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Why I won’t be using Google’s Chrome much
Jay Lyman, September 2, 2008 @ 2:44 pm ETI’ve been excitedly anticipating the release of the new Chrome browser from Google, but now that it’s out in beta for Windows, I don’t think I’ll be using it very much.
It’s too bad, because I was just thinking what a good thing Apple’s Safari and Mozilla Firefox have been, pushing innovative features and forcing the more dominant player, Microsoft, to more aggressively advance its own Internet Explorer browser.
So Chrome only shines for Windows, at least for now. Odd, I think, coming from a company that is heavily reliant on Linux and full or at least well-stocked with its own Linux users and developers. It also adds to Google’s somewhat peculiar series of statements and moves on open source licenses.
It’s even more frustrating to see Google release Chrome — which itself is open source and, like Safari, based on the Webkit open source framework — but not support Linux. For all of its talk about choice of browser, Google’s rollout of Chrome only highlights the lack of choice on OS.
However, it is not these issues or reservations that will keep me from using Chrome. I’ll shut down my primary computer and boot it up in Windows to give Chrome a try after things have calmed a bit, but I really don’t enjoy using my Windows very much (not as much as Linux), and use is limited mainly to Webinars and rare instances when a vendor or project provides support only for Windows. Luckily for me, those instances are occurring less and less. And when Google gets around to putting Chrome on Linux, I’ll be ready to really take it for a drive.
Comments (12) Categories: Software
Just felt like what you felt.
http://linuxexperimentation.blogspot.com/2008/09/google-chrome-first-thoughts-and-gripes.html
[...] Lyman has already covered the most disappointing feature: the lack of support for Linux or Mac [...]
The lack of Linux support is downright ridiculous.
They have code you can download and build, they state that There is no working Chromium-based browser on Linux. Although many Chromium submodules build under Linux and a few unit tests pass, all that runs is a command-line “all tests pass” executable.
Hard to imagine they don’t even have an internal version that runs on Linux!
Sorry, but why are you surprised? It’s a known fact that with Google, windows releases take priority. Google Earth, Picasa, Google Search, Google Desktop etc, all of these were released on Windows before they were released on Linux. And quite frankly, what do you expect? That they give priority to Linux instead of Windows, to a niche OS? Or else, would you have them delay the release so that they release them on the same day? I use Linux, too, but I don’t mind the wait..and I’m not griping about it. They are working on it, so wait like everybody else!
OK OK. I’ll wait. I wouldn’t gripe so much if I didn’t think Google was passing on an opportunity to show it does give back to Linux, it does participate in open source and it does respect choice. By not including Linux or even Mac support from the get-go, it highlights the lack of choice of OS that it is perpetuating.
Maybe it’s more focused on Windows machines since you don’t find IE living on Linux PCs or Macs? Meanwhile, we’re waiting.
JL
I don’t deny it. Google’s main competitor is Internet Explorer, and that is the major browser that is closed source. By engaging it directly, the OSS “love” is being spread more efficiently.
“That they give priority to Linux instead of Windows, to a niche OS?” Exactly. Google’s infrastructure is built on Linux. Why SHOULDN’T they put their apps on Linux first? Wouldn’t that “inspire” the killer apps to switch users to Linux?
Because there’s a difference between infrastructure and what normal people use on the desktop. And at the end of the day, Google doesn’t give a damn about inspiring users to switch to Linux. What it wants is to get its apps out as fast as possible, to as many users as possible. Also, it will probably leverage the help of the OSS community to get a Linux browser out.
And no, nobody is going to switch to Linux just to run a browser, no matter who released it. It may be a good application, but it’s not as if it’s the only one in its field.
I admired it, but don’t love it. I won’t use it, although I don´t hate it. I prefer FF because of the extensions, because of the freedom I believe FF offers by allowing “CustomizeGoogle”, “AdBlock” and “NoScript”. That means: no ads, no ads and no DoubleClick (Google behind).
As for the engine and Java wars, I think thát´s a good thing, like the race between Dash and Ariel, or VW and SEAT: let the better win.
Eventually there will be a working Linux version, but given that Google is using the Debian license instead of GPL, I just feel like they are leeching the community. I mean, how different their proprietary codes and the open-source codes will be. While there are ways to submit patches to the open-source version, it’s a one way contribution. How many patches and cool features in the proprietary version that won’t go back into the open-source version?
I got enlightened by RMS and his GPL more and more everyday.
there are so many advantages and features with Chrome, such as it’s speed, for example; now if only they would take care it’s flighty cookie management…
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