Google Chrome is fastest web browser
Google's web browser is the fastest way to surf the internet, according to technology experts ExtremeTech.
By Claudine Beaumont
Last Updated: 1:59PM GMT 26 Nov 2008
Google Chrome is the fastest web browser
It found that web pages load faster in Google Chrome than in other, competing web browsers, such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla's Firefox 3, Opera and Apple's Safari.
ExtremeTech conducted a battery of tests in each of the web browsers to compare speed and performance, including analysing how well the browsers handled Flash, JavaScript and coding compatibility.
According to ExtremeTech's research, the BBC web page took just nine seconds to load on Google Chrome, compared to 16 seconds in Firefox 3 and Internet Explorer 7, while YouTube loaded in five seconds in Google Chrome, six seconds in Firefox 3, and seven seconds in Internet Explorer 7, Opera and Safari.
"Based on our arbitrary score assignments, Google Chrome is the speed individual," said the ExtremeTech article. "Google uses its own knowledge of search and browsing habits to optimise Chrome, but Chrome is still in early development.
"It's also clear from our testing that Microsoft really needs to get [the next Internet Explorer browser] IE 8 out the door -- Internet Explorer 7 not only has compatibility issues, but is substantially slower in many ways."
Chrome, which was released in September, is still in the beta, or testing stage, meaning that engineers are continuing to iron out bugs and glitches. Google said it had designed Chrome to make web surfing faster and more secure, and that was built to handle the rich multimedia experience offered by many websites. "The development of the internet has significantly outpaced the development of browser software," said Eric Tholome, director of product management.
Since its launch, it's estimated that just under one per cent of internet users use Google Chrome to surf the internet, according to analysts Net Applications, compared to 71 per cent of web users who favour Internet Explorer, and around 20 per cent of people who use Firefox.
Google has said that it is considering pre-installing Chrome on some new computers early next year, when the browser comes out of beta.
Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at the search giant, said: "We will probably do distribution deals. We could work with an original equipment manufacturer and have them ship computers with Chrome pre-installed."
thats until the new opera browser that bypasses windows and runs on its own is out
