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Google Chrome
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock on Mars, you already know that Google just released a new Web browser: Chrome. This is not a review of the browser itself. I’ll let Thom do that. He’ll do a much better job than I would, anyway. Besides, I just downloaded it seven minutes ago, for Pete’s sake! This is just my initial thoughts, as a Systems Administrator, as it downloaded and installed.
Sure, it’s just another Web browser. Sure, it’s just another open-source project. Sure, it’s just another thing Google’s throwing at the world. Doesn’t mean a thing. Move along. Nothing to see here.
Actually, this browser is kinda scary. Google already knows what you write(Docs), what you email to whom (Gmail), who you associate with (Groups), what you look at (Picassa), what you read (Google Reader), where you’re going to be (Calendar), and even what you think (Blogger). They know what’s on your hard drive (Desktop Search), what you buy (Checkout), where you’re going ( Maps), what you’re researching (Scholar), what you’re building (Patent Search), and even how you’re feeling today ( Health).
And now, the one last piece – Google now knows what you’re doing when you’re not using any other Google product.
Now, let’s not get all “second browser on the grassy knoll” about this. The whole point here is not to spy on you (I hope), but rather to give you more directed advertising. And I don’t really have a problem with that, as long as they don’t know I’m me, but rather that I’m the anonymous individual who’s been looking at new cars recently. After all, the more money Google makes off ads, the more free stuff they’ll be willing to write. Free is good.
But here’s the part that gives me pause: I installed it under Vista (because they haven’t got the Linux browser done yet – slackers). When I installed it under Vista, it didn’t ask me to Allow or Deny the install! It seems (with just a few minutes’ detective work – I could conceivably be wro… not entirely correct) that it’s not installing as a standard application. In fact, when I reinstalled it as Admin, none of the other users on that machine could see it. Seems like it’s local to the user, which means any user can install it at any time on any machine.
Now, that’s fine, I guess, for the normal home user. But for me, as the Systems Administrator for a college, it has massive implications. If anyone can install it anywhere without special permissions, where is my security? Where is my control over what apps (psst: Gears!!!) are running on my machines? How do I protect my machines from people throwing whatever crap they want on them? Sure, I know – Chrome has a million little jails and security features and stuff. But, now, Google is asking me to hand them the security of my entire network.
Maybe there really is a second browser on that grassy knoll…
