The right sidebar completely disappeared, and the footer appeared to be displayed there.

Rather than take the extreme measure of overwriting my customized template with the default installs, I looked at the code that had been generated with Google Chrome the day earlier as I was using the new browser to publish the web page.

For whatever reason, Chrome inserted extra DIV tags into the blog post throwing the design elements out of whack.

Copying the raw HTML into a text editor, I deleted the extra DIV tags and thank’s it’s situation normal.

I guess the key advice is if you’re using Chrome to work on a key website (especially using any browser-based editor, you might want to have backups at home.

Or at least be aware what might happen and take steps to rectify it if things go awry.

You can check out my initial perceptions and review of Google Chrome.

The question is: Should you install it?

As Status_Girl AKA Melanie Nathan notes: Chrome has an accompanying 38-page cartoon explaining how it works. I’m not sure how many would spend the time to read the pretty techy cartoon, but it reads more like a graphic novel, than a mere cartoon.

Still, there’re reports that it’s a fast browser.

I’ve noticed that on sites like my buddy Amit Mehta’s SuperAffiliateMindset, the inclusion of widget and/or tracking code from MyBlogLog, BlogCatalog, BlogSkinny, Blog Rush and others might trip Chrome up. Making me think that the browser is optimized for HTML content.

Chrome doesn’t have the RSS auto-discovery features of Firefox (meaning you can’t click on the RSS icon if the browser skims through the site to locate a RSS feed). So you either have to look for a RSS icon or link and click on it. Or you can try permutations of domain-name.com/RSS to try to locate it.

To read RSS feeds, you’ll need a web-based RSS Reader like Google Reader or Bloglines.

Affiliate Marketers take note:

I was initially concerned that Chrome might have the cookie-crunching “feature” of Apple’s Safari browser. Safe to say, the default setting is to “Accept all cookies”, which we should be rejoicing. No affiliate tracking cookie, no affiliate commission, so this is a good thing.

I tested it via an affiliate link and the tracking cookie lodged.

I’m just a little concerned that cookies (located via the “Options” and “Under the Hood” pulldown menu) have 3 settings –

• Accept all cookies
• Restrict how third party cookies are used
• Block all cookies

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that users don’t opt for option #3.
–
Chrome’s Achilles Heel
Here’s where Chrome’s advantages and shortfalls are apparent.
Yes, you have tabbed browsing, you can even pull out the tabs into their own separate windows (kinda “Apple-like” in a way).
But it’s not without a price.
I did an informal benchmark with Mozilla Firefox, opening 3 tabbed browser sessions in each browser:

While Firefox (shown as firefox.com above) is a single session of 69 megabytes of RAM, Chrome’s 3 sessions (labelled as chrome.exe above) take up a total of a whopping 104 megabytes of memory. Nearly double of what Firefox uses!

Google Chrome: 4 separate processes
But when you look at Firefox:

Mozilla Firefox: a single process
The opening of separate processes means that you’ll be able to pull out and put back each browsing session, collapsing it into a single browser or breaking it up.
No wonder users are saying that the collapse of a single “tab” leaves the other tabs intact…that’s because each tab is a discrete browser session!
–
Google Chrome sports a couple of cool touches like a graphical history of recently visited sites:

If you’re an internet surfer who uses 1-3 tabs in your surfing, Chrome might be faster than your regular browser.
BUT, if you’re a power user who regularly has 10-20 tabs open AND you need the SEO/analytics plugins that Firefox offers, I strongly discourage you from moving to Chrome. (at least till more plugins are developed for the open source browser).
–
A couple of unknowns: How do you manage Chrome’s browser cache?
–
Bottomline: Install Chrome as a preview tool to see how your websites look through the new browser.
But using Chrome as your workhorse browser? I’d hold off for a couple of months.

The question is whether you should take the plunge, especially since reviews like the one done by Cnet seem to give it a glowing review, mentioning spectacular increase in loading times. Firefox 3 sports a shiny Web 2.0 style user interface.

BUT if you’re a marketer and you use Firefox plugins in your daily work, you will want to hold off on the upgrade.

A number of my existing Firefox add-ons (ie plugins) were deemed to be incompatible with the new version of Firefox and I’ve lost the use of them (on my secondary machine).

Depending on the developer, it could be a few days or a few weeks before a compatible version is available.

If passing on the upgrade (for now) means that you will be able to do your work, it might be a better option for now.

