Google's Chrome 4 brings extensions to Windows

[DKT27]

Google has released its "stable" version of Chrome 4.0, an incarnation under development for months that brings extensions to customize Chrome features and a host of technologies for more powerful Web programming.

However, the new version is available only for Windows. The Mac OS X and Linux versions of Chrome arrived in beta more than a year after the Windows version, and there's still catching up to do.

Though this release is called version 4.0, Google de-emphasizes browser such numbers, calling them mere "milestones" on the way to a better browser. The software updates itself by default, keeping people on the latest version.

Chrome is the first browser from a Web powerhouse. It hasn't dethroned Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Mozilla's Firefox, but Chrome has passed Apple's Safari in usage by one measure.

Extensions are a major browser feature, letting people add new abilities without burdening all users who might not be interested. Extensions are a major competitive advantage of Mozilla's Firefox, which calls them add-ons and has thousands available for download.

Mozilla is moving to a new extensions foundation called Jetpack that, like Chrome's technology, uses Web standards such as HTML and CSS. Mozilla will support the current XUL system but hopes Jetpack will offer advantages of easier development, installation, and updates.

Programmers have been working on various extensions, and Google on Monday launched its extensions gallery with more than 1,500 available.

Extensions are on the way for non-Windows users.

Google says Chrome's page-rendering speed has dramatically improved.

"To those using Google Chrome on Linux, extensions are enabled on the beta channel," said Chrome Product Manager Nick Baum in a blog post. "And for those using Google Chrome for Mac, hang tight--we're working on bringing extensions, bookmark sync, and more to the beta soon."

Also in the new version is bookmark sync, which means a bookmark added once by Google account holders will see that bookmark in all instances of Chrome they use. Unlike Mozilla's Weave extension, though, it doesn't synchronize passwords or extensions.

He also continued to bang the browser performance drum, citing a 42 percent increase in Mozilla's Dromeao DOM Core Tests that measure, among other things, how fast a browser processes a Web document.

Under the covers is Chrome support for several HTML5 technologies: including the LocalStorage and Database interfaces for letting browser applications or Web sites store data on a computer, the WebSockets interface for more advanced communications between a computer and a server, and the notifications interface for status bar alerts--think Web-based instant-messaging notes.

For details on the interfaces, check the Chromium blog.

Source - CNET

[Toshiro]

Just read the same thing on CNET. :lol:

Lemme check Chrome 4. Is Iron also updating?

[DKT27]

Tell me one thing. Were you much aware about CNET before I started posting some news that sourced CNET. :P

[donizme]

I'll consider Chrome if they fix a few things:

*Make the new tab button bigger, have you guys seen how small it is it's ridiculous.

*Make the close tab 'X' bigger, again Google need to think about laptop/netbook users with touchpad.

*When clicking on 'Other bookmarks' in the toolbar and scrolling down, it scrolls down one line/bookmark at a time, again that really pi**** me off.

*Make the back button bigger like in Firefox, but this one is just my preference.

These things are so easy to fix as they are cosmetic flaws. :frusty:

[Toshiro]

Hehe, I read the news on download.com. Just some updates. The "Tech" News.. Cause I read at a whole lot of sites. (Just for interests)

After you posted stuff from CNET, I thought to myself.. Well, that site has sometimes really good articles.

So CNET got added to my reading list.

But I thought you would like to posts the the articles, so I didn't intervene. :)

Most stuff is the same tho, only someone else wrote it :)

[DKT27]

Good. :)

[Bizarre™]

I will gladly switch to Chrome if it can / will support Firefox plug-ins ^_^

The extensions they offer has nothing similar to the Firefox plug-ins I have.

[DKT27]

Indeed.

Many of the guys wouldn't even know that many companies have taken the advantage of firefox addons developers not switching to chrome. Like Adblock Plus for Firefox and Adblock for Chrome. The developers are no where related to each other. Adblock for chrome is very bad, but some noobs still use it cause it's name.

[HX1]

Indeed.

Many of the guys wouldn't even know that many companies have taken the advantage of firefox addons developers not switching to chrome. Like Adblock Plus for Firefox and Adblock for Chrome. The developers are no where related to each other. Adblock for chrome is very bad, but some noobs still use it cause it's name.

If you use Iron 4 .. I have an Adblock.ini file that I got from somewhere...which works wonders.. Download the attachment and open the program folder.. replace the existing file and your done..cruise the net without BS.. :thumbsup:

Oh and I have CoolIris installed on mine too.. just for some kind of special functionality with Chromium..and a Matte Black skin I found at deviantart.com that really does a better job than the others.. with a custom background I changed myself.. Iron BTW.. has not updated since its final version 4 update.. They don't need to.. ( one of the reasons I like Iron.. no data-mining to be vulnerable or recode.. LOL )