Google Chrome Browser Q&A

Is Google's Chrome Browser based on Mozilla?

No, it's based on Apple's WebKit.

Is Google shafting Mozilla by releasing Chrome?

No. In fact, Google has just renewed their sponsorship of the Mozilla project, ensuring funding until 2011 in return from the traffic that Mozilla sends via its default use of the Google search engine. The CEO of Mozilla Corp says he "isn't worried about Chrome just yet"[1].

What benefits does Google get by releasing Chrome?

By releasing its own browser, Google promulgates a platform well-suited to its advanced applications (Gmail, Google Docs, etc) due to the browser's stability, fast JavaScript, and inclusion of the Gears extension. Also, Chrome reduces the risk to Google from any hostile changes that might be made by Internet Explorer, the market leading browser.

Is Chrome the same browser that is being used for the Android mobile platform?

No, although the Android team also based their browser on WebKit.

Will Chrome run on my computer?

The first release of Chrome is just for Microsoft Windows Vista or XP. Google has said that they are working on versions for Mac OS X and Linux.

What features does Chrome offer?

According to Google, Chrome offers:

• Improved speed, with a new JavaScript engine ("developed in Denmark")
  
• Improved stability, with separate processes for each tab and plugin
  
• Improved security, with a new sandboxing model
• A clean, simple, efficient user interface
• An open source codebase
• A well-tested product (with large-scale automated and manual testing)
• A tab-centric model of browser interaction, with the tabs "on top"
• One "omnibox" for web addresses, search terms or history search
• An automatically-customized home page with thumbnails, search boxes and links
• An "incognito" window for private browsing
• No unwanted drive-by popups
• A streamlined, minimal user interface for web applications
• Communications initiated by the user, not by (possibly-malicious) applications
• Plugins run in a separate process from the renderer, with the web page sandboxed
  
• Integration with Google's service listing malware and phishing sites
• Inclusion of Gears, Google's cross-browser extension API
  

What's the big deal about each tab having its own process?

It's just one of several changes which should make browsing more robust.

Doesn't IE8 already have one process per tab?

Sure. Some of Chrome's features are new; others have been seen before. The decision to give each tab its own process would have been made long before IE8 Beta was released.

The user interface looks just like Opera!

Yes and no. Opera has tabs on top, and the "thumbnails plus search box" home page is very reminiscent of Opera. But there's lots more that's new, such as the handling of pop-up windows.

But I'm happy with Firefox, Opera, Safari or Internet Explorer

In that case there's no need to try Chrome. It's just a beta at this time, and unlikely to be ready for general adoption.

This is yet another platform for which I must test my website

Yep. Gotta move with the times (by the way, you can probably drop Netscape from your test suite now). If your website works with Apple's Safari browser, it should also work with Chrome. If not, Google invites you to file a bug report.

Didn't Google deny that they were working on a browser?

In 2004, Eric Schmidt said "We are not building a browser"[2]. Presumably, back in 2004, they weren't building a browser. In 2006, Eric Schmidt said "We would only do so...if we thought there was a real user benefit". Presumably, they convinced themselves that there was "a real user benefit"[3].

Is this Google's long-rumored Operating System?

As Sun always used to say, "The Browser Is The Operating System". Because Chrome can launch and manage applications, you could say that it appears like an operating system to the user. In its current incarnation at least, Chrome still requires an underlying operating system to support kernel calls, the filesystem and device drivers.

What's with the name "Chrome"?

Developers call the User Interface frame of a browser its Chrome. Ironically, Google says "We wanted to reduce the "Chrome" of Google Chrome. In the case of Webapps, we've made it so you can launch them in their own streamlined window, without the URL box and browser toolbar".

Where can I learn more about Google's Chrome browser?

You can read the 40-page comic that Google produced[4]. It carefully and clearly explains the motivation behind the browser and the features that Chrome offers. Wired Magazine has some interesting historical information[5].

Where can I download Chrome?

Follow the links from http://google.com/chrome

Will Chrome send all my personal details to Google?

Not all of them, by any means. Google describes in detail what information Chrome sends to Google, and what settings are available to change its behaviour. Matt Cutts has debunked the paranoia[6].

How do I know that there's no devious behaviour in the browser?

The Chrome browser is fully open source. You can inspect the source code and then compile it yourself if you wish.

Isn't Google just building on the work of others?

Sure, and they explicitly state that they owe a great debt to other open source projects, especially Mozilla and WebKit.