Why I'm Not Using Google Chrome

Google ChromeImage by Matrixizationized via Flickr

As readers of my blog may have noticed, I'm a heavy Google user. I use Google as my primary search engine, I use GoogleDocs, Blogger, Gmail, GoogleVoice, etc., and I eagerly await an invitation to try out Wave. When Google Chrome was released, I immediately downloaded it and started using it exclusively for awhile. I have noticed that I'm using it less every day, though, so I thought I'd take a look at my usage patterns to see if I could identify the source of my discontent.

The first, and probably most important, thing I noticed was that I rely on a large number of Firefox extensions: Delicious, FireShot, Zotero, ScribeFire, WebNotes, Zemanta, Twitter Bar....My Firefox browser has become my Personal Learning Environment (PLE). At this point, Chrome offers very little of this functionality, although that may change.

Secondly, although Chrome loads much faster than Firefox, and renders pages faster, there are pages that don't load properly. Also, even though each tab operates in its own environment, the whole thing does crash on me occasionally, contrary to Google's claims for Chrome--more so than Firefox. This really interrupts my work flow.

I will point out that Chrome does load quickly. I also like the layout--the way it makes good use of the entire window. I'm also sure that Google will be adding tools and functionality, and that developers will probably release Chrome versions of my favorite tools. For now, however, I'll stick with Firefox.

<span class=Reblog this post [with Zemanta]">

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

eLearning Articles of the Week (weekly)

Evernote Blogcast | Skitch and Evernote for Entrepreneurship via Pocket Skitch and Evernote for Entrepreneurship tags: IFTTT Pocket elearning productivity American TESOL Webinar: Learning Idioms – Sites, Tools, & Ideas via Pocket American TESOL Webinar: Learning Idioms – Sites, Tools, & Ideas tags: IFTTT Pocket education elearning Evernote Blogcast | Evernote Web Clipper for Chrome Gets New Related Results Features via Pocket Evernote Web Clipper for Chrome Gets New Related Results Features tags: IFTTT Pocket elearning productivity Do you have a learning environ
Read more

The Enquirer - With so much info on phone, why huge library?

I came across letter to the editor in the Cincinnati Enquirer ( The Enquirer - With so much info on phone, why huge library? ) a little over a week ago, and I felt I needed to comment on it, but not without thinking about it a bit more. At first, I was a bit miffed at Aaron Gillum. I thought, "Hey, you have no idea what you're talking about. Data isn't the beginning and the end of information. There's also interpretation, and people want money for that. Who's going to provide that for the people who have no internet skills or access? You? 'Hey, everyone who can't afford a Blackberry with a data service plan go see Aaron--he'll let you use his!'" But then I looked a bit more closely at his argument, and at the library in question, and I did begin to wonder, "Do libraries have an edifice complex?" Now, before you judge me, I do believe that Mr. Gillum is missing part of the point--unless you are ready to digest all of the data required
Read more

Tech 20

Image
Our library held a technology conference for its employees at our main location today. I had the privilege of giving digital photography demonstrations. I spoke about Picasa, Flickr, and Adobe Photoshop Elements among other things--which is great because I'm at about the same level as the listeners! I'm the guy the family designates to take off-center pictures, annoying candid shots and those great shots of headless people. It was reassuring to see that there were people who had less experience than I did.
Read more