Web Geek's Guide to Google Chrome

MAKE THE MOST OF THE WORLD’S HOTTEST NEW BROWSER, GOOGLE CHROME!

Finally, there’s a web browser for today’s Internet, and today’s user: you! It’s Chrome. (From Google—of course!) Now, there’s a book that reveals how you can use all of Google Chrome’s built-in power and speed—and extend Chrome to do even more! Jerri Ledford and Yvette Davis start with a quick, practical tour of Google Chrome’s stripped-down, hot-rod interface —including its do-everything, know-everything Omnibox. You’ll be using Chrome like a pro in minutes, but that’s just the beginning. You won’t just learn how to customize Chrome: You’ll dive under the hood, tweak its code, and transform it into the browser of your dreams. Bottom line: If Google Chrome can do it, this book will help you do it smarter, faster, better! Covers all this, and more...

 

• Improving life on the Web: what’s new and different about Chrome, and why you care

• Getting from Chrome newbie to power user—fast!

• Browsing more safely in the Web jungle

• Spit-shining Chrome: making a good-looking browser look spectacular

• Optimizing your own web site to make the most of Google Chrome

• Tweaking tabs, and more: customizing Chrome to your heart’s content

• Saving time with Google Chrome keyboard shortcuts

• Troubleshooting problems with Google Chrome, step-by-step

• Learning about Chromium (the foundation on which Google Chrome is built) and its components, WebKit, WebKit Core, WebKit Port, and  

  WebKit Glue.

 

Jerri Ledford has been a freelance business technology writer for more than ten years, publishing more than 1,000 articles, profiles, news stories, and reports. She develops and teaches technology training courses on topics ranging from security to customer service. Ledford also helps optimize websites for Google and writes about technology topics ranging from search engine optimization to consumer security and identity theft. She has written 18 books, four of which are about Google applications: Google Analytics, Google Analytics 2.0, Google Powered: Productivity with Online Tools, and Google AdSense for Dummies.

 

Yvette Davis is Managing Editor for Brighthub.com’s Google Channel and Contributing Editor for its Linux Channel.www.WebGeeksGuide.com

 

Table of Contents

Introduction      1

 

Part 1: Google Chrome and Browsing the Way It Should Be

 

Chapter 1        Web Interactions Past and Present              9

            The Theory of the Web-Based Operating System          10

                        A Star Trek-esque Society       10

                        Web-Based OS Is for the Future          10

                        Mobility Must Come First         11

                        Openness Is the Key to Mobility Is the Key to…          12

            Browsing in an Application-Driven World         13

                        Chaos, Fallen Orderly   13

                        Web-Based from the Ground Up          14

            Closing the Door          15

 

Chapter 2        What Google Chrome Brings to the Browser          17

            NOT Your Momma’s Web Browser    18

            Comparing Chrome to Other Browsers 19

                        Internet Explorer           19

                        Firefox             22

                        Opera  24

            Speed Depends on How You Handle the Code            26

            Share and Share (Resources), Alike      31

            Taking Out the Trash Keeps the Browser Moving Cleanly         32

            Searching for the Right User Experience            34

                        Tabbing Through Life        34

                        Surfing Without Being Seen       36

            It’s About the Right Amount of Chrome            37

            Closing the Door          38

 

Chapter 3        Getting Started with Google Chrome           39

            A Quick and Easy Download       40

                        Chrome and Your Privacy Concerns      42

                        Download and Install Chrome   43

                        Initial Chrome Customization        44

            Everybody Has a First Time Once        46

                        Chrome Grows with You          46

                        Chrome Page Controls 47

            Point and Click, or Type           49

                        Bookmark Manager     50

            Your Browser, Your Way: Basic Customization            52

            Closing the Door          55

 

Chapter 4        It’s Everything: The Omnibox (Plus Some)  57

            If It Is Everything, You Should Use It for Everything      58

                        The Usual Address Bar Duties  58

                        Security Indicators        59

                        A Few Other Functions            60

            And Then There Are Page Controls      61

            More Customization and Controls         64

                        The Basics Tab 65

                        The Minor Tweaks Tab            67

                        The Under the Hood Tab          68

            Closing the Door          69

 

