Advantages and disadvantages of Chrome

Should Chrome becomes your usual browser? To decide, compare it with other browsers, including Firefox, which is the most complete of all to date.

5 advantages of Chrome

A refined interface
It allows devote himself entirely to the point, the content of the page, which is even more helpful for a Web application, such as the online word processor Google Docs. Having more room for content may be required on a laptop or a netbook.

Tabs
They are in Chrome separate applications, you can also drag and drop a page to the desktop to create a different window. This allows to work on two pages at the same time, for example, on GMail to write a letter while a document is consulted.

JavaScript compiled
We know that Chrome will be joined on this plan by other browsers, the V8 compiler runs the JavaScript code up to 40 times faster. Soon Firefox will be equipped with TraceMonkey and Safari with SquirrelFish. Chrome keep this advantage over Internet Explorer 7 and 8.

Gears and Silverlight integration
Having them by default on the browser is a real advantage. We can then distribute an application that takes advantage of this by telling the user: "It works with Chrome, just download it." Asking the user to install a series of plugins for running software would undermine its distribution.
Gears allows to run applications offline and Silverlight to display rich interfaces.

Open source
The code is open, it is possible to see what does the browser and that should calm the fears of those who believe that Chrome spy them. This facilitates the development and allows for unofficial versions, some of which operate on Mac and Linux.

5 disadvantages

No extensions
Advanced users of Firefox, webmasters especially, regret extensions that quickly become indispensable with use, as Firebug to debug Ajax applications.

PHP locally
It is a drawback that is shared with Internet Explorer, if you want to load a PHP page locally, Chrome ask you what software to use to display it! Why not Chrome itself? For a webmaster, that prohibits testing pages before putting them online.

Syndication
Chrome does not display RSS feeds formatted with the aspect of web pages, and does not allow to subscribe automatically.

Hidden commands
Finding command needs to have the manual in the eyes, it is the counterpart for this interface so clean.

Security
According to some studies, the password management by Chrome could be less secure that on other browser. This should be fixed with time.

Conclusion

Chrome's best competitor is Firefox. Both are ready to display Web sites of tomorrow. Indeed Firefox has a specialized version to put applications on the desktop, Prism. The article Prism or Chrome? makes a comparison of the two software, that complements this article.
There is today no reason to continue using Internet Explorer. This browser will become a round shot attached to feet of net surfers with sites of Web 3.0 powered in JavaScript and Web applications increasingly essential.