My Last Whine about Google Chrome

OK Google.

Game’s up.

I tried. Then I tried some more, and after that a bit more, but now it’s over.

The purpose of a web browser is to make life easier, not to waste my time making me try to love it.

Chrome does not make my life easier.

So I will not be using it for a while.

A History: Timmy and Chrome

First, Windows wouldn’t work, and I couldn’t use it. I was getting really excited though–there was the comic (which came out of the BLUE!). Then the Ubuntu Forums thread. Then my friend’s one and only blog post, a positive (but well-supported) review. Never mind the general internet buzz surrounding it–that’s a given.

Then Windows was restored, and I actually tried the thing. I kinda hosed it, but I was trying to be optimistic. It was new, it was unextended, heck–it was still in Beta! So even while while completely slamming it, all I could think of was, “Don’t worry–it’ll improve.” And I was sure that it would…eventually.

A few months later…

• It’s out of Beta.
• Extensions are almost here.
• It has users. From the Google Blog:

In just 100 days, we have reached more than 10 million active users around the world (on all seven continents, no less) and released 14 updates to the product

• It’s still terrible. Yes that’s my opinion. But it’s other people‘s too.

So I think the time has come to stop coddling Chrome, and instead make it play with the big boys. You know where I stand on Chrome vs. Firefox. Comparing it with IE is trickier–one’s an awesome presentation of a terrible idea, the other’s a terrible presentation of an awesome idea. Opera and Safari users are too ingrained into their browser choice to care (ditto for Flock) and Epiphany, Konqueror, Kazehakaze, Dillo, et al. are *nix-only. Has Chrome gotten a victory in that? No.

So hopefully Google, geniuses that they are, will make a totallyawesomepieceofsweetness for Chrome 2, and the Browser Wars will turn into a pair of great, open source browsers taking potshots at an overly competitive old guy, with the browser equivalents of the Green Party flitting about in between (Opera, etc.)

Unfortunately, “hopefully” is nowhere near the same as “currently” So I’ll catchya later Chrome.

Much later.