The Day With Shiny New Chrome
Added at 9:22am and filed under Geek Speak
Will you be downloading Chrome today?
I won’t be . . . but then I have an iMac, so I can’t right away. That said? Even if the Mac version was available (and it’s my understanding that it’s not), I’m not entirely sure I’d jump to it straight away. While I pretty much love Google and all that it stands for – clean, easy interfaces and a true example of how anyone with a decent idea can Make it Big by Thinking Big – I don’t actually use Google as my go-to search engine. Yeah, baby. Got you intrigued now, eh?
Truth is, I use Yahoo! I don’t use Yahoo! because OMGITZAWESUM but merely because I can search safely as a Guest[1] (well, providing I’m signed out of my Flickr account). Logging out of Gmail each time I want to use Google is beyond tedious because I check Gmail forty-five thousand times a day and I don’t want RSI.
The one thing that makes me vaguely suspicious of Google is how all the different services tie in together. For loads of people I can imagine that this is nothing but a bonus, but for me? Not so much. I’m not happy that my email provider knows my search history. So while Gmail is still one the only incorporeal thing I’d like to dry-hump (other than Solid Snake, perhaps) and Gchat makes IMing-secretly-from-work oh-so-easy, I think knowing my search history is just a tad too far. If I want to search for Naked Photos of Solid Snake, or Genital Wart Removal, I like to think that I can do that with my email account knowing about it [2]. For Gmail to know this kind of stuff, I’d expect it to take me to dinner first. Or in the very least, buy me a drink.
So until I hear a little more about how it all works I’m simply going to check it out from a distance, peering over the top of my sunglasses and its ass and making kissy noises from afar. How about you? What do you make of the Google Empire? Do you use all of their products/services? And are you happy to dump FireFox at the first sign of the new kid on the block, or are you too keeping a respectful distance? (if you’re still using IE – 6 or 7, I don’t care, they’re both crap – please note that even sensible/interesting comments may be invalidated by the fact you still utilise MSIE. Seriously.) Are you going to be contributing to the download count today?
[1] and [2] We all know that true browsing is anything but anonymous, Pendantic Pedro, but you know what I mean. :p
Comments: (15)
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On 2 September, 2008 at 10:01 am, Mitu said:
I’ll certainly be trying it out, yes. Don’t get me wrong, whilst I do love Firefox immensely, I’m not averse to giving new things a go (I used Safari for the first time a few weeks ago and enjoyed it for a while, just found it quite slow).
Google already know everything about me, including who I’m talking to and where I am. I use the search engine, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs. Oh, and Picasa. And Google Maps. So yes, they do own my life already.
I completely respect and understand those who take issue with all their information being centralised, but I personally have no problem with it at the moment!
On 2 September, 2008 at 11:53 am, Bonnie said:
Yep, I’ll be trying it out, and like Mitu I have no issues with Google owning me. LOL. I use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Notebook, Google Reader, iGoogle, Picasa, SketchUp, Google Docs, Google Checkout, Google Toolbar, Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Groups, Google Alerts… LOL.
I wasn’t keen on Google Desktop. That went a BIT far for me, as it disturbed me that I could search for my own private on-my-computer documents and Google would tell me where they were. Erk. But I’ll definitely be checking out Chrome, though I love Firefox.
On 2 September, 2008 at 9:09 pm, Bonnie said:
Comin’ atcha from Google Chrome! Happy to report that Furious-Angel.com looks splendid.
I’m really liking the interface, but I’ll see how I get on with it as my default browser for a week or so. I keep clicking in the wrong place. Oopsss.
On 2 September, 2008 at 9:11 pm, Vixx said:
Oooh, aren’t you fabulous, giving me a status report! *hugs*
Also happy to report it looks kickass in Safari on my iPhone. Yay today!
Keep us posted!
V xx
On 3 September, 2008 at 10:20 am, sharon said:
I only ever use Google search so I don’t think Chrome is for me. I like my Firefox too much.
On 3 September, 2008 at 11:16 am, Jem said:
Aw, you ruined my comment with your footnote. :P
FWIW Google pretty much owns me, too. While I don’t use google mail, I use their analytics and webmaster tools for websites both at work and at home and because the accounts stay logged in everything will be associated with me. Not that I do anything suspicious, ever *shifty eyes*
On 3 September, 2008 at 7:09 pm, Vixx said:
Aww – sorry Jem. lol And you? Suspicious?? Perish the thought …
V xx
On 4 September, 2008 at 3:41 am, Scarlet said:
Do not use it!
Read this first and then decide what to do.
I’m surely NOT going to use it if this is true!
http://tapthehive.com/discuss/This_Post_Not_Made_In_Chrome_Google_s_EULA_Sucks
On 4 September, 2008 at 7:56 am, Vixx said:
There was a similar outrage/suspicion about Gmail too, though. I’ve never read FF’s or IE’s ToR either – anyone know if there’s much difference between those ones and Chrome’s?
V xx
On 4 September, 2008 at 11:31 am, Jem said:
@Scarlet: It’s already been fixed. Because, as suspected by a few, their Chrome EULA was just copied and pasted from another one of their services.
I dunno, it was quite obvious to me that the EULA thing was a cock-up from the start. Parts of it didn’t even make sense in the context.
Copy&paste aside, it seems pretty obvious to me that even if that was the license they intended to distribute, it wouldn’t stand up in court. It was clearly grossly unfair.
On 4 September, 2008 at 11:31 am, Jem said:
D’oh @ ‘it was quite obvious to me’ x 2
Obviously I’m a boob.
On 4 September, 2008 at 7:25 pm, Scarlet said:
@Jem :D
It would be nonsense to keep that “agreement”. Who would use Chrome if things would automatically be Google’s property?
Still, you never know. I’ve been learning some stuff about American laws and I still have some serious doubts about it… everything seems to be very confusing… :(
On 4 September, 2008 at 8:50 pm, Vixx said:
Best use of boob as an insult I’ve heard for some time, Jem. Good work.
Good to know that enough people read the T&Cs to have ensured Google caught and changed the oversight swiftly. Go Interwebs Go!
V xx
On 6 September, 2008 at 6:32 am, Charmarie said:
I’m a Google person, however I browse in Safari (for Windows of course) and use Google OR Yahoo to search. I still think Google and all the tie in services is the devil at miraculous and flawless work.
On 8 September, 2008 at 10:53 pm, Jem said:
“everything seems to be very confusing”
Story of my life ;)