Firefox 8 Vs. Chrome 15

Following the recent release of the new-improved Chrome 14 Google is preparing for the release of yet another version. Chromium 15.0 was released on 28 July 2011, with 15.0.837.0 as the initial version. Chromium is the open source browser project on which Chrome is based. As a result the release of Chrome 15 expected early September. It is expected to bring even more fine tuning to the Chrome browser. Google hopes to steal some of the limelight from the ever popular Firefox. Both Mozilla and Google have been releasing subsequent versions of their web browsers in quick succession. But up until now Firefox has fought off all previous Chrome versions. So will Chrome 15 have enough to really challenge Firefox?

According to those in the know Chrome 15 will improve the profile feature and synchronization by relocating the synchronization function into the main menu and adding an efficient profile manager. By improving these areas it provides users with a more personalized browsing environment. Chrome 15 offers users more choice in terms of customization within the profile feature, combining Google accounts, apps and add-ons. But developers need to be careful when offering too much choice. There is nothing more frustrating than an over complicated user experience. Admittedly the encrypted data itself used in synchronization is more secure due to changes in the latest Chromium 15.

Google Chrome 16 is expected around a month after the release of version 15 (October 17). Such frequent releases seem to be rather superficial given the fact that substantial issues with previous versions are not always resolved in later releases. Chrome is going for all out development at a phenomenal rate. Over frequent releases would be more bearable if developers at Google were actually listening to user’s demands. Instead they appear to be developing in a manor that is not user-focused enough. The frequency of releases leads to the problem of compatibility issues, meaning it lacks support for a number of websites. Another problem is that Chrome’s over complicated user experience, it remains best in its simplest form. But that is a form in which it cannot compete with the comprehensive Firefox.

Chrome has always placed a lot of emphasis on speed. In Chrome 15 Google continues by focusing on pre-rendering, in particular location bar pre-rendering which allows for instant URL shortcutting. But again not everyone enjoys suggested targets appearing instantly. Users should not be forced into a Chrome browsing experience, but lured into it. Google must not over step the mark. Chrome://media-internals looks set to be interesting feature by allowing users to identify which tab has running media (video, audio etc.). It can be a nightmare task when running multiple tabs.

Firefox 8, which only just appeared on the Nightly channel, is already 20% faster than Firefox 5 in almost every metric: start up, session restore, first paint, JavaScript execution, and even 2D canvas and 3D WebGL rendering. The memory footprint of Firefox 7 (and thus 8) has also been drastically reduced, along with much-needed improvements to garbage collection.

While comparison with other browsers has become a little passe in recent months — they’re all so damn similar! — it’s worth noting that Firefox 8 is as fast or faster than the latest Dev Channel build of Chrome 14. Chrome’s WebGL implementation is still faster, but with Azure, Firefox’s 2D performance is actually better than Chrome. JavaScript performance is also virtually identical.

The only real difference now between Chrome and Firefox (and Internet Explorer 9) is the fancy, Googlesque speculative pre-resolution of DNS and pre-loading of websites. Mozilla can spend the next year improving Firefox’s rendering speeds, but the negotiation and downloading of websites is always going to be the slowest part of surfing the web — and that’s where Google Chrome truly excels. Firefox might be fast, but Chrome feels fast.