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Chrome Browser Out of Beta

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

Just 100 days since its launch and with more than 10 million active users, Google’s Chrome browser has shed its beta status.

Your Blog contributor Ed Hassinger posted a beta review back in September. According to a Google blog post earlier today, users of the 1.0 version will find better stability and performance of plug-ins (particularly video), even faster performance and enhanced bookmark features.

Note to avid Firefox users: You might want to check out Lifehacker’s tips on how to enable Chrome’s best features in Firefox.

Posted in Tips, Web Browsers | 2 Comments »

Parental Tips for Kid-Safe Web Surfing

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

As a follow-up to my recent post about selected Web sites that are ideal for younger children, what can parents do to prevent kids from landing on sites with inappropriate content?

The first thing is to take time to explore the Internet with your child. It can be a great experience to share and learn new things together. If you can’t sit with them, at least try to have a direct line of sight to increase your awareness of what they’re doing. You don’t have to crowd them; just keep a watchful eye on the screen to make sure you approve of the Web site they are viewing.

If you are unable to sit with your child or keep an eye on what they are doing, there are programs that can filter Web sites so that your child does not wander into the dark Internet alleys. Net Nanny and CyberPatrol are good examples of Web browser filters. They will scan for key words that you select, and you can directly enter Web addresses that you want blocked. To find more software Web site filter/blockers, simple look them up on a search engine like Google, Yahoo or MSN.

If you are lucky enough to have Vista Ultimate on your computer, you already have what’s called Parent Controls. It gives you the option to restrict access to certain sites, downloads and programs. Plus, there are timer options that control when a Windows account can be in use and for how long.

You can also control Internet access with a router. Almost all new routers, LAN and wireless, can be programmed to block sites. The problem with this is that it’s impossible to block every objectionable site. Plus, Web sites come and go fast; it’s impossible to keep up.

Finally, try to make sure your home computer has passwords set on all accounts. It is cute for every member of the family to have his or her own Windows account logon. However, not everyone creates a password. A child could power on the computer and get on to the Internet with someone else’s account, which may not have an Internet filter. Make sure it is you who is in control of the computer.

Posted in Security, Techno Tots, Tips, Web Browsers | 2 Comments »

Chrome Browser Has Many Shiny, New Features

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

After what seems like decades, I finally have installed Google’s Chrome. Having one unsuccessful attempt under my belt, I was surprised at how quick and easy it was. Google even took the high road and didn’t ask (or forcible act) to make Chrome the default browser on the PC or change Google to be the default search engine.

Since we all live in a quick fix, I need it yesterday, nothing exceeds like excess world, I’ll skip to what I personally like and dislike about Chrome. Your mileage may vary. In the interested of full disclosure, I’m probably a browser power user and I tend to stick mostly with Firefox.

Plus:

It is very quick.
Page rendering works well across common, popular Web sites, i.e. Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook, etc.
It feels like other browsers. For example, the same message bar above the page, similar key shortcuts for new tabs, pages et al, and the “star” icon is used for bookmarks.
It has a simplistic design. Chrome has a minimal toolbar with no wordy menus. Even though the browser history isn’t robust, it lets you find what you need in an attractive way.
The URL bar nicely doubles as your search bar.
It has tab isolation, which prevents the browser from crashing if a single Web site causes one tab to fail.

Minus:

Plugins – Other than the basics (i.e. Java, Flash) there aren’t any right now. Surfing without Adblock is a huge drawback.
Bookmarks – It seems like FF and IE just can’t get this right. Chrome is no exception, and needs to improve this as well. It simply isn’t easy or intuitive to organize bookmarks. Also, someone needs to develop built-in bookmark synchronization and sharing features a la Del.icio.us.
It’s too simplistic – It took me a while to learn you can’t access your bookmarks from anything but a new tab, and this is a major inconvenience. Having no “Home” button is a bit unusual. These can be changed, although the settings are somewhat buried.
It’s not simplistic enough – Google kept it minimal, but added a lot of items that didn’t need to be front and center. For example, the main “Page” icon has entries for “Create application shortcuts,” “Encoding,” “Developer,” “Report bug or broken Web site” and “Text zoom.” While great features, most users will never use any of them. If you right click an image, your popup menu gives you 10 ways to view or save that image. Excessive? Google is focusing Chrome more for Web applications, not simple Web pages. The more you focus on the Web application, and avoid the UI of the browser, the better.

