The intertubes of the Web are abuzz with talk of the new, open-source Google Chrome browser [two articles here and here]. I will not presume to wade into the debate of whether it is necessary, or what strategic business goals Google has set that rely on having its own browser. I will limit my comments to the area of Web performance.

Open-Source Browser: Ours or Theirs?

When I read that Google Chrome was an open-source browser, the first thought was: is it theirs or a re-branded Firefox? No one knows at this point, but that will have a direct effect on how the browser performs, and how extensible it will be.

HTTP Standards

Unlike other standards, HTTP standards set out how a browser uses the underlying TCP stack. MSIE6/7 have very broken implementations, and MSIE8 is building on those by increasing the number of connections per host to 6, up from 2 set out in RFC 2616.

Firefox can be configured to mangle this as well, but by default it plays by the standard, adding the option of HTTP pipelining into its mix of persistent HTTP connections.

It will be VERY interesting to see how Google Chrome comes configured out of the box, and how much control users have over the HTTP behaviour of this new browser.

(X)HTML/CSS/JS Standards

This area is a mess. No browser implements this standards in a way that is completely consistent with the written text, and page designers have to use a variety of page testing products (such as BrowserCam) prior to release to ensure that their design is somewhat presentable in all browsers on all platforms.

The rendering of Javascript will be crucial in this new browser, as so much of the new Web is built on applications that are almost completely Javascript-driven.

I am sure that there will be sites that will be completely mangled by the new browser, but, knowing Google, we will be getting a 2.0 release, the 1.0 release being used within Google for a while now to test it under real-world conditions.

Caching

As a few sites in the world do use cache-control headers properly, it will be interesting to see how a browser created by one of the major ad-serving and search providers on the Web tracks page objects. Will it follow explicit/implicit caching rules? Or will it impose a heavy penalty on bandwidth by downloading objects more frequently than other production browsers do?

Proxies, and the Debacle of the Google Web Accelerator

Back in 2005, Google launched a badly designed and gighly flawed product called the Google Web Accelerator. This product proxied Web traffic through the Google network and allowed the company to develop a pattern of user browsing habits and search selections that would allow them to better target their ad products.

I have a great fear that this will be an integrated part of the Google browser project. If it is, it should be a configurable option, not an out-of-the box standard.

I am sure that there will be a few performance conversations that occur around the Google Chrome browser in the weeks ahead. I look forward to hearing what the community has to say about this new addition to the browser wars.

I have a problem: I like to collect GSM phones. Right now, I have seven.

From left to right.

• MOTORAZR V3
• MOTORIZR Z3
• MOTOSLVR L7i (current phone in use)
• Motorola V188 (running V220 software)
• Sony Ericsson K700i
• Nokia of some description
• Samsung T619

Ugh.

I have been playing with my personal site, Pierzchala.com, and finally set the re-design loose last night. The last time I touched the layout was 2002 (I think), and it was all done in tables. The new design uses CSS, and makes controlling the layout so easy.

And, thanks to Matt Mullenweg, the header logo rotates for each visit. For someone who wants to improve performance, this is a simple attempt at vanity. Enjoy the home-brew headers.

Tags: re-design, pierzchala.com, pierzchala, logo, matt mullenweg

Did we mention that the layout doesn’t work in Firefox or MSIE 7?

Oooops.

When I got to the London office, I started talking about how I had an addiction to sexy GSM phones, and showed off my collection. I then noted that the Motorola Razr seems to be a pretty hot commodity these days in London. My colleagues laughed, and one of them pulled his old Razr out of a drawer, effectively saying that it was so last year.

Since the Razr was unlocked, I asked if he was doing anything with it. So, I am now the proud owner of a first-series black Razr, a London office cast-off.

Seems that all of Europe wants a Sony-Ericsson W-series or the Nokia N-series. Razrs are so old school.

When I arrived in Germany with my Treo 600 now relegated to backup position by the Rzr, one of my German colleagues was bemoaning the fact that any PDA phone was horrendously expensive. I then offered him up the Treo 600, which I had adopted from its previous owner. After a hard reset, he spent the rest of the day fiddling with it, and grinning maniacally.

Sometimes technology just finds its way to the right place.

Technorati Tags: Razr, Treo 600, European phones, GSM

I will admit it.

I have a problem.

I am addicted to GSM phones.

From L to R: Samsung R225m, Motorola V188, Treo 600, Sony Ericsson K700i

Ok, I admit my problem. But it is not as bad as Russell Beattie’s issue.

©2005, Russell Beattie

Ok, maybe I don’t have a problem…just an issue.

Technorati Tags: GSM, mobile phones, cell phones, gadgets

My Jimi Wallet arrived today. And it is exactly as advertised.

Small. Compact. Solid.

It forces you to seriously consider the items that you need to take with you on your everyday. I narrowed it down to exactly what I thought it would in this post.

What I am waiting for are the hacks that are sure to appear from the hardcore GTD freaks. Likely they will be able to turn it into a dayplanner, notetaker and laptop computer with a paper clip and folded paper.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the gift bag the Jimi comes in is a great carrying case for my Sony Ericsson K700i!

Technorati Tags: GTD, Jimi, Jimi Wallet

Scott Johnson writes about how we all want to drop our mobile provider every once and a while. [here]

I have the same provider that Scott does: T-Mobile.

I am a complete T-Mobile lover. The coverage is great, and the use of GSM makes it so perfect for my travel needs, which includes the occasional trip to Europe. T-Mobile has been a great provider, and the fact that I never have to think about it should tell you how good they are.

I will say that their selection of phones is limited. But guess what? That doesn’t matter. You can buy unlocked GSM phones on the net, and have a phone that is so much sexier than what the provider gives you. I have a Sony Ericsson K700i that I bought and it is so very hot!

On the whole, I would never go back to a traditional US CDMA phone provider, as it is so old school, so, clunky, so…1995.

T-Mobile, keep up the great work!

Technorati Tags: T-Mobile, k700i, GSM

I have been shopping around for a new, unlocked GSM phone. I live in the US, so these are not as readily available as they are in the rest of the civilized world.

The criteria I have can be summed up easily:

• Candybar/brick: I have learned to hate flip phones
• Tri-Band: 900/1800/1900 (no 850 for me!) for largest range of coverage
• Keypad for easy text messaging

So far, I have narrowed the search down to three options:

• Sony Ericsson J200i
• Motorola C650
• Motorola T68i
• Motorola L6 (A boy has to dream!)

If anyone knows of any other candidates, or has domments on my shortlist, they would be appreciated.

Technorati Tags: J200i, C650, T68i, unlocked GSM, GSM, 900/1800/1900, tri-band, worldphone, world phone

I have been making some changes to this blog and MSIE continues to gibble the CSS layout.

Well, too bad for them.

Get a real browser.

This blog no longer supports MSIE <= 6.x.