For starters, the Apple browser is pleasantly looking.

In my book, Microsoft Internet Explorer is probably the ugliest browser. Mozilla FireFox is pleasant to work with, although Flock the Social Browser (loaded with Web2.0 functions) remains my favorite (and I’m composing this entry within a Flock window now).

Safari shows promise.

Among it’s features:

• Tabbed browsing: (If you don’t have 30 open windows, you’re not a hardcore Internet Marketer…yet)
• Built-in RSS Support: To monitor late breaking developments and changing content on blogs and social sites
• Pop-up blocking (maybe not such a good idea, since you might want to view popups)
• Enhanced search features

Safari is positioned to be the Apple’s “killer app” with supposed close integration between it’s upcoming pda/phone iPhone, iTunes and Safari in the works. But does Safari really work for Internet Marketers?

Worryingly, Safari has “Private Browsing” which blocks all cookies from being lodged. This means analytics tracking might not be as effective.

Even worse, for affiliate marketers, your affiliate commissions, tracked by cookies might not be registered.

Browser Plugins:

Safari’s plugin options include media choices like Flash, Acrobat, Quicktime, Real Player and Windows Media player.

Using Safari will mean that I’m surfing “blindly” without my Mozilla-compliant analytics plugins running on FireFox or Flock. I won’t be able to track Google PageRank or Alexa ranking easily.

Safari has a Google Search toolbar built-in, which is helpful.

Strangely, my WordPress control panel didn’t display properly, so even though I’d planned to file a blog entry using Safari, I switched to Flock because the writing panel was “screwed up” and didn’t display correctly.

Safari seems to install quite a number of DLL device drivers, so I’d recommend installing it on a secondary computer. Safari is in it’s Beta, so there could be some unforseen crashes.

Safari could have some potential, but I’ll be sticking to FireFox and Flock for now.

>>> Apple Safari

Even after the buzz at the conclusion of round 5, which had a whopper 1,190 blogs being submitted for inclusion into the content network, things are still humming along.

9Rules blog submissions received for Round 1 to 5: Up and up!

And if you’ve submitted your blog for inclusion, Mike Rundle in his 9Rules Round 5 Analysis points out: Traditionally we’ve added between 8-16% of the total number of submissions to 9rules, so if that holds true then “you can assume” we’ll pick about 160 blogs this time (though it’s all up in the air at the moment).

That’s encouraging. Results expected by the end of this week.

But wait…What’re the 9Rules anyway?

The original rules (circa 2003) are:

1. Love what you do: [After all, if you’re not enjoying it, why do it?]
2. Never stop learning: [On the Internet, the power of your mind truly manifests itself]
3. Form works with function: [One must follow the other, musn’t it?]
4. Simple is beautiful: [A polite way of saying, keep it simple, stupid!]
5. Work hard, play hard: [100% commitment to all things]
6. You get what you pay for: [It really shows!]
7. When you talk, we listen: [Communication is a 2-way street, isn’t it?]
8. Must constantly improve: [Similar to (2), though the ‘Must’ is an imperative]
9. Respect your inspiration: [And it will continue to inspire you time and time again]

Note: comments in the [brackets] are my interpretation of them.

What’s yours?

9 simple rules, still equally valid three years down the road.

Like to be continually inspired by the 9Rules?

Install: The Nine Rules WordPress Plugin

And my copy of FireFox has probably seen it’s fair share of abuse.

• With about 10 plugins and 400 bookmarks, it’s now chugging along.
• Downloads take about 10 seconds to initiate.
• WordPress (especially PHP processing) is a little buggy. I’ve lost a number of good posts already…

So you might say things are a little….slow?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not soley dependent on Firefox.

By necessity, I use 3 browsers:

• Internet Explorer: because about 50% of blog visitors use that browser (and it displays differently from FireFox at times)
• FireFox: what I really like are the extensions available, especially this SEO plugin I recently installed.
• And now Flock!

How’s Flock (currently still in beta) different?

It’s intended to be a blogging-friendly Mozilla-based browser.

Here’s some info from Flock.com:

It’s a fast browser and I’ve used it for filing my blog posts a number of times.

It also supports extensions and are compatible with some FireFox ones.

According to the extensions page, it states:
Very soon you will be able to add your favorite extensions and we’ll convert them on the fly for you. Extensions written for other platforms can still be used in the Flock browser, but there is no guarantee that they will work correctly.