Personally, I’ll stick to Firefox. However, Chrome does have a place in the world. For casual Web surfers it is a great choice, particularly if you go to dynamic, JavaScript-heavy Web sites. I suspect Chrome would be great browser for moderately powered, Internet-centric, ultra-mobile PCs like the Dell Mini. From a business perspective, some bugs, security flaws and an unusual licensing agreement might minimize corporate use.

I’m curious if Google will provide money long term to Firefox, or focus more on Chrome. Should Chrome adopt the addons of Firefox, and maintain the speed it currently has, it could very well become the new reigning king for this generation of browser wars.

Posted in Reviews, Web Browsers | No Comments »

Is This Browser War Worth Fighting For?

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Today, like many other people, I downloaded Google’s browser Chrome to take it out for a test drive. At the time I didn’t and still don’t understand the need for yet another browser. Mozilla has the popular Firefox. Apple has Safari. Microsoft has IE. Opera Software has Opera. There is even the divergent version of Firefox called Flock. Between these, every major operating system is adequately covered. Google even funds Mozilla to make Firefox. Isn’t that sort of a conflict of interest? Do we really need yet another browser?

However, there is a tool for every job. So I thought I’d see what Chrome has to offer. Certainly, Google will draw upon criticisms of Microsoft to make a better browser. Or so I thought.

The installation was not without problems. For starters, Google only allows you to download a small stub. The actual installer is really a larger download that silently installs itself. I waited over an hour. I’m not sure why this would be the case, given Google has tens of thousands of servers around the world. Also, given their loyal followers, it seems like making the full installer officially available over bittorent would have made sense. My coworkers downloaded it no problem; a regular installer would have been nice for file copy purposes.

Upon the start of my next attempt, I was greeted with the following error:

The “Help me fix this” link was completely unhelpful. After rebooting and trying again, I’m an hour into my second attempt. It is stuck at about 90% this time.

I did hear a lot of comments on how fast it was, but I never really thought Firefox (or even IE) was that slow. That seems to be its greatest advantage. Google might learn what Microsoft already knows: Writing software for every specific computer is not without its challenges. I saw a lot of posts about proxy servers and anti-virus conflicts. Those are certainly not the issues you want if Google plans to have Chrome preinstalled on PCs.

Will another browser mean more work and testing for all the Web sites out there? Probably. Chrome and Safari do use the open source rendering engine webkit. Those browsers (as well as the IE 8 beta) therefore pass the Acid 2 test. However, it appears no one is doing too well on the Acid 3 test.

I’m sure Chrome will eventually be that quick download that most people install by accident when they update Flash or WeatherBug. Google has deep enough pockets to stick it everywhere. If it is simple and quick, they’ll get the causal/novice browsers. The power users, I suspect, will stick with Firefox after the shiny, new feeling of Chrome goes away. For now, Firefox has unparalleled amount of free powerful add-ons that pretty much let you do anything. IE 8 does have a lot of new features, but it still more or less lags behind the other players in several areas.

But for now, I give up. I know this is technically beta software, but come on. Gmail has been around for years and Google still calls that a beta, too. I’m sure I’ll get it to work in time, and blog about the browsing experience. Consider this post a cliffhanger. I could still see me loving or hating Chrome after I get it installed.

I think it’s great that there is competition between all the browsers, but I’d much rather see something completely new from Google. A Google Maps if you will. I think we’ll have enough browsers available if and when Google (or the next great software powerhouse) creates the next great cloud computing application on the Internet.

Posted in Reviews, Web Browsers | 11 Comments »

Firefox 3 Add-Ons

Friday, July 18th, 2008

Now that my favorite Web browser has been released, there are many exciting features that will enable you to personalize Firefox 3 to suit your needs. There are many add-ons, extensions and plugins available for download. I have installed many of these tools and seen no decrease in performance from this browser. Other browsers would be bogged down and slow to respond with all the cool features. It reminds me of the Timex commercial a few years back: “Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”

One of my favorite add-ons is Foxy Tunes 3.0. It allows you to turn any Web site with music imbedded into a playlist. This works great for me since I enjoy all types of music while I am working. It also supports more than two dozen players, including iTunes, WinAmp, MediaMonkey and Pandora .

Other Firefox 3 add-ons include Appearances, Bookmarks, Social and Communication, Dictionaries, Feeds News and Blogging — and of course everyone’s favorite topics, Photos, Music and Videos. Some of the most common applications are listed on the plugin section of Mozilla’s Web site. Not only are these additional tools available from Mozilla, but many other sites as well, including Download.com and Jason Bartholme.com.

