

Chrome Displaying Advertisements On Dashboard Page - tea-flow
http://timflores.com/post/43064341165/chrome-displaying-advertisements-on-dashboard-page
I for one am not too happy about this. What do you think HN?
======
jschuur
Was that linked to Google's Chromebook site, or a third party manufacturer?

A single link to a product being designed by Google, when the product in
question (a Chromebook) uses the same product (Chrome) as it's primary
interface is hardly 'ZOMG! Chrome is running the ads now!!!'.

It's directly related to Chrome and Google is simply saying 'here's another
way you can experience the browser you're already using that we came up with'.

~~~
OGinparadise
_A single link to a product being designed by Google, when the product in
question (a Chromebook) uses the same product (Chrome) as it's primary
interface is hardly 'ZOMG! Chrome is running the ads now!!!'._

[http://media.tumblr.com/6d048ed2fd812e7352e7b07a8c959e80/tum...](http://media.tumblr.com/6d048ed2fd812e7352e7b07a8c959e80/tumblr_inline_mi777tVLIP1qz4rgp.png)
Look at it again and tell me how many "links" to Google services and products
do you see?

~~~
Geee
Those are Chrome apps. The ad is above the icons.

~~~
OGinparadise
_Those are Chrome apps. The ad is above the icons. I had the same ad on my
Chrome 'new tab' screen._

Yeah, but they are GOOGLE Apps for Chrome. Others have Chrome apps too, no?

~~~
codeka
They are apps he has installed. You don't call the Internet Explorer icon on
Windows an "advertisement" do you?

------
EwanToo
People use a free browser developed by a company driven by advertising
revenue, and get shocked, shocked, at advertising being involved!

In other news, alternatives exist and work very well if it bothers you.

------
ch0wn
They did this before. One article from 2011:
[http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-57331212-264/googles-
new-a...](http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-57331212-264/googles-new-ad-space-
chrome/)

~~~
azakai
Yes, this is nothing new. Surprised people never saw it before in fact.

Also surprised people didn't expect this. Like any company, Google ties its
products together and promotes one on the other. As another example, some
google websites will recommend using chrome.

------
politician
Also annoying: the "you're missing out! -- sign in" appeal to associate your
browser with .. what exactly? On Ubunutu, it's suggesting that I sign in to
Chromium.

~~~
zobzu
When you use a non-Chrome browser and use Google websites you get the "for a
faster web" in all variations with a chrome download button.

Relatively annoying over time ;-)

~~~
gcp
It's the sort of thing that backfires and is actively off-putting. At least
for me.

------
olegp
This is part of the reason I made <https://starthq.com> \- a new tab
replacement service.

~~~
purephase
Damnit. Nice, I was working on something similar. ;)

~~~
olegp
Want to help out? :)

~~~
purephase
Sure! Email's in the profile as I don't do the twitter. ;)

~~~
olegp
Couldn't find the email in your profile. Drop me a line at oleg at starthq
com.

------
shocks
26.0.1410.3 dev-m -- no ads. 26.0.1411.0 canary -- no ads.

What version of Chrome is this?

~~~
dkhenry
I have them in this version 25.0.1364.45 beta

------
jtokoph
You're free to use a different homepage or override the dashboard (new tab)
page.

<http://developer.chrome.com/extensions/override.html>

~~~
mmahemoff
Awesome New Tab Page is a sweet one, with a programmable widget system anyone
can add to. (I guess Google will do something similar and official at some
point.)

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/awesome-new-tab-
pa...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/awesome-new-tab-
page/mgmiemnjjchgkmgbeljfocdjjnpjnmcg?hl=en)

------
samuel1604
chrome is a free browser last time i checked it's fair if they advertise some
products of them.

~~~
rplnt
Because the billions they make from search aren't enough. Of course they are
free to do whatever they want, and you are even allowed to hide those ads (or
use open source version), but I think there's a limit where it will get too
much.

------
duiker101
I use speed dial 2. works like a charm.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/speed-
dial-2/jpfpe...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/speed-
dial-2/jpfpebmajhhopeonhlcgidhclcccjcik?hl=en)

~~~
olegp
I'm working on a similar extension that stores your settings on a server (see
my other comment to this post) and was wondering: what are the main Spped Dial
2 features that you use?

~~~
duiker101
The homepage. With the links. Mostly that, in plain, no groups or nothing.
Sometimes I like to fiddle with the background and some settings but 99% of my
usage consists of that. I watched the statistics page once when I found it. I
even disabled the sidebar because it was annoying. I really liked Opera and it
remembers it a lot. If you can come up with something similar give me a shot I
will gladly try it.

------
j_col
If they are using it to advertise to you, then it isn't "free" in my book.

~~~
msvan
Open source shouldn't be considered free either. People put in countless man
hours working on open source projects, and giving something back in return
should be common etiquette.

My point is, you always pay for something. In the case of Chrome, surely you
don't believe that Google has no self-interest in building Chrome?

~~~
j_col
> Open source shouldn't be considered free either. People put in countless man
> hours working on open source projects, and giving something back in return
> should be common etiquette.

I have an open source project. I don't advertise on it. I give it away freely
and happily, knowing I gain no revenue from it.

> My point is, you always pay for something. In the case of Chrome, surely you
> don't believe that Google has no self-interest in building Chrome?

It's clear that they have a self interest.

------
beefsack
This is why I use Chromium and not Chrome.

------
OGinparadise
Google is desperate for revenue, their PE is 25+, Apple and MSFT have it 10 or
so. Their stock will drop in half if growth isn't there. Every search page
with commercial interest is already pay-to-play, some openly, others obvious
enough for anyone.

What's next for that 30% growth Larry wants? What other service is he going to
ruin for short term profits? At their valuation it becomes harder and harder
to beat the previous year's earnings.

 _Google has done a lot of sleazy and illegal things for revenue so spare me
the outrage_

~~~
esrauch
Illegal things?

~~~
OGinparadise
Yeah, it was all over WSJ a while back. Something to do with adwords and
advertising for illegal drugs, hormones or something. Top execs knew but
_Google_ paid a fine and they escaped.

------
WayneDB
Google's default new-tab page has always seemed "salesy" to me.

I use Speed Dial 2 as my new-tab page, so I didn't even see this.

