Google Chrome descends from the Mother Ship: 10 reasons to try this browser

Are you a geek? Start with this comic book explanation of Google Chrome. (Seen the comic? Try this parody of it. Or this one.) Looking for a slightly longer review?

Most of us already have several programs that browse the web (browsers). Why download another browser?

• Click any of the links in the list below for more information. 
• Tips for using Google Chrome.
• Keep abreast of updates to Chrome.
  

If you use more than one browser, I recommend using Google Chrome. I have set my Gmail notifier to show me email in chrome, for example.

Ten Reasons

Here are the reasons, in order of importance, I think you should consider downloading and trying Google Chrome:

1. More secure by design. Very important!
   
2. Better protection from crashes by design;
   
3. Makes your computer run faster (uses less memory);
4. Runs advanced web pages very fast: Test results. (okay, soon Firefox will too, but Chrome is poised to get very fast);
   
5. The best pop-up blocking ;
   
6. Fast browsing (page loading, memory leak protection);
7. Better search features (such as automating Open Search sites);
8. Useful features not found on other browsers, although you can enable a lot of similar features using Firefox add-ons;
9. It's open source;
10. It's easier for developers to create for (incorporates Google Gears).
    

However, I'm going to wait until they add a few more features (and it's been tested a little longer--today is day 1) before installing this for my mother. Here's another review: 7 reasons for, 7 reasons against.

How much faster is it TODAY?

Click the image to enlarge and add IE test results

Does Google Chrome have a security problem ?

Note that you actually have to have Internet Explorer installed for this to work, although in principle it could take advantage of other programs.

So here's the story: Currently, there are places all over the internet that offer harmful files for you to download. Google does a better job than any other company at identifying which web sites have harmful files, and has integrated this nicely into Chrome: they warn you about these places before you can browse to their pages.

So, to get a harmful file onto your computer, and get it cause harm, you have to:

1. Click a link to reach a page with a link click that will download a file;
2. Have your browser fail to warn you that the page has harmful files on it;
   
3. Click the link on that page to open a box asking you to download the file;
   
4. Click "Save" in the box that pops up, authorizing Windows to save that file;
5. Have your anti-virus program fail to block the program from downloading;
   
6. Find that file on your computer and try to run it;
7. Have your anti-virus program fail to stop the program from running.

If you make it through all seven of these steps, it doesn't matter what your browser is. These steps have nothing to do with Google Chrome.

So, how does the "Carpet Bombing" problem with Google's Chrome make these steps worse? In step #3 above, the download box opens automatically, but only if it's a particular type of file (java JAR). Everything else is the same. That's all!

How bad is this, really?

This problem has been known about for awhile now, and was left unfixed by Apple in their Safari browser for several weeks. Microsoft reports that there is no known example of anyone being affected by this (read their advisory about it).

If you manage to find and click on harmful links without realizing and save harmful stuff, and run it on your computer, harmful things can happen. Having the download box open automatically when you reach a page seems as likely to RAISE suspicion as to trick you into clicking "Save."

Furthermore, if you try to run the file from within Google Chrome, Windows Explorer will show a warning (that Google Chrome passed to it) that this file was downloaded from the Internet. (If you close Chrome and browse to it, Windows Explorer will run it without warning).