Microsoft and Google both release new browsers
Google Inc. has introduced yet another fancy, free new product. So has Microsoft Corp.
Google’s latest innovation is called Google Chrome, an open-source Web browser. Windows Internet Explorer has also introduced a new version of its Web browser, Internet Explorer 8, which is also free. Both browsers are still in public beta testing, which means they are not yet finished but are available for the public to use. Chrome was released on Sept. 5. The beta 2 version of Internet Explorer 8 was released on Aug. 27.
Both browsers are currently only available for Microsoft Windows, but Google is working on Mac and Linux versions of Chrome.
Both companies say that their browsers offer increased speed, convenience of use, privacy and security. So which of the two is better?
“The very first thing I noticed was how easy Chrome was to use. It’s a very clean, streamlined browser. I also noticed the speed immediately; it loaded in about a fifth of the time it takes Firefox to load,” said Nathan Bellis, 20, a junior film studies major.
Bellis has been a longtime Firefox user but that is changing.
“Since I’ve downloaded Google Chrome I haven’t opened Firefox. I’ve been very impressed with the way Chrome lets you access and experience the web. Obviously there are a few kinks to work out but as of right now I can’t see myself going back to Firefox,” Bellis said.
Patrick Greer, a 21-year-old MCD biology major says that he hasn’t noticed much of a difference between Chrome and other browsers.
“Right now I still prefer Firefox…as of right now (Chrome) is lacking a lot on the features, so with the modifications I’ve made to Firefox it makes it a better browser for me,” Greer said.
As for Internet Explorer 8 the consensus seems to be that it is a large improvement over previous versions but doesn’t really offer much over other browsers.
“When I downloaded Internet Explorer 8 I was mostly comparing it to its predecessors, and it’s come a long way from Internet Explorer 7, especially in regards to speed. Internet Explorer 8 is a lot faster and a lot more stable than Internet Explorer 7 and even though Internet Explorer 8 is in a beta right now, it feels like a finished product,” Bellis said.
Bellis also feels Internet Explorer lacks the leanness the other browsers offer.
“[Internet Explorer 8] feels bloated, the browser took a lot more space to install and it also takes up a lot more active memory. Internet Explorer is a good browser to have around if you come across a Web site that requires Internet Explorer, but other than that I can’t see myself using Internet Explorer 8, especially when I have an alternative like Chrome,” Bellis said.
In an article on www.CNN.com, Peter Svensson has a different stance because of how the browsers use the central processing unit, the brain of the computer.
“When playing a YouTube video, Firefox 3 took up 95 percent of the CPU time on a 3-year old laptop running Windows XP. Chrome came in at 60 percent — still too much. Especially since Google owns YouTube! You’d think it could make its browser work well with that site in particular. Internet Explorer barely broke a sweat, taking up just a few percent.”
In the end, Svensson’s vote goes toward Internet Explorer 8 as the winner in the battle of browsers.
As both browsers are still in beta testing they should see improvements in functionality and, especially, stability by the time final versions are released.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ellie Bean at eleanore.bean@colorado.edu.
