Homework 9-27-2008

1. Install Google Browser Google Chrome and Firefox 3.0, try a few websites and compare their performance. For example, youtube, blogspot, msn, and yahoo.

Google's Chrome caused controversial discussions, both for its advantages and apparent lack of advanced features. But critics and fans agree that this thing is fast, really fast. You may be wondering why speed matters since your current browser already loads web pages in a snap. But here is the deal: Today’s web sites are not collections of individual pages anymore. You are probably using web applications on an everyday basis - on sites like Facebook or Google Docs. As more computing services move to the cloud, web applications are becoming more powerful and desktop-like. In this sense, a browser becomes an operating system for web applications and needs to do much more than take advantage of a broadband connection.
Mozilla Firefox Features:
- comprehensive popup controls to keep unwanted advertising off your desktop;
- a tab browsing mode that lets you open several pages in a single window, allowing you to load links in the background without leaving the page you're on;
- industry leading accessibility with Find As You Type - find links and page text by simply typing;
- a streamlined browser window that lets you see more of the page than any other browser while at the same time being more configurable; - a large variety of free downloadable extensions and themes that add specific functionality and visual changes to the browser.
I like Google Chrome,It's very cool,So Is Chrome the fastest browser? Who knows,No matter what youtube, blogspot, msn, and yahoo,A lot of users are still sitting on the sidelines, waiting to try it out.


2. Subscribe to our course website by Google reader, put the Google reader block on your iGoogle.




3. Comment on the article Serious potential in Google's Browser

Could the browser wars of the late 1990s web be upon us again? Then it was Netscape versus Internet Explorer, but now with the launch of Chrome it’s more than just two browsers pitted against each other. Google’s new entry in Chrome is certain to raise the temperature again. Internet Explorer has enjoyed dominance for around seven years. It has seen a small, but significant challenge from Firefox — which many users have been switching to simply because it is a faster, more efficient browser. So far, anecdotal reports point to Chrome being even faster than Firefox.

Google’s new browser is basic, with only core functionality, which focuses on what needs to be done best: Browsing. Some will find the lack of features an issue. Others will like the clean, minimalist look geared for fast browsing and a quick start-up.

It’s fast, minimalist and clean. Google’s browser is rightly about what’s in the viewing pane, and the viewing area is maximised, with ultra-thin browser borders and browser buttons taking up a small part of the viewing area.

Choose a new tab and you get option to select from your most visited sites. Saving me time already. Why didn’t the others think of that?

Google has kicked off Chrome with a strong product. Although the software feels polished and robust, the early stage of development is clearly revealed in its lack of support for advanced features like RSS integration and full bookmark management. If Google continues to invest in moving Chrome forward and manages to build up some community involvement, though, the new browser could quickly become a shiny new contender in the browser market.

4. Watch the video recording of Larry Page's "Broadband for the future."


done.