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Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

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Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#21
post #5
post #2

It's not like Google advertises the Chrome version number, though. In fact, they seem to try to hide which version you're on, so I don't think that this is a marketing gimmick at all. Chrome's release schedule has a lot more to do with the changing nature of user software and the Internet - version numbers shouldn't matter, all users should aim to run the latest version, and updates should come quickly. These are all…

I, personally, consider myself more "tech" person - and I don't have the slightest clue which Chrome version I am using. If you said the newest Chrome is Chrome 7, I would have to agree. One part is, I guess, the seamless upgrading (when I use Firefox, I usually click on "upgrade next time", because I am always doing something TOTALLY important that can't wait). Other part is that the extensions don't break every new…

As of this writing, the "newest" chrome is either 12, 13, or 14, depending on which stability channel you're on.

Woo!

Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#22
Chrome is a piece of trash browser.

Always shows the wrong error message.

I'm blocking phishing sites with a hosts file but incorrectly complains that I need to check my internet settings (for any ads).

I'm killing the chrome.exe process. It complains every restart "You did not shut down chrome properly".

What a piece of shit browser.

Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "IE's release cycle is still humiliatingly slow." Or reassuringly stable if you are supporting an enterprise. Given Google's planned abandonment of support for older browser versions in their applications, there may be a ready market for a more stable browser platform.

If you need stability, don't upgrade. It's the choice of large corporations everywhere. :)

Just curious. Is there a easy way to prevent Chrome from upgrading?

Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you need stability, don't upgrade. It's the choice of large corporations everywhere. :)

Just curious. Is there a easy way to prevent Chrome from upgrading?

Yes: http://www.chromium.org/administrators/turning-off-auto-upda...

If you are a admin for a large site, this is useful: http://www.google.com/support/installer/bin/answer.py?answer...

Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you need stability, don't upgrade. It's the choice of large corporations everywhere. :)

Just curious. Is there a easy way to prevent Chrome from upgrading?

Yes. Use an Android device with Chrome. Most users are stuck with whatever came from the phone. iPhone far outperforms in terms of % upgrades.

http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-ve...

Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#26

This was actually the entire purpose of Chrome - to push forward the state of the art in browsers. When Chrome was released, Google made it clear that they didn't care per se whether people used Chrome. What they cared about was getting more people using better browsers by forcing the browser market to move at a faster pace. And it appears they have done exactly that. I'm very impressed with the execution - they arti…

Google pays $140 Million a year to Firefox to be the search default. Given the choice, I believe they would prefer to keep the $140 Million and just have people use Chrome.

Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#27
I think a lot of these comments are interesting. Perhaps chrome's versioning is not made apparent to the user, but I'm sure all of their competitors know what is going on.

Regarding anti-trust: Anti-trust laws are laws that are intended to prevent monopolistic measures. I posit in the article that by controlling both the client (chrome) and server (Google Docs, in addition to GMail, Google Search, et al) that Google is in a unique position to perform monopolistic actions. I'm not the only one that thinks Google may be doing something nefarious either - http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/ftc-launchin... .

Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#28
I always thought x.y.z version strings (like Firefox 3.6.3, or similar) contained a bit of extra information about how development occurs which is often ignored.

When z is increased, that is the developers way of saying that "this is the least dramatic update we will make available to end users". Alternatively, an increment of a is a sign that "this is the most dramatic alteration in functionality we will make".

I think that part of the trend toward higher version numbers isn't just about having nice big numbers, but rather a reflection of changes in development methodology. Whether you attribute it to DVCSs or simple changes in developer culture, it seems clear that the "biggest possible" update has significantly shrunk in size lately.

Re: Chrome: Playing the browser game for keeps

#30
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious. Is there a easy way to prevent Chrome from upgrading?

Yes. Use an Android device with Chrome. Most users are stuck with whatever came from the phone. iPhone far outperforms in terms of % upgrades. http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-ve...

Chrome does not run on Android.
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