Chrome Spinning

Some of you may wonder why it is that I decided not to rush out and post a reaction to Chrome. Well, first off everyone else is doing it. That much goes without saying because it's pretty hot news. I wanted to wait and see what cropped up though, as well as test the browser for myself. I gave it a nice run through and I feel like it passed some hurdles, but tripped up on others.

For the record Chrome isn't half bad. That means, if you're a pessimist or just want to see Google flop around, it isn't half good either. Chrome lacks some of the polish (ha!) of other browsers out there, and it suffers from some primitive bugs as well as inconsistencies. This of course could change at any moment, and is likely to, but I am going off of what I see right now. Google popped this one out so that it could generate interest, but it is still very much a Beta. It looks like a Beta, and it feels like a Beta.

What Chrome does it does pretty well. It's fast, and it's minimal. Other web browsers (i.e. Opera) do this kind of thing as well, but Chrome is its own beast. It's meant to work within the Open Source movement and attract the interest of tinkerers. For that reason it is worth consideration alone, the Google name attached or not. It is likely to have all sorts of bells, whistles and mods that will greatly enhance its bare bones status within a matter of months.

In terms of adoption of Chrome by municipal governments, for instance, I don't foresee that in the near future. Chrome hasn't proven itself, and realistically it isn't suited for the sort of user environment you would find in government. The corporate office might have even less use for it, but web cafes and other facilities like that could actually benefit from its "thin and slim" nature.

So, what is my final analysis of Chrome? It's hard to say at this point, but this is going to probably be more of an ongoing subject. I predict writing about new Chrome features as they become available. I don't think Chrome will oust any of my other web browsers, but it has a chance of being used occasionally to give it a fair chance at surprising me. Right now it's a flashy new gadget, but it doesn't innovate the wheel and it's not a dud.