Firefox 3 add-ons are available for Linux users, too. We sure don’t want to exclude our Linux followers since Firefox3 is the default browser within Ubuntu.

In closing, I would like to mention that the Mozilla Labs developers have started an Extend Firefox 3 Contest to encourage development and innovation in Web experience. Applicants will need to hurry and submit your entries. The deadline is July 28, 2008. Good luck and enjoy all the fun stuff Firefox 3 has to offer.

Posted in Productivity Software, Tips, Web Browsers | No Comments »

Firefox 3 Download Day Logs More than 8 Million Takers

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

Firefox 3 Download Day got off to a rocky start. Mozilla servers just were not prepared for the number of users looking to install the new browser. Word is a server crash halted the downloading for more than two hours, but the Mozilla OPS Team scrambled to add more server capacity. At one point, the number of downloads attained a rate of 14,000 per minute.

At the close of the 24-hour period, Firefox 3 downloads exceeded 8 million — an awesome feat! Now the people of Guinness World Records will take a few days to review and verify whether a new download record goes into the books. You can check for final details over at the spreadfirefox Web site.

In a gesture of good sportsmanship, the Internet Explorer development Team from Microsoft sent a cake to the Firefox team to congratulate them on a shipping the new browser.

Posted in Web Browsers | 1 Comment »

Firefox3 Update

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Let’s not forget about the Firefox 3 Download Day tomorrow, June 17, 2008. There is still time to make your pledge. Mark your calendar for this World Record Setting event that will truly become one of the most talked about events in tech news.

I have yet to find a time when this will take place. Hopefully, Mozilla will release some information later today. There are currently 225,074 pledges in the U.S. and 1,366,109 pledges worldwide.

Posted in Web Browsers | 1 Comment »

Latest Mozilla Firefox 3 Update

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Mozilla Firefox 3 release update has finally arrived. According to the Mozilla Development Center the scheduled release date is Tuesday, June 17, 2008. The development phase of more than 34 months has finally paid off. Let the download parties begin. If you have not registered to take part in setting a new Guinness Book World Record for the most downloads within a 24-hour period there is still time to join a party or host one yourself. March 31, 2008 marked the 10th year anniversary release of the source code. According to Mozilla Party Central the party is going to last all year. I for one enjoy any party that lasts a whole year.

I encourage any and everyone around the world to take part and make a pledge to be a part of this momentous occasion. Who knows when we will have another chance at breaking a Guinness World Record.

Posted in Web Browsers | 4 Comments »

Firefox 3 Fans Target World Record for Downloads

Friday, June 6th, 2008

Mozilla is about to release Firefox 3 to the public and users all over the World are getting ready to set a Guinness Book World Record this month - date to be determined - by having the most downloads in a 24-hour period known as “Download Day 2008.” There is a lot of circulation about the download day in spreadfirefox forum. Release Candidate 2 is already available for download testing in more than 45 languages.

Update: Just saw on Techmeme that Mozilla just set the date: Firefox 3 is coming on June 13 June 17. I’ll follow up with another post later today.

There are many improvements with this release compared to previous versions. For instance, FireFox 3 is based on the Gecko 1.0 Web rendering platform that has been in development for the past 33 months. It also has more than 14,000 updates and improvements added in the Release Notes. To run Firefox 3 your system must meet some Requirements.

Once it was downloaded to my Dell Inspiron 1720 system I could see a vast improvement in speed compared to previous versions. The first thought that crossed my mind was, “Hey, Mozilla must have outdone themselves on this version.” I soon realized that I was correct in my assumption and the final version was still being tweaked for release. After playing around for a while I was very pleased with its performance and capabilities. There are way too many additions to mention here (more posts to come, though).

I also have a Dell 1420N Ubuntu system that has the latest version of Ubuntu installed which Firefox 3 beta version is the built-in browser for “Hardy Heron” 8.04. It also works extremely well with this Linux Platform.

Like any new platform, there are some bugs and known issues with this release that will need to be worked out. Mozilla has a site to report any bugs that you may have during the testing phases.

While Firefox 3 isn’t for everyone, I for one think it is an extremely worthy browser and I am looking forward to using it in my day-to-day Internet browsing. I am also looking forward to posting more Firefox info here on Your Blog.

Posted in Desktops, Laptops, Operating Systems, Web Browsers | 2 Comments »

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