Using the following key strokes makes me a search GOD..!
This also feels like the fastest browser I’ve ever used.
Update: Yes you may do this in Firefox by right click->”Search in Google” but it doesn’t bring you to the new tab automatically which kind of makes it feel more clunky. That and I find using the address bar for search is orders of magnitude more intuitive.
Using Firefox: I really hate it when I’m trying to watch the latest episode of Dexter at ninjavideo, then I go do something else using FF and one of the tabs I’m viewing crashes. With Firefox I’m screwed b/c one tab brings them all down. With Chrome I simply close that tab and the others aren’t affected.
By default FF checks for updates on itself and its installed plugins. I love all my FF plugins but sometimes you just want to check gmail and check it fast. I have them disabled on my machines but most people don’t. Just a minor annoyance.
I really love the overall look and feel of Chrome. It looks like a web app instead of a traditional windows one. The UI just kind of gives it this light and airy feel that the other browsers don’t have. That in and of itself just makes it seem faster even if it isn’t…
I just like the way a download is integrated directly into the tab that you’ve downloaded from for easy access. Another nice little convenience.
Chrome still has a ways to go in terms of 3rd party tools and overall stability. It’s still a little quirky at times and for those times I immediately switch to FF which of course works flawlessly but after that I go back to Chrome for the reasons stated above. Also it may not be Firebug but the built in Inspector for html/css is really quite nifty.
Anyways, I’m curious as to what the rest of you think…
+1
Chromium for Mac is far from stable, but I use it as my main browser anyway.
Reason #1 can be even better: highlight something, right-click and “search Google” is right there in the context menu.
For #1, if you’re already double clicking a word to highlight it, why don’t you right click it, select ‘search google for…’, and will do the same thing: open a tab with the search.
I think it’s a subtle point to make but I tried to clear this up above in the update to this post.
I think making the address bar double as a search bar was a stroke of brilliance. I should have been more clear in my original posting.
In Firefox the following does the same thing;
Ctrl+C, Ctrl+K, Ctrl+V, Enter
or, double click – right click – hold down command, – Search with Google. Safari and Firefox opens the search in new background tab, Chromium in a foreground. I imagine this works on the PC side as well.
You can configure Firefox not to nag you about updates in Tools | Options | Advanced | Update | clear the checkboxes under “Automatically check for updates to:”.
Maybe I’ve loaded it down with too many add-ons but Firefox is painfully slow to load. I use Chrome for the speed. And I’ve added most features I missed from Firefox and Google Toolbar by using Bookmarklets. Good post.
I’ve been a die-hard Firefox user for years, but wanted to make the switch to Chrome when it was first announced. The sole hurdle to Chrome adoption: the lack of an ad blocker. Then I discovered AdSweep [http://www.adsweep.org/]. Now I can experience Chrome goodness without distracting ads!
You sure do lose a lot in Chrome for something that is only 15-20% in benchmarks.
No extensions. Can’t customize the UI. See loads of ads.
Chrome: something so internet hipsters can feel superior for a little while.
I love simple things. I used to be a firefox fan, but Chrome just felt right. At the begining I was thinking that I would miss the plugins, but after a week I was rejecting firefox because of the speed (man, 3.5 is just slow as hell) – Chrome is the definite winner.
Firefox has almost all of these features (only missing the per-tab process), plus 1000+ more addons. Have a look, when you have the time – it’s really cool.
I totally agree with you on this post, especially about the Firebug thing. Inspector isn’t Firebug by any means, but I think it’s a damn good standard component in the browser.
Thanks.
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You can do exactly the same ^C ^T ^V in Firefox by changing the keyword.URL pref using about:config. Check the Firefox documentation http://kb.mozillazine.org/Keyword.URL
Firefox/bird used to have this behaviour by default until the developers added the search widget. It was then when I discovered keyword.URL and have used that hidden pref ever since.
Thanks for the info Andy. I wish they defaulted to this behavior. I’ve really come to love it in Chrome.
It’s really difficult in Firefox to highlight a word, ^C, ^T, TAB, ^V, Enter.
Actually that combination feels a bit awkward.
Chrome just happens to be faster in general as I’ve stated and as the benchmarks show.
That may change with future versions of FF..
Objectively I’m just interested in the most optimal browsing experience. I have no allegiance to either browser. Chrome just feels better at the moment even though it seriously lags in 3rd party support.
I too really love Chrome’s speed and “stay out of my way” feel.
That was the thing that has really kept me with it.