Google Chrome is the free web browser developed by the search engine company and released in December 2008.
It was the first real challenger for Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s browser, which had until then enjoyed supremacy on the web.
Chrome is today well established and now the top browser on the planet, with the likes of
Microsoft Edge, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and others are trailing in its wake.
Recently, web traffic company StatCounter stated that Chrome has a worldwide browser market share of 63.63%. A gulf separated Safari, the Apple browser, in the second spot with a global market share amounting to 19.37%
Making Chrome extensions safer
Alexandre Blondin, Chrome Product Manager, revealed in the browser’s blog that stricter privacy rules and data control were on the way in 2021.
According to Blondin, Chrome plans to change how browser extensions access your data and how permission operates when you install an extension.
The announcement followed the tightening of user privacy controls in the autumn of 2020 when a puzzle icon began to appear in the toolbar to make extension management more visible and precise.
The default is no longer allowing the extension access to all the websites you visit.
As of 2021, users will be better able to manage extension permissions and control which sites an extension can access.
November 17, 2020 - Final update for 2020
The last update to Chrome in 2020 made inroads into making the browser faster to start and faster to load. And tweaks also helped ensure significantly more battery life.
Google declared that the update made the largest Chrome performance gains in years due to fine-tuning under-the-hood.
Two headline improvements were:
Prioritization of active tabs over everything else you have open to reduce CPA use and extend battery life,
and 25% faster starting and 7% fast page loading
Pleasant user interface
Fast browsing
Good integrated features
Secure
High level of customization possible
Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium, the open-source engine that powers Chrome. This turned out to be a genius ploy. Microsoft was able to strip out the Google services integration to make a lighter, faster, and less battery-sapping browser than Chrome.
You can now add extensions in the Chrome Web Store to Microsoft Edge because they share the same DNA.
Simplicity
Tab browsing
Integrates well with other Google products
Speed
It comes with many plug-ins and extensions you probably won’t use
Google Chrome does not come pre-installed on your device usually. Typically, you will have to download it.
Using your current browser go to google.com/chrome, and you can download Chrome for free from there.
Click or tap on the Download Chrome button. Then open the ChromeSetup.exe and follow the prompts. When the installation is finished, Chrome will open automatically.
Chrome is also available for Android and iOS.
Windows will add a shortcut to your desktop, while Mac users can open Chrome from LaunchPad or drag it to the Dock for faster access.
