Try Chrome - Update: Chrome Measures Up - and This is the Last Plug for It

UPDATE:  I have now been using Chrome for about a week and so far it has more than measured up to its initial promise.  I haven't had one freeze or crash and it is fast.  It loads Huffington Post and the Washington Post, both sites that have always given me the most problems with the screen freezing.  Again, I always thought it was the fault of the site but now I am rethinking that.  And every once in a while, I'll try loading both those sites on Internet Explorer, and guess what?  Same crap as before.  The difference is Chrome.  But this is the last "commercial" for it - promise!  It's just that it has turned my surfing and blogging experience back into pure joy, when I had gotten so frustrated with IE's performance that I was actually avoiding my computer.

Ok, I got a Google Wave invitation and when I went to retrieve it and install it I kept getting messages that I needed an additional plug in for it to work.  Now, that was helpful.  NOT!

What plug in?  Where do I find it?  There was no explanation.  So, I started Googling.  What else would you do?  I am convinced you can Google and get instructions for anything.  I learned how to thread a sewing machine needle, download YouTube videos, and perform a root canal by Googling.

Ok, I wouldn't actually try doing the root canal.  But I did find a description of what to expect at the dentist that went into pretty explicit detail of how it's done.  And I also have used Google to get instructions for how to do various things in Excel, Word, and Power Point since nothing comes with a user's manual anymore and Googling is the quickest way to find anything.

And when I Googled for instructions on using Google Wave I discovered that Internet Explorer doesn't support Wave.  Chrome does, so I downloaded it and sure enough Google Wave is now accessible.  And I discovered something else.

My whole computer Internet connection is better.  Everything from this blog to all the other blogs and sites I go to runs better than it did on IE.

I was forever having problems with stuff loading too slowly, the computer freezing up entirely, and crashing.  At first I thought it was caused by Verizon and I've been contemplating switching to cable.  Then after some research, I thought it was because Microsoft keeps running constant updates.  And that did have a lot to do with it.  I've disabled automatic update.  I still do the updating religiously, but at my discretion, not when Microsoft decides it should be done.

That way, I'm not losing work because my computer is going down and rebooting after I've written 10 pages. I just pick a time every few days and do my computer maintenance and it works out great.  But the biggest shock came when I installed Chrome.

For the first time ever my computer functions smoothly.  There were some sites that always gave me trouble and I just assumed that it was the fault of the site because it had so many videos, pictures, graphics, links that made loading slow.  Nope.  Not with Chrome.

Since the FTC now insists that, as a blogger, I disclose any financial arrangements I might have with Chrome, Google, or IE, let me assure you I have only one.  I'm a customer.  It's a free service.  And I make no money by telling anybody about my experience.  But if I can save some readers the same type of frustrations that I had been  dealing with by passing on some info, then I am happy to do it.

If you are having problems with your computer running slowly while you are on the Internet, don't assume the problem is your computer (unless, of course, you are also having difficulties in other programs).  Give Chrome a try.  You may be as pleased as I am with it.