Google's
Chrome was already the default browser on the
VAIO NW we handled a month ago, and now the
Financial Times delivers confirmation of a wider distribution deal between the search giant and Sony. According to the report, new VAIO laptops and desktops will come with Chrome preinstalled -- an "experimental" arrangement -- and, most importantly, will default to Google for both their homepage and search queries. Pair this with the agreement to bring
over a million Google Books to Sony's e-readers, and you start to see some
clear lines being drawn in the sand. Intriguingly, Google is said to be pursuing similar distribution pacts with other manufacturers, which would place Internet Explorer's stranglehold on the uninitiated user under threat. Your move, Microsoft.
[Thanks, Matt]
posted Sep 1st 2009 9:23AM
WTF...What is Chrome?
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Google+Chrome
Wait! Really?!? I hope you're kidding.
Nice. Even through personally I could never give up Mozilla Extensions it's easier to tell non tech savy people to use Chrome since it's UI is so smooth.
The whole 1 process for each tab is sometimes overkill, but gets the job done.
Used to have Firefox, had to uninstall and go for Chrome.
Firefox used to kill my laptop by consuming RAM like crazy, Chrome uses RAM and sets it free once a tab is closed.
My choice: Chrome
Though I can almost hear some outraged europeans saying "Monopoly", and lawsuits all over the place for Sony+Google.
500mb for 172 tabs right now is around 2.9MB. Each tab in chrome (and chrome is limited due to the users resolution for the amount of tabs) is around 15MB per process/tab.
It works for normal users.
Why would you even have 172 tabs open in the first place? Out of curiosity.
At the office I have no other choice but IE, and at the most I have no more than 20 tabs open.
At home, Chrome, no more than 6 tabs open, no need for more.
But 172 tabs!
Like that Sony PS3 would say:
C'MOOOOOOOON!!!!
It's not always more tabs but the amount of time a tab was open for. I used to use Firefox and browse on maybe 3-5 tabs, but I'd have the same process running for my entire session. That one process would eventually bloat to 300MB and even though I've got 4GB RAM installed with 50%+ still free, Firefox would just become sluggish and useless.
WAIT WAIT WAIT! JUST HOLD UP A MINUTE!
So according to the EU, Microsoft CANNOT preinstall IE8 because they want consumers to have choice when it comes to web browsing, yet Sony are pre-installing Chrome on their entire range? How is that giving the consumers choice? yeah i'm sure Chrome is a great browser - hell, every browser has its good and bad, but if Sony are deciding for the customer then surely this is all wrong. The minute the purchaser starts up the system and has to put in their info, the ballot for the browsers should come up and allow the consumer to choose which to actually install. I think this deal between Google and Sony is very bad and should not be allowed. The end user should choose. If Sony are just going to preinstall a browser anyway, then this is totally unfair to Microsoft as that was the basis of this whole silly issue brought on by the EU in the first place.
I hope you are happy Opera, since you started this mess! oh well, as long as Opera isn't being installed :P
i really liked Firefox, but i was having a problem where if i left it open for a long time with several (like 10 or so) tabs open it would start to lag really bad, and i would have to restart it.
after switching to chrome for a while, i really like the interface (maximizes space for the webpage), but i have plenty of complaints. first, it's too simple for me. i'm used to the extensive options and customizations available on firefox. second, i'm having some pretty big issues with lag. it seems sort of random as to when it happens, but sometimes i get horrible scrolling lag, and sometimes when i switch to a tab i haven't been to in a bit, it shows a white page for several seconds before it finally loads the page. and it's because of lag issues that i wanted to try Chrome in the first place. also, i know the multi processes thing prevents a page crash from taking down the whole program, but i seem to get page crashes much more often in chrome than in firefox. in firefox a page crash would take the whole program down, but it happened so rarely it didn't really matter.
my 2 cents.
@ maveric.
So I take it you are running a mac? I have heard things about Firefox compatibility on Snow Leopard, so I haven't given it a try, Safari is still my primary browser.
I'm sticking with firefox. Better than internet explorer and my online classes' software isn't chrome compatible.
Chrome (or Chromium anyways) is my primary browser these days, having infiltrated all my computers from my netbook.
On a netbook the difference in speed is much more obvious, and the fact that the tabs don't take up an extra line of space is also important since netbooks have limited vertical resolution to begin with.
And obviously once I got used to using it, I decided that I liked it enough for it to go primary.
There were quite a few teething pains since some sites just didn't play well with Chrome (sometimes funky javascript would lock it up), or simply refusing to allow Chrome but things seem to be getting better.
My reasons for firing up another browser have basically come down to when I need to use Adblock due to limited bandwidth (there are ad blocking workarounds on Chromium but none of the implementations are great-they either mess up the navigation [ini file method on Iron] or actually download the ads then block them in the layout-which doesn't help with limited bandwidth) and Netflix (damn you Netflix why won't you support Chrome?)
Doesn't surprise me then that Sony started by putting Chrome on their netbook (probably because it runs like 1000x better than defaulting to IE on a netbook) then let it infiltrate their more powerful computers as well.
Finally!
This is actually a bad move. I use Chrome myself, but it still has it's problems, and compatibility issues. Mozilla would have been better for the average user.
I love Chrome (it is my default), but I agree. Not with the Firefox idea, though. I still think IE is the best browser for the casual user, since it is compatible with... well, everything, really. Or at the very least is compatible with much more than any other browser.
The type of user that is just browsing Facebook and writing the occasional Word document is not going to know what to do when their bank's website is acting strange. They aren't going to connect it to Chrome and then set their default back to IE again.
This could be a mess.
