Even though we have quickly come to enjoy using Google Chrome after its launch yesterday, we still miss a couple of things from Firefox that Google’s browser just doesn’t offer yet. Most importantly, Google doesn’t yet have any architecture in place that would allow developers to program extensions for it. For Firefox, the extension ecology that developed around it has a been a major contributor to its success and many users who might prefer the speed and simplicity of Chrome over Firefox won’t be able to switch because they have become dependent on certain extensions they use every day.
During the launch, however, Sundar Pichai, a VP for product management at Google, promised that Google would eventually start supporting extensions and stressed that it was high on Google’s to-do list for Chrome. For developers, it would obviously be nice if Google used an extension architecture similar to Firefox’s. That, after all, would make porting extensions over to Chrome a lot easier. So far, however, Google has not made any announcements about the details of the extension API.
What Else is Missing?
One other feature we really miss from Chrome is RSS feed autodiscovery. Both Firefox and Internet Explorer have had this feature for quite a while now. As Google Reader is one of the most popular web-based RSS readers,integrating it tighter into the browser would only help Google in the long run.
Also, as Corvida points out, Google could integrate a lot of its other services closer into the browser. Why, for example, doesn’t a search for an address bring up Google Maps immediately?
What Do You Miss?
Are there any features you really miss in Google Chrome that stop you from switching? Let us know in the comments.
