as a part of my browser functions. You’d think they would support their own plugins out of the gate…but I’m sure that’s to come.

Of course, Chrome boasts a bunch of “engine” improvements that make it superior to all other browsers, but in reality, that doesn’t matter much. People that use the browser as a job tool are the minority. To the normal web surfer, engines don’t matter as much as ease of use and security.

And a bonus of Chrome is the manual/guide that is a comic book explaining how Chrome works. It’s cute and well done and is certainly memorable. Honestly, I think comic book manuals are the best way to teach people. It’s something the Japanese have done with their manuals for decades. I don’t know why we haven’t adopted such a method over here. Pictures and scenarios are far more memorable than words and number tables. But anyway…

I’ll still put my trust in Firefox - although Firefox 3 is not really impressing me so far - but I have Chrome installed and will no doubt use it when developing. Maybe once it grows up a little and supports/offers more plugins and add-ons I’ll come back to consider it as heir to the throne.