Give me Roboform on Chrome PLEASE
Sony's decision to install Chrome is good for the average user. When markets are competitive, consumers win.
You are indeed right, IE is more compatible with more things on the internet, including all that fun spyware.
Seriously, if your hangup at this point is "It's not compatible with my bank", it's time to find a better online banking experience. If it only works in IE, and the bank hasn't gotten the hint after all these years of widespread exploits, clearly they don't have their customers security in mind. My bank (a small credit union) has always had an online site that works with various browsers, going back to FireBird (the earlier name of Firefox prior to it hitting 1.0).
@windblownmonkey-
Obviously your never built a website...IE is one of the levels of hell. It doesn't work with anything...I wish it would just die like the dinosaurs.
BTW- Chrome is amazing, but yes Firefox has great extensions like foxyproxy. My only issue with Chrome is that it doesn't always play nice with pdf files.
sorry, that comment was at grammarpolice
Are you nuts? IE is the LEAST compatible with anything and developers have to bend over backwards to accommodate it.
Yeah. Alright everyone. I guess I'm wrong, IE isn't compatible with anything.
Have fun explaining to mom on the phone why Netflix Watch Instantly won't work on her brand new computer.
Well, my point is this:
How often will a new user who is using google chrome know to switch and try a different browser when google chrome just doesn't function on a particular web site? I have a lot of experiences where google chrome will simple not work, for no apparent reason and I have to switch to IE or Mozilla. Both of which are far more compatible in my experience. I've never come across that said IE is not a supported browser. Every web site I've ever visited has worked on IE.
The fact that IE is hard to make web pages for is irrelevant to the end user. That's not even the argument here. The argument is that it works.
Sure, it has tons of spyware, and very prone to viruses, but at least it works (usually). They have made some major improvements in the version.
And just to clarify, I'm using Chrome now. I love it, but it's filled with bugs.
Sony will get a lot of tech calls and emails because of this, and then they'll switch back.
You dont need IE to watch netflix. At least not the last time i tried... 1 second checking now.... nope works perfect on safari 4 snow leopard, and firefox, on both Windows and OS X. Not sure if chrome supports silverlight yet but i imagine it does.
@Tsing Tao
You're 100% completely full of shit.
@Grammar Police ORLY? Are you sure about that? Here are some screen shots. Have a nice day.
http://emberapp.com/eris0023/images/safari/sizes/m.png
http://emberapp.com/eris0023/images/netflix-netflix-movie-viewer-1/sizes/m.png
http://emberapp.com/eris0023/images/netflix-netflix-movie-viewer/sizes/m.png
@Grammar Police And just in care your eyes are bad here are some larger versions.
http://emberapp.com/eris0023/images/safari/sizes/l
http://emberapp.com/eris0023/images/netflix-netflix-movie-viewer-1/sizes/l
http://emberapp.com/eris0023/images/netflix-netflix-movie-viewer/sizes/o
Again, have a nice day ;) And try not to be so wrong next time.
@GRAMMAR POLICE: Compatibility for IE 6 & 7 has slowed down web development and standards considerably. If it weren't for them and their ridiculously high user share, we would all be browsing a better web.
@Grammar Hmm i dont see you refuting my evidence? Odd cause you seemed so On the ball when you just KNEW you were right.
woah... okay I admit it, you were definitely right. I have been wanting to Netflix on Chrome for months, WHEN in the world did this become possible?!
@Grammar When it became possible i am not sure. Again though, i am not sure if chrome supports silverlight, if it does then you are good to go, if not then back to the waiting game or another browser.
Just tried Chrome (using the 4.0 beta). It worked! If only ConnectWise (my office's ticketing system) supported Chrome I could migrate completely... : (
ahahaha google is going to slowly take over the world
Another for the tinfoil hat?
...HEY! You should check out Dayne's blog.
If google keeps this pace up, i wouldnt mind having google rule the world. Itll be a better world than where we are now.
All HAIL GOOGLE!!!!
i lol'd nigel
:p
At this rate, in 10 years we'll be putting googler on our googlebook bought at the googlestore driven to in our googlewheels. Google is taking over the world.
Normally im against conglomerates overtaking different markets and pushing out the little guy but in Googles case, everything they make turns out pretty awesome. When they start making crap and pushing into onto consumers it will be time to scold them about the whole world domination thing lol.
"...everything they make turns out pretty awesome."
Android sucks.
In 10 years time when Google Chrome is the browser with 90% market share and Google is involved in our lives in every little way (as pointed out above - emails, finance, work etc) then we can point fingers at the EU and remind them that this is all their fault for messing with this scenario. They may be trying to control Microsoft, but Google and Apple will surely have the last laugh since they are being completely left to their own devices (pun intended).
Google's going to be changing their name to Buy 'n Large any day now...
@Adderz: Google Desktop slowed my computer a LOT, I hate it when Google tries to sneak their Google Toolbar when I'm trying to install something like from Adobe, I'm really not fund of their privacy policies, and Google used a Belgian newspaper's articles without its permission. Google is great, but not always great. Same with Microsoft and any other tech company.
Yet another reason to not buy Sony products. (PS3 aside of course)
Well excuse me for having an unfavorable opinion. Perhaps some of us don't want Google to have access to all of our personal data, phone numbers, bank accounts, emails, etc. Everyone is so in love with Google they can't see the evil empire Google has built.
@Dayne just put your tin foil hat on a write a blog like the others.
You can easily just change the default browser if you dislike Chrome. I myself dislike Chrome, but Sony making it default won't stop me from buying a Vaio.
Better than IE
But then again, everything is better than IE, so that's not saying much...
Euch. Hate Chrome. I really don't get why everybody acts as if it was so superior.