Google Chrome Finds Its Way to Mac and Linux

The ability to browse the Web without problems is a big deal. When I say problems, I mean things like unexpected crashes, viruses, pop-up (and -under) ads and all the other various degrees of annoyances that can happen as you're calmly surfing the Internet, just trying to get things done.

Late last year, Google introduced their own browser, Chrome. Because I've been on a Mac and work from home (and don't seem to know many Windows people these days), I haven't gotten a chance to check it out, since it was introduced only on Windows. Yesterday, that changed. As TechCrunch reported, Chrome is now on Mac and Linux, albeit in beta.

Did I download it immediately upon reading that? Why yes, yes I did. And has it become my default browser? Oddly enough, it has.

To preface, I've been on most of the browsers over the years. Netscape, Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox, in that order. I was on Windows for years, then moved to Mac a few years ago, but never got around to embracing Linux. So far, I've been most impressed with Firefox. More stable than the others. Pretty good job of avoiding viruses (probably due to my being on a Mac). But I still have the occasional problem with pop-unders. That may be because I don't know Firefox well enough to get rid of them (since Firefox is a very customizable browser), but it's still annoying. Oh, and the sporadic crash.

I haven't really had time to play around with it, but Google Chrome has impressed me so far. Downloading files are easy (and there's even a "Show all downloads" feature on the bottom right-hand side). I can import my bookmarks and other settings from either Safari or Firefox upon setting up Chrome. There's a little tab on the bottom right-hand side letting me know how many pop-ups have been blocked. And it's been only a day of using it, but not one crash to report.

Unfortunately, a few features are missing that are available in Windows (you can find the list here), but that's to be expected in beta. Once they iron out whatever kinks may occur on a new operating system, I'm sure they'll start adding these features in.

If you want to test it on Mac or Linux, or just catch up to the rest of those on Windows who've been digging it, you can download it here.

Image courtesy of Google