When I went hopping across India two years ago, and connecting from erratic and unsecure cybercafes, I’d spend half of my connected time clearing private details¹ from those public machines. Some computers allowed me to install Firefox, while some didn’t. Some allowed me to plug my USB stick in—for using my portable browser off it, while some didn’t. In most instances, I’d have access only via an outdated default version of Internet Explorer—5 or 6 typically. I used cybercafes not just for quick connectivity, but also to check my email, and buy flight tickets for my next unscheduled destination.²

Private information left by candid users was scary. It was too easy, and too stupid to be true. And yet, there were these computers in cybercafes full of saved usernames, passwords, chat histories, telephone numbers, credit card numbers in browser history!

I lived in a paranoia for a month while on the move—hoping and praying that none of those machines I used were keylogged, or that I hadn’t forgotten to erase any of my private interaction data. And I kept checking my bank statements for any fraudulent transactions.

If you get my drift, then this incognito mode feature, especially in Google Chrome—together with its installation location³ is a step in the right direction.

1. Web addresses, usernames, passwords, and autocomplete texts, among others.
2. I was in a situation in which, I could not plan my travel, because it depended on responses from certain authorities I was dealing with.
3. It allows any user to install Google Chrome without requiring Admin intervention—even on Admin locked machines.

This offer comes in the wake of preparing me along with 100,000+ employees to brace for the imminent change—Windows Vista, and MS Office 2007, which roll onto our work notebooks within the next 3-12 months.

I have decided to take it, and hope that Microsoft delivers on its promise. This would enable me to exchange documents I create—between my Macbook and my Ubuntu running desktop—without loss of fidelity.

Update [22.8]: Here it is. I received the package yesterday.

The fun part, though, was the number of updates to it. SP1 (12.1.0) was 183MB, and then there was 12.1.1, which was ~160MB; and then just when I thought I was done, there was yet another update 12.1.2—another ~160MB. These updates are not for the faint internet connections!