Issue date: 9/22/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Tiffany Tran [Click to enlarge]

Any product launched by Google is bound to make headlines. The Chrome browser, created to address the Internet's evolving needs, was no exception. It was released for Microsoft Windows Sept. 2. It was launched in typical innovative Google style by a comic strip drawn by Scott McCloud.

In layman's terms, a browser is a software application that helps connect with other websites or local area networks. For the user, it is a platform to get onto the Internet. The first question generally asked is whether we need a new browser. Essentially, we don't. Browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer still suffice and, more importantly, are more familiar. That is why most Aggies have still not heard of it.

Most students did not show any excitement upon hearing that Chrome is ready for launch. However, a few enthusiasts have already downloaded it.

"I like the simplified page and the innovative tabs. It is a good browser," said Pranesh Karthic, an industrial engineering graduate student. "The screen space is good and it is very fast."

Nataly Youssef, a biomedical science graduate student, said she had been using the browser for five days and expressed satisfaction with it.

User satisfaction seemed to encompass the general opinion, but the question remains whether they were happier with their original Internet browsing systems.

Wow factors

Google Chrome has dramatically altered the browser display, creating a cleaner digital silhouette. It is fast and the screen that comes up when you first open it is not the homepage, but a screen with links to nine of your most frequently-visited websites. Most of the advantages, however, are too technical to be understood by most users. It generally will protect from pop-ups and simultaneous tab opening. A great feature of Chrome is that it is an open source software, meaning anyone can view the browser-creating code, learn from it and make improvements, a commendable step taken on Google's part.

Weaknesses

The drawback would be missing the familiarity of an old browser. For example, it has an unconventional bookmark function, that might take users awhile to get used to. It's also difficult to get used to a browser without a search box, but the website address box handles both functions. In addition, Google should have released the Mac/Linux version as well. By not doing so, they alienated a wealth of potential clientele.

Conclusion

It will take time for Aggies to start using Google Chrome (if they ever do). Even though Google Chrome is a great product and definitely the next step in browser technology, change is difficult when not entirely useful or necessary.

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