Don Trauger – Kennett
What is a browser? It’s simply the computer program you use to explore various web sites on the Internet. Popular names include
Internet Explorer from Microsoft, which is part of every Windows PC, Firefox from Mozilla, Safari from Apple, and of course
Chrome from Google.
There is considerable competition among the leaders to develop and produce the fastest browser. For you as a user this should
result in faster loading of web pages. Does it really work? If you are a computer enthusiast I recommend you give it a try.
First, go to www.google.com, click on “more”, then click on “even more”, and finally click on Google Chrome. Next, click on
Download Google Chrome. In the next window choose to uncheck “Set Google Chrome as my default browser”. This means whatever browser
you are currently using will still be the browser that will automatically start when you click your Favorites. Click “Accept and Install”.
Save the download file to your Desktop. Now double click it to start installing Chrome then click Run. At the end of the installation
you may choose your search engine. Click your choice (Google is recommended but Bing is also good). Next, near the top of the window,
type your home page address in the field next to the magnifying glass and press the Enter key. You should see your normal home page if
you have an Internet connection. To set Chrome to display your home page every time you start it, click the “wrench” in the upper right
of the window then click Options, click the Basic tab, select “Open this page:” and type in your home page address. Also, you may want
to click “Show Home button on the toolbar”. Chrome is compatible with any other browser you may be using and it won’t cause problems.
If you like the way Chrome works you may opt to set Chrome as your default browser by clicking the “wrench” in the upper right corner,
click Options, click the Basic tab, and then click “Make Google Chrome my default browser”.
Other options include importing bookmarks, favorites, passwords, and history from your original browser. To import your data click
the “wrench”, then Options, click the Personal Stuff tab, then next to Browsing data: click “Import data from another browser”
then click Import. A more technical section, called Under the Hood, can customize the operation of Chrome.
Chrome does not offer a separate search engine field as does Internet Explorer. It simply reuses the address field for searches. All you
need to do is type your search information in the address field and press the Enter key. Neat!! This saves space and makes it easier to use.
In a speed test I find Chrome to be slightly faster than Internet Explorer. Although a second or two is not much faster, for lack of
a better expression, it just feels faster.
For a discussion of Google’s Chrome browser please attend the PC Computer Club meeting. It’s held the second Tuesday of every month
upstairs in the Community Center in the Ardmore Room at 7:00 PM. Also, your computer questions can be addressed at this time.