googlechrome

[interstice]

Google's new web browser is supposed to go open public beta tomorrow (I've read reports from some people already using it).

But what I'm really impressed by is this illustrated advertexplanation; in addition to explaining the project which it does very well of course, it may just be the fastest way to inform an average person about fairly advanced computing concepts and coding practices. (Don't even bother saying that nothing new has been developed in CS since the 70s; yes, it's true, but back then they weren't "practices" - it's really taken a while.)

http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome/

It's a real step up from one illustrated computer book I looked at which had, I kid you not, a figure comparing a "real tree" (with totally generic arboreal drawing) with a "binary tree" (box/line representation of nodes/edges), with absolutely no explanation of what the hell a binary tree was good for!

Carnegie Mellon uses the "Cartoon Guide to Statistics" as a required text in its intro courses. I have myself read the "Cartoon Guide to Biology" as a total newbie and can very safely say I learned a lot more in the hour or so I spent doing so, than in any hour taking a biology course. These have the bonus over the google cartoon of copious citations making them even more valuable. (Though it's understandable since the google cartoon is primarily an advert.)

As far as learning-per-novice's-second goes, cartoons are the way to go as long as they are done with care and expertise. Scott McCloud earned his undoubtedly fat paycheck from Google. I wonder how long it took him to pull this thing together.

Comments

[suicide-sam-e.livejournal.com]

So long as he did not have to leave his home and no one pandered to his delusional hypochondria, I would suggest he completed it in optimal time.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Are you sure you're not thinking of Dave Sim?

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Wow, the pure awesomeness of having an angsty misogynistic aardvark explain technical workings to me is almost too much to bear.

[suicide-sam-e.livejournal.com]

I heard Scott McCloud. I would not doubt that both of them behaved that way.

[suicide-sam-e.livejournal.com]

"It was hot the night we googled Chrome. ..."
- Gibson's "Googling Chrome"

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Very nice. He should have put a reference like that into Pattern Recognition or Spook Country. Maybe he did.

[hfwolfe.livejournal.com]

That is actually quite techie-hip. The V8 thing was real interesting, although this "hidden class transitions" thing seems a bit opaque. I like the reoccurring explanations for why browsers need to be rebuilt from scratch. I wish people would see this same distinction with Windows and *nixes.

I'm not so sure about making the thing a bunch of separate processes, but I guess most page data is independent, and this would give failing or malicious code a limited scope.

I just hope the linux version won't have an about:config page for mime types.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Also: http://www.gnu.org/fry/

???

I just wished he would suggest ubuntu instead of the more ideologically-hardcore "gNewsense".

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

This guy analyzes what probably is close to your concerns.

Conclusion: eats lots of RAM, but due to good design it ends up using not many more threads than FF, lots less than IE8beta.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9114054

FWIW I tried chrome today; it is snappy and has a nicely clean UI. Can follow a link into an "incognito window" which has a spy icon in the upperleft; anything in such a window won't get logged into your history. It, like itunes, takes over the standard microsoft windows decorations. I kind of like that, and it makes sense from a branding perspective, but I kind of don't.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Also, Micro$oft Windoze only.

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

Except they have an open-source web browser with some of the same code:

http://code.google.com/chromium/

[random-walker.livejournal.com]

There's no about:config at all (and yeah, it could be done better in mozilla).

There is however an "about:internets" which I recommend you try.