1. Chrome is fundamentally a tab based browser. This means that tabs are not just to make browsing easier but Chrome manages each tab independently from the others. For each tab that we create Chrome makes a new CPU process with its own memory allocation. The tab separation at the process level is meant to increase overall stability (if a tab crashes ONLY the tab crashes and not the whole browser) also if a tab is busy, lets say with a flash or JavaScript program, all other tabs can continue carrying on with their job and not be burdened waiting for the slow tab. In programs like FireFox that is run like a monolithic process this a slow tab con really freeze the whole program.
2. Task Manager: Google may not make its own OS but what it can do is make the Browser more like an OS. Thus Google included in Chrome its own Task Manager which tells us exactly how much Memory, CPU and Network usage is being consumed by each tab. (The task manager can be run by right clicking on the top of Chrome and selecting Task Manager or via the Keyboard: SHIFT + ESC)
Chrome's Task Manager
That Task Manager's more thorough cousin is the "stats for nerds" that can be accesed through the Task Manager or by tiping "about:memory" on the URL bar.
Stats for Nerds
3. JavaScript performace. One of the main goals of Google's Chrome is to make the integration between Web Apps and traditional Apps more seamless. This means that Web Apps like FaceBook or Gmail need to be more responsive as if they were running like and installed app and not like a website. As many of this web apps are handled through JavaScript, Google made JavaScript performance a top priority in Chrome and now it has the fastest performance in that area (and it is noticeable when you use it).
4. Security. Tab based browsing not only helps in stability and performance but as each tab is isolated and has basic permission rights a security flaw in one tab shouldn't affect the others.
This are only a few of Chrome's innovations, I will explore more of them in my next posts.
