My Sordid Love Affair with Google Chrome
As I’ve stated numerous times on this blog and elsewhere, I am a hardcore Firefox user. I love the look, feel, and utility of Mozilla’s browser, and I’ve often tried to convert friends to my side on the new Browser Wars. I am a self-proclaimed Browser Zealot, and I honestly believe that all other web browsers are in some way inferior to Firefox. However, I do have a dirty little secret: I am actually kind of in love with Google Chrome.
That’s not to say I love everything about Chrome; I can’t stand using the bookmarks bar and the Omnibar is nowhere near as useful as Firefox’s Awesome Bar. On the whole though, the nimble and lightweight design on Chrome makes short browsing sessions efficient and – dare I say? – a little fun. It took four version (and the addition of extensions) for Google to finally win me over, but now I could switching to Chrome full-time if need be. It’s not perfect, but it certainly does a lot of things right. And what else should I expect? This is Google we’re talking about, after all.
That said, I still love Firefox and revel in reading every little detail about the upcoming 4.0 release.
I kind of lost steam for Firefox last year. I appreciate customization, but past a certain point, things get far too superfluous for my tastes. Chrome basically came out of nowhere and answered my call with its minimalism.
What extensions do you like using btw?
~sLs~
I don't use nearly as many as I used to, but extensions like Smoothwheel, Tab Mix Plus, Menu Editor, and Ad Block Plus are essential when I'm running Firefox. I've also started using Weave to sync my data between work and home.
Interestingly enough, I'm beginning to use Chrome exclusively at home and Firefox more at work. After using Chrome for a few weeks, the difference in speed is REALLY noticeable.
Oh, if you meant for Chrome, I like the GMail notifier, Delicious bookmark, smooth scrolling, and stumbleupon. I also have the AdThwart extension, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as useful as Ad Block on Firefox.
Ah, that's cool. I still have Firefox installed, but I hardly ever use it now. I mainly just use Opera and Chrome these days. Why don't you like Chrome's bookmarks?
I don't like being forced to use the bookmarks bar. Perhaps I'm just stubborn, but I prefer to have a drop-down of some kind. Chrome actually has a button built in for bookmarks similar to the page and tools buttons, but you have to mess with the command line. I wish it were just an option you could choose.
I was just curious, as that was one of the things that actually drew me INTO using Chrome. Just having them there is pretty convenient. I frequently (albeit accidently) 'Ctrl+B' them away though.