Chrome

Google has just released a Beta version of their new browser Chrome, and I am seeing lots of mixed reviews around the web. So far nothing disparaging has come up regarding the technical capabilities (that I have seen), but I have seen a number of complaints about the mere existence of another browser.

For designers this means more testing, because its just one more set of potential bugs, but I for one am remaining optimistic. The way I see it, you don't get many brand names with bigger recognition than Google. Maybe with their pushing a new browser we can finally see some heads come up out of the sand and abandon IE. From what I have read (this is coming from Google mind you), Chrome is built using the best of Webkit and Gecko, so maybe we won't have to worry so much about testing CSS. Maybe it will just work. Wouldn't that be nice?

From my initial playing around with Chrome, its unlikely to replace Firefox in the near future (at least for me and other coder types). There are just too many developer and designer friendly systems in Firefox. That being said, it is a clean and easy to use interface. It runs perfectly well on my 4+ year old Windows XP box as well, so all the more reason for folks stuck in the IE stone ages to make the upgrade.