Google Chrome: The complete guide

Evan Gower October 7, 2009

Google pulled off the tech coup of the year this September when it suddenly launched its new web browser. Two years ago, the world believed Google was working on its own web browser, but those rumours had all but died by the time the search leader unveiled Chrome in a shock announcement.

One thing was immediately apparent: Google Chrome wasn’t just another browser.

Over the course of this feature we’ll explain what sets Chrome apart from the likes of Internet Explorer and Firefox, and how it’s set to become the “operating system of the web”.

We’ll explore how Chrome threatens not only the dominance of browser market leader Internet Explorer, but the core Windows operating system itself. We’ll detail the underlying technologies that help Chrome to significantly raise the browser performance bar, and what impact that has on the increasingly sophisticated web apps developed by Google and others.

We’ll also reveal how to find and exploit the potent new features that are hidden beneath Chrome’s minimalist interface with our tips and tricks. From dragging and dropping browser tabs to running web services as if they were regular desktop applications, we’ll show how it’s done.

Finally, we compare and rate all of today’s major web browsers to find out how Chrome measures up on features, privacy and security, and sheer performance. Is it time to drop your current browser? Read on to find out.

What Chrome really means
What’s under the bonnet?
Chrome tips and tricks
Web apps: Google vs the rest