Google To Air Chrome Ads On TV 148
mikesd81 writes "Google plans on advertising with spots promoting its Chrome browser this weekend. Google Japan had already released a 30-second video promoting Chrome on YouTube, but the company will distribute that video through the Google TV Ads network this weekend as an experiment to see if it can drum up interest in Chrome. Google advertised their browser on the New York Times' website on Wednesday."
Too simple (Score:2, Insightful)
Chrome is still too simplifistic for everyday use. Its just a plain browser with no extra functionality, no mouse gestures or anything that actually browsing a lot more efficient.
I'm not in the firefox legion tho, I prefer Opera for its fast responsiveness and having everything required for nice browsing experience built in. That being said, firefox does have some nice addons I would like to use aswell, but its not just as good and nice for my daily usage. I do however use it for web development because of its relevant addons.
I'm not sure why this is such a big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
I just don't understand what's so interesting/damning here. So a company is pitching it's product. Good for them. Maybe it will educate people (average people) to the fact that there are options.
I haven't used it myself as there's no Debian package for it and I'm not compiling it from source. Sorry.
While on the browser discussion, has anyone else noticed that the slashdot.org homepage triggers the live bookmark in Iceweasel/Firefox?
On the Contrary (Score:5, Insightful)
Chrome is still too simplifistic for everyday use.
I would wager that a simplified computing experience is not only what the general public desires but would also be a very refreshing change of pace.
I'm sure that's part of Google's strategy with their general public campaigns. Remember Slashdot is maybe ~1% of web browser users and our tastes are atypical.
Re:How about actually getting the mac version out? (Score:4, Insightful)
I think that Google doesn't care that much about bringing Chrome to the Mac or Linux, since they only bother is most likely IE, with is very backwards in its technology and pretty much restricts Google on what they can write for their users.
Safari seems to be pretty compatible with community-approved standards, and in fact, it even is ahead in many of them, implementing what is still in draft. While someone might argue, that this way they might actually break websites when - yet not finished - standards change, but I think that people who tinker which them actually know that, and design their pages in a way, that won't break them in the future, just cause they relied on some experimental feature.
Okay, seems like I'm getting off-topic here.
At last Spyware for everyone ! (Score:3, Insightful)
un-removable updaters with unique id's ? check, keylogging via google suggest ? check , encrypted strings sent to the largest advertising company on the planet ? check.
i really dont understand the hard on people have for Chrome, if it was branded by Doubleclick everybody would condemm it (Google own Doubleclick so they are the same) yet if its branded by Google it must be ok, regardless of the facts.
I would think you have to be crazy to install any binary software made by an advertising company, perhaps Gator or Zango should release a browser as there seems to be thousands of people who would install it if it was branded something else
the force is strong, the stupidity of hipsters even more so
Re:Too simple (Score:2, Insightful)
Really? I guess I will have to tell that to the users I deal with every day who are still confused over the concept of opening a tab in Firefox.
Mouse gestures aren't even on the map. Inability or all out fear of installing a program (thanks to idiotic mainstream tech reporters).. now there is a problem for Chrome.
Re:On the Contrary (Score:3, Insightful)
Because they're based on informed decisions?
Not that two informed people can't disagree with each other, because on a matter of taste, they can. It's just that each of them would have a reason for doing so other than "it's what the computer came with."
Re:At last Spyware for everyone ! (Score:3, Insightful)
Some of us aren't totally fucking paranoid and use software because it's good.
If you're that afraid, use SRWare Iron, or compile it yourself. Google Chrome is BSD licensed.
Re:At last Spyware for everyone ! (Score:3, Insightful)
un-removable updaters with unique id's ? check, keylogging via google suggest ? check , encrypted strings sent to the largest advertising company on the planet ? check.
[citation needed}
Re:Too simple (Score:5, Insightful)
Chrome is still too simplifistic for everyday use. Its just a plain browser with no extra functionality, no mouse gestures or anything that actually browsing a lot more efficient.
It's amazing how many people are confusing a minimalist interface with no features. One doesn't necessarily mean the other. Take your time, poke around, look up some guides and how-tos, Google, check the help files and official forums, etc. You just might be surprised.
That said, right now it's unrealistic to expect Chrome to have every feature Opera and Firefox (with extensions) have. But if you're an early Phoenix adopter back in 2002-03, you'll know that Chrome has the right formula for success: a strong focus on the basics. A pity Phoenix lost sight of that; perhaps in 6-7 years Chrome will become slow, bloated and insecure as well, and someone else steps up to repeat the cycle.
Google Big Brother (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Please not another minor browser (Score:0, Insightful)
Better yet, get better standards compliance.
Re:Please not another minor browser (Score:5, Insightful)
If you code to standards, your only real issue will be IE.
If you don't, well, it's never too late to start.
Adding another Webkit based browser to the mix does not cause much extra pain. You also forgot to include mobile browsers in your list - the beauty of the web is that you don't have to know all the capabilities of the clients which will look at your content ahead of time, and yet your site can still be read by them. Yes it's nice to have things render the same on every browser, but it's not essential, and if that's really your goal, you should give up now, or use Flash or something.
The reason for this browser to exist is to unseat IE as the default way to run google web apps, and prevent Microsoft screwing google (and ruining the web as collatoral damage), as they have done so many times to rivals in the past. With Google threatening Microsoft on multiple fronts, it just doesn't make sense that they rely on MS as their main conduit for users, particularly given the modus operandi of Steve I'm-going-to-fucking-kill-Google Ballmer.
The (old) hope is presumably to reduce Windows to a poorly debugged set of device drivers, which run Google software without getting in the way too much, for Google or the user.
That's also why you won't see them rush to put Chrome on Linux or OS X - there is no corresponding threat on those platforms, and healthy browsers exist there.
Re:Google Big Brother (Score:1, Insightful)
I was about to post the same thing. Google will store your browsing history FOREVER. They give a s*** about user privacy.
I'm close to leaving their Gmail also, due to that, and the fact that their email has become very buggy and slow anymore.
Re:I'm not sure why this is such a big deal (Score:4, Insightful)
google has jumped the shark and become a big company
Google has become a big company?! Oh no! :O
Google might be an advertising agency, but they don't have any connection to the world of traditional media - they are (nearly) entirely dependent on the Internet.
The Internet is a great place to advertise, but I feel a television campaign can really open up the flood gates for the "casual user" demographic.
This also fits with Google's mantra when you boil down everything they do -- throw your money at it. They have the resources, why not?
Re:Too simple (Score:5, Insightful)
It really is funny how pretty much the exact same arguments Mozilla users made against Phoenix back in they day are now being made by Firefox users against Chrome.
I used Phoenix then, and I use Chrome now, whenever I use a machine it actually runs on.
Re:On the Contrary (Score:0, Insightful)