How Google’s Foray Into the Web Browser has Taken the Internet by Storm

by Jack Manley

If you own a computer, you browse the internet; with such an abundance of knowledge and entertainment, the internet is a difficult temptation to pass up. But recently, the world of internet browsing has been shaken up, not in what you browse but in how you browse for it.

Internet Explorer dominates the market share — as a bundled piece of software on every Windows-based device, you are guaranteed to have it if you own a PC; Apple has its own browser, Safari, which recently has jumped from its Mac-only ship (much like iTunes those many years ago) and is now playing for both teams; Firefox has grown dramatically over the past few years, with Opera and Netscape trailing but still in the race. So many options for something as simple as browsing the internet might seem a little absurd, but with Internet Explorer rapidly losing ground and forgoing innovation, choosing to copy rather than create, users have been clamoring for better, faster, and safer ways of navigating the internet. Until now, competitors were clunky or overly confusing (as a person who detested Internet Explorer, I would still use it over Firefox any day). But a solution has arrived from Google, the search engine giant known for its tremendous growth and abundant innovation: Chrome.

If you’ve used it before, I don’t have to tell you how wonderful it is; but for those of who are unaware or do not care, it’s time to listen up: if you own a PC, download Chrome — it is pure browsing bliss. I will skip past the technical mumbo-jumbo and cut to the chase: the layout is elegant and simple, with maximum screen space and minimum distractions; page loading is like lightning, performing considerably faster than any other browser on the “market”; its security is tight, meaning you won’t be getting any spyware or viruses anytime soon; and my favorite part: it never crashes. Never. Because of the way that it is designed, each tab (a staple in modern web browsing) runs independently of all the others, meaning that if one tab crashes, the browser as a whole remains unaffected — even that rarely happens. Chrome, for me at least, was a godsend, arriving just as my infuriation with Internet Explorer almost convinced me to turn to the dark-side: using Firefox.

I’ll end this little article with a brief message: If you own a PC and don’t have Chrome, download it—you can thank me later. If you’re a Mac person, well, you’re just going to have to wait. But don’t worry: salvation is coming soon.