Chapter 5        Stability on the Net    71

            Consequences of a Crash         72

                        Crash Management       72

                        Chrome’s Task Manager          73

                        Stats for Nerds    74

            So Why Won’t It Crash?          76

                        Isolated Tabs Equals Increased Security            76

                        Using Memory More Efficiently

            Extra Precautions: You Can Never Be Too Safe           78

            There’s No Little Black Box in the Browser        82

            Weaving a Multithreaded Web  84

            Closing the Door          86

 

Chapter 6        Safe Browsing on a Threatening Web          87

            It’s Not If, It’s When You’re Attacked 88

                        Chrome Saves the Day?           90

                        Secure Sockets Layer     91

                        Security Certificates      93

            What Threat Level?      95

                        Viruses 96

                        Spyware           97

                        Trojans 97

                        A Phishing Reminder       98

            Got Sand? Sandboxing Slows Attacks  98

            Closing the Door          100

 

Part II:Tinkering Around Under the Hood

 

Chapter 7        Open Source Overview          103

            Everyone Can Participate          104

                        Cost     107

                        Turnaround time for bug fixes and software improvements         107

            It Takes a Village: Open Source Is Collaboration          109

            Putting the Chromium in Chrome           112

                        Kits      113

                        Threads            116

                        Processes         117

                        Libraries and Scripts     118

            Ensuring a Flawless Application            120

            Closing the Door          120

 

Chapter 8        Developing Sites for Chrome            121

            Is This Part of the WebKit?      122

            I Should’ve Had a V8     127

            Shifting Gears: How Gears Works with Chrome            131

            Closing the Door          134

 

Chapter 9        Spit-Shining Chrome  135

            Chrome Better Faster Stronger 136

            ...Extended Chrome’s Functionality       137

                        Gears   138

                        Bookmarklets   140

                        exe Tools         142

                        Themes and Theme Editors       143

                        Greasemonkey   144

                        Greasemetal     147

            We Have the Tools       148

                        Libraries           148

                        C++     152

                        JavaScript        155

            Closing the Door          155

 

Chapter 10      Making It Yours        157

            You Gotta Have a Theme         158

                        Viewer 159

                        Settings            160

                        Theme Creator 160

            Just a Little Bookmarklet          163

            And a Bit of Grease      165

            Closing the Door          168

 

Part III: Chrome for Power Users

 

Chapter 11      Chrome Hacks for the Power Users 171

            Skinning Google Chrome          172

            Taking Control with Bookmarks           175

                        Increase the Capacity of the Bookmarks Bar       175

                        Changing Bookmark Icons        177

                        Adding Bookmarklets     181

                        Print from the Bookmarks Bar  185

            Creating Profiles in Google Chrome      186

                        Creating Multiple User Profiles in Chrome         186

                        Command-Line Switches          190

            About…Chrome’s Special about: Pages           196

            Closing the Door          198

 

Chapter 12      Troubleshooting Google Chrome      201

 

Part IV: Appendices

 

Appendix A     Google Chrome Shortcuts     213

            Navigation Shortcuts     214

            Address Bar Shortcuts 215

            Chrome Feature Shortcuts        215

            Web Page Shortcuts     216

            Text Shortcuts   216

 

Appendix B     Chrome for the Non-Windows User  219

            CrossOver Chromium   220

                        Linux    221

                        Mac OS X       224

 

Appendix C     Glossary         229

 

Index    237

 

Jerri Ledford has been a freelance business technology writer for more than 10 years. During that time, more than 1,000 of her articles, profiles, news stories, and reports have appeared online and in print. Her publishing credits include Intelligent Enterprise, Network World, Information Security Magazine, DCM magazine, CRM magazine, IT Manager’s Journal, and dozens more. Jerri also develops and teaches technology training courses for both consumer and business users. Some of the course topics she’s been involved with include security, customer service, career skills, and technology for companies such as IBT Financial, Writer’s Village University, Beacon Hill Financial Services, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, and CNET. She is the author of 17 books including Google Analytics, Google Powered:Productivity with Online Tools, Google Analytics 2.0, The Search Engine Optimization Bible, Google AdSense for Dummies, The Search Engine Optimization Bible, Second Edition, and The Web Geek’s Guide to the Android-Enabled Phone. In her time off, Jerri travels extensively and enjoys hiking, writing fictionnovels, and soaking up the positive ions at the beach with her children.

 

Yvette Davis writes on a variety of topics, but her passions are all things open source and alternative medicine. Yvette is the managing editor for the Google Channel on Brighthub.com, and she is a contributing editor for the Linux Channel on the same site. She also writes alternative health articles.