Chrome Usage Experience Talk: Three Minutes to Become an Expert - Expand the Topic / IT Rumors
Google Chrome
Although I have various preferences for Google Chrome, I still need to honestly tell you that it's not a good choice for everyone. Of course, it has the characteristics of quick startup and a simple interface, but for friends who are used to the interfaces of IE or Firefox, it may not be a good choice. Moreover, it is also a wasteful guy, so 2GB of memory is its basic requirement, because even my 4GB of memory sometimes struggles. "Painful but enjoyable" is indeed a very good description.
I've been using Chrome for at least half a year, encountering all sorts of problems. I'll share some usage tips with everyone. You can try searching on Google or checking relevant resources when you encounter issues, which will benefit you greatly.
Chrome Help
About Shortcut Keys
Chrome's minimalist design leaves more space for web pages, but this layout comes at the cost of saving a large number of traditional buttons and menus, which is why many friends don't get used to Chrome. However, beneath Chrome's simple appearance lies a powerful core. Familiarizing yourself with some shortcut keys can allow simplicity and efficiency to coexist.
The simplest tab operations: "Ctrl+T" to create a new tab, "Ctrl+W" to close a tab. Many people complain that Google Chrome doesn't have the function to restore recently closed tabs, but actually, "Ctrl+Shift+T" can restore closed tabs and windows. You can also perform this operation on the "New Tab Page."
Sometimes you need to open an incognito window to browse web pages, and it's too troublesome to find it in the menu with your mouse. Actually, "Ctrl+Shift+N" will do it for you. Do you think checking download content is particularly troublesome, or even require specific plugins to make it easier? In fact, you only need "Ctrl+J". To check your browsing history, use "Ctrl+H", and to add the current URL to your bookmarks, use "Ctrl+D".
The above lists some commonly used shortcut keys. There's no need to force yourself to memorize them; just use them frequently and you'll gradually become familiar with them. Then you'll find that your browsing efficiency increases N times, allowing Chrome users to rediscover the convenience of shortcut keys. If you want to view advanced shortcut keys, you can refer to the list of Chrome shortcuts provided by Google.
Powerful Shortcut Keys
Super Address Bar
Chrome eliminates the traditional dedicated search bar and integrates the search function into the address bar. When you input a keyword, it will ask if you want to conduct a default search. Right-clicking to select content for quick search is also a good option. But what if my default is Google and I want to use Baidu for searching? Do I really have to manually type in Baidu and then conduct the search?
First, input "baidu" in the address bar. Maybe after typing just two or three letters, it automatically prompts you with Baidu's website. At this point, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard, and it switches to Baidu search. Now you can input the content you want to search. Chrome can not only recognize built-in search engines but also automatically identify websites you've searched before and create search engines accordingly. This feature was discussed in an article from last June (Via), and you can also refer to other sources for more search methods.
Moreover, Chrome's auto-complete function is quite powerful. Most people visit no more than 50 websites regularly, so Chrome adjusts the prompt URLs based on your input instantly. In most cases, you only need to input less than three times to quickly access the website.
Data Synchronization and Backup
Chrome leverages Google's significant advantages and has implemented synchronization functions early on. Now the synchronization function supports syncing bookmarks, plugins, settings, and forms. Due to various reasons, the initial installation and synchronization process may take "a long time," possibly exceeding ten minutes, depending on the number of your bookmarks and plugins. Subsequently, it will automatically perform incremental synchronization.
No backup? Yes, Chrome does not have a backup function. You can only export your own bookmarks, and there's no way to back up settings or plugins. The third-party tools provided earlier seem not very user-friendly. Of course, you might say you can manually back up the "User Data" folder, but this data cannot be used across versions. In other words, if you change the browser version, your backup will become invalid. Before there's a good backup tool, you can first use the sync function, although it may occasionally encounter various issues.
Plugins and Memory
The quality of Chrome's plugins seems not as far behind Firefox as it used to be, which makes many users start to install plugins crazily. Well, I admit I'm one of these people. I had over 40 plugins installed at my peak. At this point, Chrome's startup speed advantage over Firefox began to shrink. Moreover, since Chrome's tabs and plugins both use independent processes, while enhancing stability, my memory resources were rapidly consumed. The task manager was full of "chrome.exe," and memory resources were also quickly depleted, with CPU usage remaining high.
After going through this nightmare, I started cleaning up those unnecessary plugins and replaced them with WEB tools. I replaced those plugins that performed fragmented functions with one compound plugin to achieve smaller system performance consumption. Now I have only 15 plugins left, and my regular memory consumption fluctuates around 800MB. Although this is still a large number, it's suitable for me. There's no streamlined solution that fits everyone, and you can make your own choices to reduce usage.
That's all? Yes, for now, there's nothing more to supplement for everyone. In fact, this summary of my own experience is more like a medium-level FAQ. If I recommend Chrome to a friend in the future or he encounters some problems, I can directly throw this article at him. It's really a great idea.
Source: XJP's Ramblings
