Chrome – Google’s new web browser. Worth It ?

Google’s assault onto the web browser scene

With the recent release of Firefox 3.0 and the forthcoming arrival of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8, Google has made an entry into the web browser landscape.

Entitled ‘Chrome’, the beta version will be launched today for use on Windows 2000/XP/Vista operating systems in 100 countries with Mac and Linux versions to follow. The new browser aims to be lightweight and more memory efficient than any previous browsers.

The new browser uses the open source ‘WebKit’ rendering engine, as used by the Safari and Konqueror web browsers. With the new browser being open source, this will enable developers to further enhance the browser like the successful Mozilla Project behind Firefox.

The browser is also designed to work better with multimedia applications, offers a ‘private browsing’ mode and improved security. In the fight against malware and phishing, Chrome will download lists of harmful sites. As with all modern day web browsers, there will tabbed browsing – albeit at the top of the browser rather than the browser window.

One main part of Google Chrome is ‘V8’, which is a JavaScript Virtual Machine. This will in some way reduce the memory bloat taken up by browsers as well as speed up JavaScript performance.

In a blog post by a Google representative, it is claimed that they “needed to completely rethink the browser”. There has been mixed opinions with some circles claiming that Google’s entry into the browser landscape is unnecessary due to the multiplicity of other browsers being available.

As soon as we download a copy, expect to see a review on the Search Engine Consultants’ blog, same Bat time same Bat channel.

• There is also a useful comic book describing the new web browser.  Click here to read Scott McCloud’s superlative primer on Google Chrome.
• Google Chrome (BETA) for Windows click to download BETA