Here’re some of the more interesting extensions I’ve found:

• Web Developer

Adds a menu and a toolbar with various web developer tools.

• FlashGot

Enables Flock, Firefox, Mozilla Suite, Netscape and Thunderbird to handle single and massive (“all” and “selection”) downloads using the most popular external download managers for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and FreeBSD (dozens currently supported, see Extension’s Home Page for details). FlashGot offers also a Build Gallery functionality which helps to synthetize full media galleries in one page, from serial contents originally scattered on several pages, for easy and fast “download all”.

• Performancing

Performancing for Flock is a full featured blog editor that sits right within Flock. Features include:

• Works with all major blog software
• Easy WYSIWYG Editing
• Trackback, Technorati and Del.icio.us support Once installed, just hit F8 or click the little pencil icon at the bottom right of your browser window to bring up the blog editor and easily post to your WordPress, MovableType or Blogger blogs.

I know a number of bloggers who use performancing, though because of the nature of my tag plugins using the native WP editor works better for me.

• Hyperwords

Makes every word on the web interactive for References, Search, Blog, Tag, Translate, Map look-up, Shopping, Email & more all in a single click.

• Technorati Topbar

The Technorati topbar lets you to search Technorati for conversations about blogs or the links you find in them. Technorati is a search engine that keeps track of what is going on in the blogosphere — the world of weblogs. See the Flock wiki for more information

• Dai.sy

Turn Any Web Space into a Meeting Place. With it you can:

• MEET your fellow website visitors
• SHARE with them any folder on your PC Leave a
• BLOG for those that come After you With
• FULL MULTIMEDIA capabilities and socially designed for a simple and natural human interactive experience.
• NO Sign-Up or Membership Required.
• NO Costs.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

• Adsense Notifier

Displays your adsense earnings on the statusbar.

As you’re revving up your browser to go into overdrive, do install a sensible number of plugins (5-10 would be ideal. Having 100 installed might cripple it!)

You can get Flock from the Flock download page. A new beta 0.7.6 has just been released (which prompted this post!)
Anyone else using Flock? How’ve you found it?

If I had a choice, I’d probably go with Mozilla Firefox.

FireFox also happens to be the name of a Clint Eastwood movie. For those who were around in 1982, you might rememeber the Soviet advanced fighter that could:

• flies at 6 times the speed of sound
• was invulnerable to radar
• worst of all – has a lethally sophisticated weapons system that the pilot can control through thought impulses. As soon as the pilot detects a threat – either visually or on a scope – his thought impulses will direct a missile to that threat, without so much as pushing a button”

Sounds cool, doesn’t it. My FireFox browser can do the same things too (well except the “6 times the speed of sound” bit)

But my Firefox is even better, because I like the fact that you can install plug-ins into it. Some really useful ones like the:

• performancing for firefox (very useful for bloggers)
• FasterFox browser accelerator
• SearchStatus which gives you the Google PageRank and Alexa ranking on the pages you visit
• Greasemonkey allows you to add scripting capabilities to FireFox. There’s a range of add-ons for greasemonkey, though I haven’t added them in yet.
• You can find a whole bunch of scripts you can use with greasemonkey here: Userscripts.org.

By the way, if you’re a FireFox user, you may want to note that there’s new versions of FireFox out.

Here’s the links for:

• Firefox 1.5.0.7 (Release notes)
• Thunderbird 1.5.0.7 (Release notes)

If you haven’t got it already, what are you waiting for?

Get ready for takeoff.

Updating your browser ensures you have a faster surfing experience and fewer application crashes.

—

As part of Mozilla Corporation’s ongoing stability update process, Firefox 1.5.0.6 is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux for free download from http://www.getfirefox.com. We strongly recommend that all users upgrade to this latest release. This update is available immediately in 39 languages including German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, and more.

If you already have Firefox 1.5, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the Help menu at any time. Mozilla Corporation is also strongly recommending that Firefox 1.0 users upgrade to this latest release of Firefox 1.5 in order to take advantage of significant security and stability improvements. Firefox 1.5 includes an automated update mechanism that ensures users are always up to date with the very latest updates.

For more information, please see the Firefox 1.5.0.6 Release Notes
(http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/releases/1.5.0.6.html).
—
Basil Hashem
basil@mozilla.com